Legion launches new-look national website

The American Legion’s national website, www.legion.org, has undergone an extreme makeover.

Redesigned and coded to look and perform better on mobile devices and to improve awareness of the Legion’s valuable programs and services, the site maintains nearly all the features visitors have enjoyed and used in recent years while bringing forward easy-to-navigate and well-illustrated portals to join, renew, donate, purchase merchandise and learn more about the nation’s largest veterans service organization. While the previous site design was guided primarily by news and promotions on the first landing page, the new architecture brings forward a brightly designed storefront to better acquaint first-time and infrequent visitors with the Legion and its role in society.

For regular visitors, the site still has all the important information, including news headlines high on the landing page and a separate news center at www.legion.org/news where coverage of Legion activities can be found, along with photo galleries and videos. Redesigned hubs within the site include a new presentation to describe the organization and its mission at www.legion.org/about and a fresh design to promote the Legion’s programs at www.legion.org/programs. The benefits of membership are laid out in a simple and inviting format at www.legion.org/members and all the latest media produced by National Headquarters, as well as tools for posts and departments to share with local media are at www.legion.org/media.

“The new design and functions of legion.org are more in tune with the growing percentage of people who click on the site from smartphones,” American Legion Media & Communications Commission Chairman Walter Ivie explained. “The site is coded in a card format, meaning each story, video and photo flow nicely from top to bottom when you visit it from a phone or electronic tablet. The site is now really image-driven, and that helps visitors better understand what we do as an organization and why it matters.”

Ivie said division staff consulted with post-9/11 generation veterans to improve the user experience for younger members and friends of the Legion. The site also continues to provide valuable access to MyLegion.org, the organization’s membership-management portal, which generates substantially improved results for posts looking to convert National Headquarters members into local Legionnaires, and to find former members who have not yet renewed.

The site also makes tax-deductible giving easy via www.legion.org/donate where visitors can help The American Legion fulfill its mission to serve veterans, military personnel, youth and communities worldwide.

“One of the most important aspects of the new web design and architecture is that it always puts The American Legion’s most important purposes front and center,” Ivie said. “When the site is loaded with news stories, sometimes the Legion’s over-arching purpose gets lost. The new design keeps the identity of the Legion clear at all times, while at the same time covering all the news in the headlines and the news center hub.”

Ivie explained that the site will continue to evolve but will maintain a more consistent structure so changes can be made more quickly and efficiently.

Legion.org is one of the most accessed website for veterans, with between 300,000 and 500,000 unique visitors a month. Additionally, the Legion’s Facebook and Twitter followings exceed 150,000. The weekly American Legion Online Update e-newsletter and the National Commander’s twice-monthly email reach audiences of more than 600,000 subscribers each.

“The American Legion’s national media program continues to grow and change to meet the interests of today’s members and visitors,” Ivie said. “National media products and services are vital to keep members and the public informed and to provide easy ways to conduct transactions online. To stay vital, we have to always be working to keep up with changing technology and ways people use media. It’s all about keeping the membership informed and helping everyone understand the Legion and all it does. I invite members and non-members alike to get on legion.org and click through the pages, watch the videos and enjoy the photos.”