Animal charities are top dog when it comes to usability, according to our 2012 Charities Usability Report, while aid charities - including household names - languish in fourth place.

Our researchers assessed 40 major UK charities in sectors including aid, education, animal welfare, children and health, to rank websites from 'poor' to 'exceptional' in terms of:

• Ease of making a donation.
• Prominence of links to donate.
• Overall ease of website navigation. 

“Making a donation to a charity is probably the most fundamental transaction on the whole website,” says John Simcock, our Charity Sector Manager. “It’s imperative that sites are well developed, usable and that it is both quick and obvious to make a donation.”

“With many charities cutting services and some at risk of closing down because of reduced budgets following government cuts, it is vital that they make the most of their website,” continues Simcock.

“By doing this, they can not only engage better with volunteers and beneficiaries but also encourage and facilitate donations. With today’s improvements in web design and development, users are less patient with poor websites. If a charity cannot engage with a user within the first few clicks people are far less likely to donate.”

Find out more about our work for Charities.