The official website of your sports organization is an essential tool to help you get organized, manage registration, keep members up-to-date with the team’s latest events, and even attract new players and families to your organization. Although starting a website may seem difficult, especially for those who have never created one, it is actually a straightforward process. To make the creation process less intimidating, we have listed eight tips to consider that will have your website running efficiently. 

1. Identify what your essential website features will be. 

Identifying the key aspects of your sport organization’s website is vital to the success that your website experiences. These essential components include a website’s aesthetic design, reliability, integrations, functionality, and even simplicity must be considered during the website planning process. While this may seem difficult to evaluate on your own, we recommend working with easy website builders, like Playbook’s organizational software, which can help you identify the most beneficial features for your sport organization!

2. Determine a timeline to create the website. 

Developing your sport organization’s website promptly is essential, however, a realistic timeline is necessary to create an efficient and easy-to-use website. It is important to determine a deadline for this project, with long-term timelines offering more opportunities for website improvement and changes. When setting a deadline, an important question to ask yourself is: How much time can realistically be dedicated to building and launching your site? 

If your organization is looking to develop your sports organization website in a short period of time, you may want to consider working with a website and software development team that can help you reach that short-term goal. Look for providers who can help you meet these deadlines, while also providing an easy-to-use and personalized website. At Playbook, we have a dedicated team that can provide you the tools and features to build your website promptly. 

3. Utilize website training resources. 

Building a website may be a first time experience for many organizational leaders as such, it is important to leverage the resources that are available to ensure a functional and efficient website. Learning the basics can expedite the website development process and reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed. Many organizations offer tutorials and suggestions to help create an easy and navigable website. 

4. Make sure your website is easy to use and navigate. 

When people land on your website, it is vital that they can easily navigate and learn about your organization. Having an easy-to-use website creates a good experience for parents, players, and team supporters, encouraging them to return to your site. Your website’s primary function is to serve as an informational hub, fulfilling your visitors goals as quickly as possible. 

5. Establish credibility on your website. 

Your sport organization website may be the first encounter an individual has with your organization, making it crucial that their first impression is positive. Outlining important information about your organization’s history, mission, values, accomplishments, staff, and contact information can build trust with the people learning about your organization or registering for the first time. 

6. Create a custom domain name. 

Your website’s domain name is the first thing visitors will see when searching for your organization. Having a domain name that represents your organization is a must in order to distinguish your organization from others.

7. Optimize your website for mobile devices.

Mobile phones have become an integral part of everyday life, with individuals using their phone almost six hours a day. To meet the demands of the rapidly growing mobile user, you need to pursue mobile-friendly responsive websites. For many visitors, issues with graphics, links, and other information that isn’t available on the mobile device create a negative experience that they will correlate with your sport organization. By having a website optimized for mobile devices, you can improve the user’s experiences, allowing them to easily navigate your website. 

8. Test your website as a user. 

Once your website is finally completed, the final and most essential step is to test your website. Testing as a user can help identify any corrupt or faulty buttons, pages and links that may create errors during the launch. In addition, testing on numerous devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and desktops can ensure that the website is functioning properly for all major devices. 

 

Every great organization is built on a solid foundation. Having an efficient and easy-to-use website can become a crucial tool in expanding your business. If you are looking to improve your organization, and you are not sure where to start, Playbook can help you lay a solid foundation that will allow you to focus on what is most important: your league and teams. Chat with a Playbook representative today to learn more about how we can help you expand the impact you make within your community.



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