Ways to Maximize Your Community’s Website Content
In today’s day and age, community associations must take advantage of digital avenues for communicating and sharing important information with board members and homeowners. Clear and regular communication promotes transparency and trust, which can improve the relationships that drive success.
A valuable resource for the entire community, an association’s website should be a communication tool that’s actively maintained. A good website serves as an all-in-one hub for current and prospective community members to access essential news and stay up to date. Use the following tips when building your website to maximize this helpful channel.
Create an inviting home page.
Your initial introduction to visitors, the website home page is your chance to make a good first impression. Give your guests a snapshot of what your community is all about. Ensure this page is well-designed and organized and includes inviting photos, background information, and a brief history of the community. Promote your community’s strongest aspects in this space and let people know why your neighborhood is a great place to live right off the bat.
Regularly share community news.
Create fresh content and share community news on your website frequently. Provide updates for everything that happens—or will happen—within the community: upcoming maintenance projects, tips for preparing for a winter storm, or a story about a random act of kindness. Posting regularly will help increase brand awareness among internet users and give your community page more chances to rank highly in search engine results. More search engine results mean more website engagement, and more website engagement means more opportunities to interact with current and prospective members.
Build a calendar for important events.
Build a community calendar to display your board meeting schedules, trash pickup days, and other notable dates. Working in tandem with community news, a calendar is where homeowners can see dates for upcoming projects, maintenance, meetings, and more. With an organized calendar at their fingertips, residents can prioritize, plan ahead, and hopefully become more involved.
Promote amenities.
Often, community associations offer value-added amenities to residents. Your community’s website is the right place to make a sales pitch for your HOA and highlight its amenities. Prop up your pool, playground, fitness center, or other unique amenities and share appealing pictures to attract potential buyers. For current residents, provide general information about featured amenities, like when the pool is open or how to reserve a room in the clubhouse.
Offer an online portal.
While essential to smooth operations, some community tools and documents might be confidential and not appropriate for public access. Consider putting more sensitive items under a password-protected online portal. With an online portal, confirm governing documents, meeting minutes, and rules and regulations are easy to find, navigate, and download for association members and accessible to all relevant parties. This is also the place to offer online payment options.
Include a page for frequently asked questions.
FAQs are a valuable reference on any website, and for community associations, they may save your board and management team time. This page displays answers to common questions, removing the need to bring them to the board’s attention. Answers should be direct and concise. When applicable, include links to other pages on the website, but avoid losing focus with too much additional information.
Cleary list contact information.
After viewing your website, some visitors may have additional questions—and that’s why having a dedicated contact page is necessary. Make sure to include the community’s address, main email, office hours, and phone number on your contact page. Additionally, consider including a shortcut to your contact page in the footer of your website. With contact information clearly available, current and potential homeowners will have several avenues to get in touch with the association or gather the general information they need without having to do too much legwork.
Feature testimonials from community members.
Promote the well-being and functionality of your association by sharing firsthand positive accounts from current residents. These testimonials can be featured on various pages throughout the website. For example, post a testimonial about how much somebody loves the community tennis court on the amenities page or a resident speaking highly of the board on the about page. Having these testimonials on your website helps showcase why people enjoy calling your HOA home, increasing appeal.
Safe Social Media Practices
These components provide a solid foundation for your community website, but there are additional ways to take advantage of the digital landscape. Read our ebook, “A Complete Social Media Guide,” to learn how your board can leverage social platforms while still being smart and safe online.