If your association or non-profit was established many years ago, you may consider creating a web timeline to showcase that. A timeline can showcase events or accomplishments your organization has achieved over the years. It is a great way for people to learn about the history of your business. Here are some tips to help you create a timeline on your website.
Lots of photos, images, and videos
Let the images and photos of your group’s past speak for you. Collect as many photos and videos from the past as you can. That way, you have a plentiful pool to pull from. Sources for images and videos can include:
- Colleagues
- Members
- People/companies that you have worked with
- And of course, the internet
Important: Make sure you attribute, get permission, or get rights to show any of the images you acquire.
Add easy-to-use navigation.
We created a web timeline for the Flexible Packaging Association’s (FPA) 75th anniversary site, fpa75.com. The timeline scrolls vertically, and at the beginning of the timeline, we place all the decades we were featuring. That way, the viewer can scroll down or go directly to the decade they are interested in seeing. When the visitor clicks the link, they are sent to that particular decade via an anchor link. We do this using an Elementor widget, but your favorite website builder should have a similar function.
What should we put on the timeline?
Here are a few possible highlights you can add to your timeline:
- Innovations in the industry that your association represents.
- Advertisements that can give the viewer context. Images that evoke the feel of the 2020s, 2010s, 2000s, and beyond.
- News articles from the timeframe your are talking about. Historical events also give your audience context.
- People who have led your group and shaped how it looks today.
- Add some quotes to enhance your association’s message.
- Stories of how and why the business came to be.
- If possible, get first-hand accounts from past employees.
Logos
- How did your logo and brand evolve over the years?
- Or, has your logo stayed the same from day one?
Your logo history is a fun topic that your audience might find interesting. Sometimes your company’s image changes drastically. For example, FPA changed its name and logo in the 1970s. They have stayed FPA ever since, but the look of the logo has continued to evolve.
While other companies, like General Electric, have kept nearly the same look for years.
Don't forget the Back To Top button
The “Back To Top” button is a must-have quality-of-life feature and helps with accessibility. Let’s say your timeline is years and years long; that means your viewer will have to do a tremendous amount of scrolling just to get back to the beginning.
With the current short attention span of most viewers, this could cause them to move on. They would miss out on all the hard work and effort you did creating this timeline for your group.
Choose if your timeline will go from left to right or up and down
When building your interactive web timeline to show your association’s history, you have a choice. Should your timeline scroll horizontally or vertically? This will mostly be determined by:
- The type and amount of information you have gathered for this task.
- If you have mostly long landscape images, consider a side-scrolling horizontal timeline.
- A vertical timeline works great for a large number of smaller entries.
- The plugin you will use to build your timeline.
- Some website-building platforms will have a timeline widget built in. Or you can go to a third party and acquire a timeline plugin. Shout-out to Cool Plugins and their Cool Timeline plugin. It integrates with Elementor and allows us to focus on the design, rather than the code.
- What you want your timeline to look like.
- The design of your timeline should be unique to your organization.
Add people who have shaped your organization throughout the years
Add people who have led your association and shaped how it looks today. This personalizes and adds a human element to your timeline. Let your audience know how they shaped the company and the impact they made.
Create a comprehensive web timeline for your association or non-profit by utilizing some of these tips and strategies. Crafting a well-structured timeline can significantly enhance your website. If you find that you require assistance in building one, please do not hesitate to contact The Cyphers Agency. Our dedicated team of experts will be more than happy to engage with you and discuss your specific timeline goals in detail, ensuring that we tailor our services to meet your unique needs.
