What a historical society website needs to do
Show your mission, your collection and exhibits, visiting hours, events and how to volunteer or give. A few strong photos and short stories of local history make the site memorable and shareable.
Much of the traffic comes from people researching a family or a building. A short page explaining how to make a research request, written by your volunteers, turns those searches into a clear first step.
People searching for a historical society usually decide in seconds. Your site should answer the questions below before they have to ask.
Plan a visit
Hours and directions
See upcoming events
Calendar
Make a research request
Short form
Support the society
Donate link
Timing matters. Summer tourism and fall local history events draw visitors.
The pages a historical society website needs
A historical society site does not need dozens of pages. It needs the right few, each doing one job:
- ✓Home with hours and events
- ✓Collection and exhibits
- ✓Events
- ✓Research and archives — how to ask
- ✓Get involved — volunteer and give
- ✓Contact
Need a page for every service or town you cover? The larger packages give you room to grow.
Mistakes we see on historical society websites
- ✓No visiting hours
- ✓No research path
- ✓No donate option
Getting found: SEO basics for a historical society
- ✓Place and society — "Millbrook historical society"
- ✓Research page
- ✓Events page
Cheap Cheap Websites sets up the essentials on every build, and Monthly SEO adds new pages every month when you are ready.
Sample sites that could be yours
These are real samples we designed. Yours is built around your business, your photos and your words.
What a historical society website costs
Most historical societies fit Business Plus: $989 one-time for up to 20 pages, because they need a home page, a collection page, an events page, a research page and a contact form. Websites are priced one-time, plus Website Care at $30/month for hosting, HTTPS, backups, weekly checks and A/B testing. Every package includes a consultation, mobile-friendly design, copy we write for you, a contact form, essential search setup and 10 revision rounds.
Optional add-ons, billed separately
The prices above are for your website. These two are separate monthly products you can add now or later. Neither is part of the website price.
Monthly SEO, from $50/month: new pages published on your site every month. See Monthly SEO →
Business Spotlight, from $30/month: articles about your business, labeled as paid, published on The Company Chronicle. See Business Spotlight →
What we ask a historical society for
We will ask for hours, collection highlights, events, research process and how volunteers and donors should reach you.
How it works
1. Consultation
We learn your services, customers and goals, in English or Spanish.
2. We write and design
We draft the words and build the site around your business.
3. 10 revision rounds
You review and request changes until it is right.
4. Launch and care
We launch, then Website Care keeps it hosted, backed up, checked weekly and A/B tested.
Websites for related businesses
Community centers · Neighborhood associations · Art galleries · Alumni associations
Planning guides and features
What a historical society website costs · Recurring donations for historical societies · Volunteer sign-up for historical societies
