Based on data gathered from millions of visitors since DomesticShelters.org launched in 2014, the website recently reorganized its home page to cater to the most popular types of content sought by people exploring the topic of domestic violence. The result is home page that prioritizes answers to common questions like "Am I experiencing abuse?" and "I know someone who is being abused, what should I do?", as well as a search tool to find nearby shelters and programs.
"How people use our website is highly informative and provides constant insights," says Anita Hildreth, executive director of Theresa's Fund, the 501(c)3 that operates DomesticShelters.org. "There isn't a day that goes by that we're not discussing internally what we learn from visitors and how we can better serve them."
The three-year-old website was originally launched to help people find shelters and programs. Since then and based on feedback from visitors -- both professionals and survivors -- the website has evolved to become the fastest growing in North America on the topic of domestic violence and offer over 500 articles on domestic violence, checklists, risk assessments, toolkits, comprehensive statistics, widgets, recommended books, surveys, videos and a national events calendar.
The new home page works hard to help surface all the content available on the website that contains more than 10,000 pages. For instance, at the top of the home page is the search tool, answers to the most commonly asked questions and quick links to the most frequented articles based on live traffic results. In the middle of the home page are new articles, checklists, a video "What is Domestic Violence?" and connections to risk assessments and nearby hotlines where people can connect one-to-one with advocates.
"We're just making it easier to help people find what they want and need. That was our goal on day one back in 2014, when it was previously very difficult to find nearby shelters only using search engines. And it is still our goal today, except that we're making it easier to find much more information than ever before," added Hildreth. "We can't be the solution to all of a person's informational needs, but we're a very comprehensive, visitor-friendly, one-stop, go-to destination on the topic of domestic violence."
About Theresa’s Fund
Theresa’s Fund is an Arizona-based 501(c)3 non-profit charity started in 1992 by Preston V. McMurry, Jr. At a time when domestic violence wasn’t yet a headline, Theresa’s Fund focused on changing the landscape of domestic violence services in its home state through grantmaking, board development and fundraising for Arizona-based organizations like East Valley Child Crisis Center, Sojourner Center, Florence Crittenden, Emerge, UMOM, and West Valley Child Crisis Center. In 2014, it developed the DomesticShelters.org concept as a way to expand its reach to people across the U.S. and Canada. DomesticShelters.org is the first online and mobile searchable database of programs and shelters in the U.S./Canada, and a leading source of helpful tools and information for people experiencing and working to end domestic violence.
