Analysing 120 websites in total, the report evaluates the following seven benchmark metrics: Usability, Accessibility, Communication, Transparency, Responsiveness, Integration and Housekeeping (including search engine optimisation). Social media activities and environmental factors have also been taken into consideration for the first time reflecting the increased importance of these parameters.
The bottom line of the study accentuates that UK charities are still not using the power of the internet effectively and there is huge room for improvement. While organisations generally score well in usability and communication categories, the study found that most websites are lacking transparency and accessibility. Interestingly, the average Google PageRank of 5.62 suggests that websites have a good level of SEO. The top charity sites assessed are Cancer Research UK, WaterAid and the Royal National Institute for Deaf People.
On this note, it is not surprising to hear that Google is taking the bull by the horns by launching various programmes in an attempt to assist non profit organisations use technology more effectively. Google has been engaging in discussions with non profits and recently announced that their Education Edition of Google Apps, which is free for educational institutions, would also be made available to non profit organisations. The programme includes a suite of communication, collaboration and publishing tools and the option to integrate with existing IT systems or third party solutions.Additionally, Google Earth, Google's virtual globe software, launched an initiative giving organisations access to a variety of tools to make the 3D application available for their purposes. By tailoring maps and satellite images to their stories, charities and other non-profit groups have the option to incorporate valuable geographic context into their websites.
In this way, Google is helping charities and other NPOs to cut costs and improve their IT processes and online presence. On the other hand, the cutting-edge internet giant can take pride in itself for supporting a great variety of good causes. The result: a win-win situation for all parties involved.
It remains to be seen if Google's NPO support efforts hit the spot. The next UK Charity Website Benchmark report will surely be able to shed some light on this question.
