Monetizing Museum Websites

Monetizing Museum Websites

Allyson Lazarallyson.lazar@gmail.com

February 27, 2009California Association of Museums

Online Revenue Strategies

Museums need a comprehensive and systematic set of strategies and procedures that can form the basis for a “best practices” approach for monetizing websites.

224 out of 260 websites reviewed required significant work before they would be adequately prepared to provide a positive and fruitful online giving experience to their visitors.

– Amanda Fredrickson-Banks, 2007 unpublished thesis

• What do museums need to learn to successfully monetize their websites?

• From whom can museums learn?

Museums Need to Learn the Process of Monetization

• Drive visitors to your website• Encourage visitors to stay on your website and

make purchases, become members or donate money

• Encourage visitors to return

Museums Need to Learn how to Address Specific Website Issues

• Getting Visitors– Visibility

• Keeping Visitors– Accessibility– Financial Transactions– Security– Privacy

• Repeat Visitors– Visitor Experience– Maintenance

Where to Look for Strategies

• SEO Practices• Web Standards and Practices• ePhilanthropy Standards and Practices• Museum/Nonprofit Standards and Practices• Other Websites

SEO Standards and PracticesSEO = Search Engine OptimizationMethods for improving the number of visitors to your

website.

• Proper Website Coding• Links, Crosslinks, Trackbacks, Mentions• Google Adwords Grants for Nonprofits• SEO Consultants

Web Standards and Practices• Security

SSL: Secure Sockets LayerTLS: Transport Layer SecurityProtocols that provide security and data integrity for information exchanged over a website

• AccessibilityWeb Content Accessibility Guidelines: http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/

• Testing• Analytics• Maintenance and Review

ePhilanthropy Standards and Practices

• ePhilanthropy Code of Ethicshttp://www.fundraising123.org/article/ephilanthropy-code-ethics

• Visibility• Transparency• Communication• Financial Transactions• Acknowledgment

Museum/Nonprofit Standards and Practices

• Visitor Feedback• Evaluation• Cross-marketing• Partnerships and Reciprocal Programs• Visitor Service• Strategic Planning• Mission

Other Websites

• What are they doing that works?• What are they doing that doesn’t work?• Borrow• Exchange• Share

FaceBook and Visitor Experience

• Cross-generational• Inter-generational dialogue• Multiple points of entry and engagement• Fosters, promotes and facilitates discussion

Resources