Frequently Asked Questions

Definitely, because voters will look for you online.

Whether you are running for U.S. Senate, Town Supervisor, or the local school board, a website can be an essential component of your campaign.

A campaign website gives you more freedom to communicate than a brochure, mailer, social media post, or radio ad. It can explain your positions, accept donations, recruit volunteers, publish news, promote events, and give voters a reliable place to learn about you.

Online Candidate provides professional, full-featured websites that candidates and campaign staff can update without hiring a developer for every change.

We offer three options: the Enhanced Website Package, the Regular Website Package, and the Monthly Website Builder.

There are many ways to get a website built, but it’s hard enough to run a political campaign without learning the ins and outs of web development. You need a campaign website that performs well, is reliable, and makes it easy for visitors to learn more, donate, volunteer, or contact you.

Our system is specifically designed for political campaigns. A local web developer may not have experience with political websites and will almost certainly charge you more. A volunteer may lack the skills to do the job and may disappear when you need them most.

Things move fast on the election trail, and you’ll need to be able to make site updates without waiting for an expensive developer to make changes for you. With the Online Candidate website builder, you are in control.

Yes, we are! It’s funny how many people are actually surprised when one of us answers the phone by name.

We worked on a local campaign and built our first campaign website in 2003. The site was successful and had an impact on the race. It forced the opponent to spend a lot of money on a competing site. It also helped raise issue awareness. In the end, our candidate won!

After that, we had the idea of using our web skills to help other local candidates. Most local campaigns don’t have a lot of money, so Online Candidate was envisioned as a turnkey solution that would allow campaigns to create and update their own sites.

Online Candidate has been helping political candidates get online since 2004.

We are non-partisan. We work with Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Green Party candidates, and others. Small and large campaigns are welcome.

We cannot guarantee that an opponent will not find Online Candidate and place an order. It has happened a few times over the years.

We do not actively solicit the opponents of current clients or intentionally create conflicts. Contact us if you have concerns about a particular race.

Every election cycle, hundreds of candidates use Online Candidate as the hub of their online campaign.

Political consultants use our services for campaign-specific functionality, quick turnaround, professional design, and personal support. We can work directly with the campaign or coordinate through the consultant, depending on how the project is being managed.

Learn more about our campaign website services for political consultants or contact us to discuss a client project.

If your domain name is already registered, you can use it with your Online Candidate website. After you order, we’ll provide the information needed to point the domain to our servers.

If you have not registered a domain, a .com domain is included for the first year with your website package.

For more information about choosing a good campaign domain, read Should Your Campaign Register a Dot Com, Dot Org, or Both?.

Yes. The Enhanced and Regular packages include a professionally designed campaign logo and high-resolution files that you can use for signs, mailers, social media, and other campaign materials.

High-resolution design files are also included when a Monthly client orders the Custom Design Upgrade. Submit a support ticket if you need another copy of your files.

The Online Candidate CMS is a proprietary system specifically designed for political campaigns.

Platforms like WordPress are powerful, but they require configuration, plugins, maintenance, and a greater learning curve. Online Candidate includes campaign pages, forms, donation integrations, and other tools without requiring you to assemble the system yourself.

It’s simple to use and simple to update.

Check out the administration demo to get a feel for how the platform works.

The right package depends on how much initial design and setup help you want:

• Enhanced Website Package — $699 one time. We create the custom design and campaign logo, then add and format the initial text and images you provide.
• Regular Website Package — $449 one time. We create the custom design and campaign logo, and you add your own website content.
• Monthly Website Builder — $29 per month. You choose and customize a campaign-ready template and build the website yourself.

Every option uses the same campaign website platform. The primary difference is how much of the initial design and setup we handle.

Compare the website packages or use our package recommendation tool.

The Monthly Website Builder is for candidates who prefer a flexible, month-to-month option and want to build their own website.

It includes the full Online Candidate CMS, campaign-specific pages, forms, tools, secure hosting, and design options. Choose a template, customize the colors and fonts, add your content, and launch the site when you are ready.

It is billed monthly until you cancel online through your client account.

You can add a Custom Design Upgrade or Initial Content Setup when ordering or later if you need additional help.

Learn more about the Monthly Website Builder.

Every package includes the Online Candidate website platform, secure hosting, SSL security, campaign-specific pages, built-in forms, donation integration, and the ability to update your own content.

Your site comes pre-installed with pages and features that can include:

• Home page
• About the Candidate page
• News or blog section
• Events
• Issues
• Endorsements
• Voter information
• Volunteer form
• Contact form
• Donation page
• Under Construction page

Add and edit your content whenever you want. You can add text, photos, graphics, videos, documents, and more.

Built-in tools include customizable forms, image galleries, landing pages, popover messages, an election countdown, social-sharing tools, and other campaign features.

Clients also receive free access to OnlineCandidateResources.com, including sample copy, editable Canva templates, campaign tools, and outreach resources.

View the complete website feature list.

Yes! Every Online Candidate website includes an administration area where you can edit pages, upload images, publish news, add events, update forms, and manage routine website content.

You do not need to know HTML or install special software. You can also give trusted campaign staff or consultants access to help manage the site.

Online Candidate can integrate with Raise the Money, Anedot, ActBlue, WinRed, PayPal, and most other fundraising services.

Your donation account remains with the fundraising provider you select. We connect or link that service to your campaign website.

Read: Comparing Political Donation Platforms – Our Recommendations

Website add-ons include custom design, initial content setup, site-launch assistance, social media graphics, email marketing setup, website updates, promo videos, copywriting, and copy editing.

Our broader campaign services include political print design, IP targeting, and individual consulting.

Visit our campaign website add-ons and political campaign services pages for details.

