If you're launching a new website or refreshing your current one, you might be surprised by how much work goes into creating compelling text. Writing for the web is a different skill than crafting grant proposals or internal reports, and many nonprofits underestimate the time and planning that it requires.
But here's the good news: With a clear process and realistic expectations, you can create website copy that truly connects with your audiences.
Here’s a quick process overview:
- Start with your website's voice and tone
- List all the pages that need writing
- Define audiences and goals for each page
- Assign writers and reviewers to each page
- Estimate time requirements for each writing task
- Create a realistic schedule with buffer time
1. Start with Your Voice
Before you write, pause and think about how you want to be perceived. Do you want your organization to come across as warm and welcoming? Expert and authoritative? Bold and direct?
Resist the temptation to simply repurpose grant language for your website. Your web voice should ideally reflect your core brand as an organization. What are your deeply held beliefs, your primary audiences, and the emotions that you want to evoke?
Try this exercise: if your website were a person, who would it be? A supportive coach helping visitors make decisions? An inspiring TED speaker distilling big ideas into accessible insights? This can give you an idea of the direction to take.
2. List All Your Pages
Create a master document that lists every page you need to write. Give each page a clear name and identify all of the required elements. For instance, perhaps one page has a short description, a compelling headline, a photo, or a call-to-action button in addition to the primary page text. This content outline becomes your roadmap and ensures that nothing falls through the cracks.
3. Define Audiences and Goals
At the top of each page's section in your document, make a note of who you expect to read it and what actions you want them to take afterward.
Will potential donors visit this page? What do you want them to do? Perhaps you'd like them to sign up for your newsletter, make a donation, or learn more about a program? It’s not likely that they’ll do all three, so you should choose one or two key actions to guide them toward.
When you're deep in drafting mode, it's easy to lose sight of why each page exists. These reminders keep you focused.
4. Assign Writers and Reviewers
Even on small teams, dividing responsibilities makes the work more manageable. Decide who will draft each page and assign a second person to review it for clarity.
Also, designate someone — ideally, someone with web writing experience — to ensure that all copy follows website best practices. Web readers scan more than they read, so your text needs short paragraphs, descriptive headings, and clear formatting.
5. Estimate the Work
Make a quick estimate of how long each page will take to write. Depending on how complex they are, you might need anywhere from one to four hours per page for drafting alone. Then, factor in review time, and remember that if multiple people are reviewing, that multiplies your timeline. Don't forget about related tasks like sourcing images or carefully crafting those high-stakes sentences (like your donation page's opening line) that need extra attention.
If you're working on more than 5–10 pages, consider creating a simple spreadsheet to track these tasks. Instead of estimating a specific number of hours for each, try assigning to them a general level of effort. This approach tends to be less overwhelming than setting a precise time estimate, and the small variations between pages will balance out to give you a realistic overall picture.
6. Create Your Schedule
Based on your total time estimate and how many hours per week your team can dedicate to writing, build a calendar. Be honest with yourself about timing. If you're looking at 20 hours of writing, you can't simply squeeze that into an already-full month without dropping other responsibilities.
Include interim milestones to maintain momentum and catch problems early. Perhaps, for instance, you’ll complete one major section every two weeks.
Crucially, add buffer time at the end. You'll need time to actually upload and format your text on the site. More importantly, writing almost always takes longer than expected. If your web developer is waiting for you to finish and you're weeks behind, you may face additional fees for the delay.
Moving Forward with Confidence
Creating website copy is a substantial amount of work, but approaching it systematically transforms into a series of manageable tasks. By planning thoughtfully and scheduling realistically, you can craft text that truly represents your mission, connects with the people you serve, and moves them to action. Your website deserves the same care and strategy you bring to your programs — and your audiences will notice the difference.
Laura S. Quinn has helped nonprofits with websites both within and alongside organizations for over 25 years. She's been an executive director, a board member, on staff at website development firms, and an independent consultant. These days, she’s the editor of the Nonprofit Website Insider, a website and newsletter that helps nonprofit staff manage successful websites. She also coaches nonprofit staff with weekly or bi-weekly calls as they work on website projects.
