Free resource

Declutter your website

This resource is designed for purpose driven organisations and charities to help you effectively declutter your website, so it reflects your mission and speaks clearly to your audience.

Using this resource

This resource is designed to guide you step-by-step through the website decluttering process, helping you create a focused and impactful online space.

Each section will walk you through essential questions and actions, starting with reconnecting with your website’s purpose. Along the way, you’ll use our interactive checklist to assess each part of your site with a fresh perspective.

The checklist will prompt you to evaluate whether each page, feature, and piece of content

  • supports your goals
  • speaks to your audience
  • and adds real value

By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to a streamlined website that’s easy to navigate and aligned with your mission.

Before you start… clear some time in your calendar, find a focussed space, get a fresh glass of water and take a few grounding breaths.
Step 1

Reconnect with your purpose

Take a step back and consider the big picture. Just as you’d decide what you want each room in your house to feel like, you need to define the core purpose of your website. Ask yourself:

  • Who is the website for?
  • What’s the primary goal?
  • What’s the vision?

Understanding these key elements will help you decide what content to keep, adjust, or remove, making your website a space that truly serves its purpose.

Let’s take a deeper dive.

Who is the website for?

Like knowing who’s coming over to visit, think about the real people you want to welcome and engage.

Identify the primary groups who will be visiting, such as potential service users, donors, partners, or volunteers. A clear list will help keep their needs and interests in focus as you assess your content.

Think about what each group hopes to find or achieve on your site, whether that’s learning more about your mission, finding ways to get involved, or understanding the impact of your work. You may find it helpful to create personas for your audience groups.

Consider the typical questions each group may bring to the website, so you can ensure these are addressed in your content, guiding visitors to the answers they’re seeking.

Imagine what would make the website helpful and engaging for each group. Whether it’s an easy way to take action, clear paths to learn more, or an inspiring showcase of impact, aim to visualise the experience that best serves each audience.

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What’s the primary goal?

Think of your website’s purpose as the foundation for every decision you make, similar to arranging a room to serve its intended function. Just like a living room is designed for relaxation or a kitchen for cooking, your website needs a primary goal to guide its structure and content.

Ask yourself: What do you want people to accomplish when they visit? This could be

  • Raising awareness about your mission
  • Increasing engagement with your services
  • Or inspiring visitors to take action

Defining this goal will give you a clear direction, helping you make choices that align every part of your site with your mission.

This action could be anything from signing up for a newsletter, making a donation, filling out a contact form, or engaging with resources. This “main action” should be easy for visitors to find and understand, acting as a central focus for their experience. By defining this key action, you can then guide visitors toward what matters most.

Alongside the primary action, think about any secondary actions that would also support your website’s goal. These could be steps that build trust or engagement, like reading more about your services, sharing your content, or learning about your impact.

Set specific, measurable outcomes that will help you know if your website is achieving its goals. Just as you might use metrics like “can I find what I'm looking for?” to assess a well-organised room, think about how you’ll gauge success on your website. These outcomes could be increased sign-ups, higher donation amounts, improved user engagement, or longer time spent on certain pages.

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What’s the future vision?

Imagine how you want your “home” to evolve over time. Picture where you want your website to be in six months or a year to guide your decluttering process.

Spend a few minutes envisioning what your website should look and feel like in six months or a year. Imagine what you’d like visitors to experience and the impression you want them to leave with.

Think about the impression you want your website to leave on visitors as soon as they arrive. Should they feel inspired, informed, empowered, or reassured? Imagine the ideal experience for them—whether that’s feeling welcomed by a warm and inviting tone, excited by dynamic visuals and stories, or confident in your expertise and mission.

Reflect on your organisation’s long-term vision and the direction it’s heading. Where do you see it going in the coming years—what are its evolving goals and aspirations? Think about the unique role your website can play in supporting this growth.

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Step 2

Assess your content

Now, let’s take a look at what’s on your website. This is your chance to make sure everything aligns with your goals and speaks directly to your audience. Use this checklist to review each section with fresh eyes:

Does the content speak to the main questions or concerns your audience is facing? Does the content meet their needs? Are you guiding visitors to the answers they’re seeking?

Does this content or feature support your main goals? Each piece should contribute to what you’re trying to achieve with your website. Confirm that every piece of content serves a clear purpose

Is every content or feature going to help you achieve the future vision for your website?

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Step 3

Reduce and reorganise

Now’s the part you’ve been waiting for—time to roll up your sleeves, get the bin bags ready, and dive into some digital decluttering. We’ve outlined some practical steps you can take in most website editors, along with a few structural changes that might require a bit more planning.

Let’s start with some quick wins to give your site an instant breath of fresh air.

Quick wins:

Replace or refresh any outdated information, such as stats, dates, or contact details. Is the content relevant to your audience? If it no longer aligns with their needs, consider removing it.

If a page doesn’t add value, doesn't directly support your goals or support your vision, consider removing it. Each page, post, or section should provide value. If it doesn’t, it may be time to let it go. If similar information is repeated on multiple pages, remove, or combine pages or sections.

Is the information presented in a straightforward way? Avoid jargon, acronyms and overly complex language. Keep text easy to read with clear headings, short paragraphs, and visual breaks.

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Go deeper:

Depending on how much control you have over your website's structure and visuals, you can here are some more in depth decluttering steps you can take

Rearrange the layout of key pages to create a natural, intuitive flow. Place the most important information and calls to action where visitors naturally look first, and reduce any distracting elements that take away from the main message.

Make sure you are using the same fonts, colours, and image styles across your site. Replace any outdated or low-quality visuals. Replace any logos, taglines, or brand elements that don’t match your current brand identity.

Use white space, dividers, or section backgrounds to give content room to breathe. Don't be afraid of white space! It helps with readability and draws attention to key areas without overwhelming visitors.

Take a deeper look at your navigation menu. If you have dropdowns of doom (dropdowns within dropdowns...) consider simplifying them. Aim for a straightforward structure where users can reach any page within a few clicks.

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