Candidates running in local elections often think they can wait to start their campaign site. The truth is that candidates who conduct online political campaigning by creating the best candidate websites are the ones who have an advantage come election day. These candidates have a clear advantage to win local elections because election campaign websites offer a way for citizens to support candidates with donations while learning more about their public policy platform.
It takes time to create a campaign website and you’ll want to start early if you plan to build one of the best political candidate websites for your election. Working with a professional website designer can help you create a website that speaks to your potential constituents and allows you to begin e-campaigning professionally. You earn credibility when your campaign website design is professional, clean, classy, and modern.
Here are a few of the many reasons why you should start building your campaign website early as a potential city council member, mayor, commissioner, or other locally elected official.
Search Engines Need Time To Rank You (SEO)
Have you ever heard of SEO or search engine optimization? In order for search engines to rank your website, they need to know that you exist. If you search your name right now, you might find your Facebook profile, Instagram profile, LinkedIN profile, or an old newspaper piece that was published online. You won’t find your campaign site. Even if you create the site today, it’s unlikely to rise to the top the same day. On average, it takes approximately 45 to 90 days to reach your peak Google Search visibility.
Too many local candidates decide to set-up their website a few weeks before the election and then wonder why their website cannot be found when voters search Google. The problem is that the election campaign website hasn’t had enough time to rank. If you set your website up several months in advance, you will rank highly for “your name + your potential local official title” and voters will be able to easily find you.
With an online website, you can create an online presence and allow voters to find you when they search your name. You can easily share policy documents and list your goals for office. You can share photos, testimonials, and prior work history. You can create a place to donate. You can jump ahead of other candidates in your race who wait until the last minute to craft their online presence.
One caveat to consider is that certain local elected official positions have strict requirements. You want to ensure that you follow your local county’s requirements for when and how you can begin campaigning as well as raise money for your campaign. Your political campaign website is one of the best places to ask for money and receive donations so make sure it follows the rules.
Raise More Money For Your Political Campaign
One of the best reasons to start building your campaign website early is to raise more money for your political campaign. The longer your website is available to the public, the more money you can raise. Seed money is vital to the success of a campaign and can make a significant difference in the outcome of a local election race. Having a political website with an easy way to donate makes it more likely that voters and organizations will donate. You can create a secure online payment form to process donations and voters won’t have to think twice. When someone decides that they want to donate to your race, make it easy for them to give you that money for your campaign.
Fundraising online with a political candidate website is also great because it gives you something to share on social media and with various local news outlets. When other people write about your race or election bid, they will often link directly to your site if they can find it. This makes it easier for others to donate and increases your campaign budget. It also gives you an air of professionalism and lets voters know that you are serious about your campaign.
Campaign Websites Demonstrate Professionalism
An official campaign website for a local official tells voters that you are professional, serious, and can be trusted. It is a gathering hub of information about who you are and what you intend to do if elected to office. It also gives your campaign credibility. You wouldn’t have a website if you weren’t committed to the job. Your website can include a custom logo, social media buttons, the ability to fundraise, the ability to build an email list, and resources for your voters. You can add your website to business cards and share it with news reporters. In every instance, you tell voters that you take your work seriously and are committed to working for them.
Choose a website designer who will create a custom website tailored to your specific needs. Avoid cookie cutter template companies who want to place your website under another domain. You should always have your own domain specific to your campaign (possible good examples: EricLochtefeld.org, EricLochtefeldForCityCouncil.com, EricLochtefeldCityCouncil.com) & (possible bad examples: www.websitebuilder.com/EricLochtefeldCandidate). You want to showcase your professionalism and that requires your own domain. We only use custom domains as well as custom hosting solutions for our website design clients.
Ready to start your campaign website early to win your local election? Lochte Technology has built custom websites for judges, mayors, city councilmen, school board members, and other elected officials. We would love to help you jumpstart your campaign with an official campaign website. Our political websites are designed to share your vision with your voters through a responsive, modern website.
