Wiki Main Page > Online Outreach & Marketing for Libraries > Your Library's Web Site

Online Outreach & Marketing for Libraries :: Your Library's Web Site

Your web site: Can they find it? Can they use it? Is it a good experience? Is it worth visiting?

The primary focus of this session is on enhancing your web presence by getting library information out into other web spaces beyond your library. But your web site it still your base of online operations and it's open 24/7. It's where digital visitors will end up when they want to use your online services and find out what's going on at your library.  You want people to be able to find it easily and you want them to have a good experience, one that will keep them coming back.

Is your web site usable? Is it friendly?

Some questions to consider for your next web site redesign.

• Easy to navigate?
• Can they find what they need without thinking about how the site is organized?
• Menus and navigation that make sense to your customers?
• How about an option to search the catalog, your web site AND the web?
• Do you have the information they want?
• What DO they want? Ask them!

What can they DO when they get to your site?

• Can they participate online? Blog comments? Contribute to a wiki?
• Save lists of favorite books? Write reviews of books and videos.
• Can they get a library card online?
• Request material from other libraries?
• Are you providing them with an experience that will keep them coming back?
• Is your site portable? Can your web site be used on mobile devices? Use this mobile emulator to see what your web site looks like on a tiny cell phone screen.

Search for your library

• Check the major search engines to see if you come up to the top of the results. Search variations on your name.
• And check to see if you come up under the types of services you offer. Search for WiFI in you town. Does your page about free wifi in the library come up? How about other services? Reading, storytime, research, community meeting space, etc.

Things you can do to make your web site more 'findable':

• Use the name of your library on your web pages. Graphic images with your library's name should have "alt" text containing the name of the library.
• Design your pages so they have a header and footer with your library name, town AND state!
• Use the name within the context of your web page.
• Use the <title> element in the head section of your web pages to identify your library. But also include a description of the page itself eg: <title>Research Help at the Halfmoon Public Library</title>
• Make sure you have pages for your branch libraries with the branch names in the <title> tags.
• Same goes for your services, create a page for each service. Make sure there's lots of useful information about the service. Wouldn't it be great if someone searched for "free wifi in yourtownhere" and came up with your library web page! (example: free wifi in guilderland - my hometown!)
• Tell people what your services are. Got a web page about ILL? Spell it out AND tell them what it is in plain english. Library customers don't need to know library speak to get what they want.
• "Build your website according to user needs, using simple language.   You want the keywords that people will use to appear on your website." from Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tips for Libraries
• Get a good web address: halfmoonpubliclibrary.org, not www.serverheaven.com/library/halfmoon or halfmoonlibrary.lib.ny.us
• Buy web addresses for variations on your name and redirect them to your web site. It doesn't cost much!

Are you listed in library directories?

• LibDex
• Libraries 411
• PublicLibraries.com
• WebJunction - LibWeb
• lib-web-cats 

Thoughts to ponder

• Doing Stuff at the Library’s Website  - David Lee King asks: "Here’s something to ponder, next time you’re looking for something to ponder. What can you actually DO at your website? Can you do most of the the real “stuff” that your library offers as activities?" 

• Web Site or Web Presence?  - "If your library is like most libraries, you’ve put information on your website with a menu structure with a logical path for people to follow. You do know that your users probably aren’t using those paths, don’t you? You do know that there are other places that they could be find you online, don’t you?" Kathryn Greenhill
• The future of Web Services isn’t the Library website -  "People who come to the site know we exist and want to use our services. To truly be successful we have to get our content into the path of the people who wouldn’t walk through our door (physical or virtual)." Karen Coombs
• Ignoring our Digital Community - "Stop ignoring your library’s rapidly-growing digital community. They might not be current users of your physical library - how can you reach them? What do you have to offer them? Can you offer them something that would keep them coming back for more?" David Lee King (Read the 1st chapter of his new book: Designing the Digital Experience or better yet, buy the book!)
• The Broke Library's Guide to a Better Web Presence -  "20 steps to a better web presence" Sarah Houghton-Jan.
• How to Drive Traffic to Your Website -  "make sure that there’s a reason to promote your library and its website. If you’re not offering relevant services or interesting content on your site, there’s really nothing to promote." Aaron Schmidt & Sarah Houghton-Jan in Marketing Library Services, Nov/Dec 2008