Our download store has political ebooks, and print templates, and political logo templates.

Yes. Our Site Launch Option helps prepare a new campaign website for launch and initial search visibility.

The service includes Google Analytics and Search Console setup, a basic website and SEO review, and a website-launch press release that you can use for promotion.

View the current website add-on services.

Initial Website Content Setup is a website add-on for campaigns that want us to add and format the initial website content they provide. It is already included with the Enhanced Website Package.

• We’ll arrange your site text and images for a pleasing design.
• We also apply basic search optimization and organize the material so the website is prepared for launch.

This site setup is performed once with the materials provided. For the fastest results, have your website content written and ready before you order.

Initial content setup does not include writing original campaign copy. Copywriting and editing are available separately.

Copywriting can include candidate biographies, home-page content, issue pages, donation appeals, volunteer appeals, and other campaign materials. Copy editing improves clarity, grammar, organization, tone, headlines, and calls to action.

View our political copywriting and editing services.

Our Website Maintenance Service offers the convenience of professional and timely content and design changes while still allowing you control over your Online Candidate website.

Remember, you can always update your site on your own if you prefer.

Update services are optional and are billed at $100 per hour with a $25 minimum charge. Most small updates can be completed within the minimum billing period.

Submit website-update requests through the Client Portal or the ticketing system in your administration area.

Learn more about website maintenance services.

Yes. You can renew your hosting and keep the website online after the campaign.

Some clients convert their campaign website into an officeholder site, maintain it as a community resource, preserve it as an archive, or update it for a future race.

The Enhanced Website Package is $699, the Regular Website Package is $449, and the Monthly Website Builder is $29 per month.

The Enhanced and Regular package prices include custom design, domain registration for the first year, CMS configuration, SSL security, and 12 months of hosting. The Enhanced Package also includes initial content setup.

See the website packages and current pricing.

No. Everything is up-front, and the prices are inclusive.

The Enhanced and Regular packages include 12 months of hosting and domain registration for the first year. When the initial period ends, you can choose whether to renew the hosting and domain.

The Monthly Website Builder is billed each month until you cancel it through the Client Portal.

Optional upgrades and campaign services are only charged when you order them.

We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards for online orders.

We can also send an invoice for payment by personal check, campaign check, money order, or e-check. Work begins after payment has cleared. See full payment options.

We strive for client satisfaction. We encourage you to check out the administration demo to see if the system is right for you.

Refund eligibility depends on the package ordered, whether a domain has been registered, and whether design, content setup, or other work has begun. Domain-registration charges and completed services are not refundable, but the domain name remains with you to control.

Review the full refund and cancellation terms before ordering.

Hosting is included with the Enhanced and Regular packages and cannot be separated from the package price. We do not provide prorated discounts for unused hosting time.

The additional hosting time is beneficial because it gives you more time to ramp up your online campaign. The earlier a website is launched, the more effective it can be.

For a shorter campaign or a more flexible arrangement, consider the Monthly Website Builder. You can cancel it through the Client Portal when you no longer need the site.

Monthly clients can add Custom Design or Initial Website Content Setup through the Client Portal. 

Regular Package clients can also add Initial Content Setup if they decide they want us to prepare the initial pages.

Custom design is generally completed within a few business days after we receive the required photograph, campaign details, branding preferences, and other materials.

You can cancel your website through the Client Portal or through the cancellation link in your website administration under the Support section.

Do NOT email cancellation requests!

Monthly websites continue to bill until the cancellation is submitted through the Client Portal.

The exact requirements depend on your package, but most campaigns should begin gathering:

• Candidate name and office sought
• Campaign biography
• Issue statements or platform content
• Candidate photographs
• Campaign colors or existing branding
• Donation-platform link or account information
• Volunteer and contact information
• Required campaign disclaimer
• Social media links
• Upcoming events, endorsements, or news

The sooner your materials are organized, the faster the design and setup process can move. If you need help writing or editing the content, those services can be ordered separately.

When you order your website package, your domain name, hosting, and SSL security certificate are set up for you.

Check your email for the Getting Started message with the next steps.

That message will explain how to create your administration account and submit any design questionnaire, content worksheet, or setup information required for your package.

After ordering the Regular or Enhanced Package, you will receive a Getting Started email with a link to create your administration account and complete the design questionnaire.

The questionnaire asks about your campaign, office, colors, design preferences, photographs, and other information we need to create the initial design. Enhanced clients also receive instructions for submitting the website text, images, forms, and other content to be added during setup.

Once we receive the required materials, we create a design mockup for your review. You can provide feedback and request reasonable revisions before the design is finalized.

You can create your administration account and begin working on your website shortly after ordering.

The custom logo and website design are generally completed within a 2-3 business days after we receive your required materials. Enhanced Package timing also depends on the amount of content provided and whether the materials are complete.

In a time crunch? Contact us.

Our custom designs include logo design, your choice of colors, and a header image.

We can incorporate a candidate headshot, local imagery, campaign branding, custom fonts, backgrounds, button styles, and other design elements.

We’ve designed hundreds of sites for all types of candidates, organizations, and races.

Monthly clients can choose from campaign-ready header designs and color schemes, upload their own logo or header, or customize one of the available Canva graphics.

You can see our work in the campaign website design gallery. See something you like? We can use it as design inspiration.

Our success hinges on your success. We want your site to look sharp, both in design and content layout.

Your Online Candidate administration includes on-screen instructions and links to our extensive Knowledge Base. If you have a question or run into a problem, submit a support ticket directly through your website administration.

Email is not recommended for support because messages can get lost in the inbox. Support tickets are best, but if you are really stuck on something, give us a call.

We always welcome feedback or suggestions for our product.

After all this? That’s okay—feel free to contact us!