Guide
How to Build a Campaign Website for a Local Wisconsin Election
A checklist for school board, village, city and county candidates: what a campaign website needs, how to accept donations properly and when to launch.
Short answer: a local campaign website needs your bio and photo, your priorities in plain language, endorsements, events, a volunteer and yard-sign sign-up, a donation page set up with your treasurer's requirements, and clear contact information. Launch as soon as you announce, ideally months before the election, so voters, reporters and AI assistants find you when they look you up.
What your campaign website needs
- Who you are: a short bio, a friendly photo and why you are running
- Your priorities: three to five issues in plain language
- Endorsements and testimonials
- Get involved: volunteer sign-up, yard-sign requests and events
- Donate: a secure donation page with the contributor details your treasurer needs
- Contact: email, phone and social links
- Voting information: election date, polling place lookup and absentee voting links
Donations: get the details right
Campaign finance rules apply to online donations. Work with your treasurer and follow the guidance of the Wisconsin Ethics Commission (or the FEC for federal races) on registration, contributor information, limits and reporting. We set up campaign donation pages with the fields and exports your treasurer specifies.
Most campaign communications, including websites, also need a "Paid for by" attribution. Confirm the exact wording with your treasurer.
When to launch
- At announcement: a simple site with your bio, priorities and sign-ups
- Before nomination papers are due: add volunteers and events
- Six to eight weeks out: add endorsements, ads and get-out-the-vote reminders
Wisconsin holds spring elections in April for many local offices, plus fall elections in even years, so plan backward from your election date.
Make it easy to find
Use your name and the office in the page title ("Jane Smith for Waunakee School Board"), claim your social profiles and link them to your site. Local news coverage and endorsements on other sites help both search engines and AI assistants find you.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a local campaign website cost?
A strong starter campaign site usually starts at a few hundred dollars, with donations, volunteer management and ads adding cost depending on what you need. See political campaign websites.
Do you build websites for candidates of every party?
Yes. We build campaign websites for candidates and causes across the spectrum, with the same professional standards for everyone.
How fast can a campaign site launch?
A starter site can launch in a few days, which helps when filing deadlines are close.