Your online campaign is a fundamental part of your political effort. Voters are relying more and more on the Internet to make decisions and to rally around their preferred candidate. Because you don't have unlimited funds to stumble to success, don't spend them on a website that does not help you reach your goals.

Here are the top five mistakes that will ruin your web campaign.

Not coordinating your web efforts with your overall campaign strategy

It's good that campaigns have discovered the importance of a strong presence on the web. However, many campaigns are simply having their websites created in a way that doesn't coordinate with their larger strategy. The power of a good website is that it is integrated with the candidate's offline strategy, is full of features that add to Voter ID efforts, and generates volunteers for offline activities.

Forgetting your audience

Websites need to be created with volunteers and activists in mind. It's not the one-time visitor that your website should be catered to. Instead, make your website a hub for your supporters. Direct them towards volunteer activities that will benefit your campaign. Give them tools to spread the word about your candidacy and a chance to contribute towards important projects. You'll be getting more visits from your supporters than undecided voters, particularly early in the campaign. Make sure your site engages them.

Not promoting your website

First of all, your website provider should know how to optimize your site for search engines. However, there is more that you can do. Your website should appear on all campaign materials. Every direct mail piece, brochure, business card, television commercial, and poster. At campaign events, you should be signing people up for your email campaign and directing individuals to learn more at your online headquarters.

Letting your site go stale

Many candidates create a website to only to let information quickly become out of date. Without a plan to keep your website up to date, it can become a liability.

One of Prosper's client's websites, before we took it over in 2007, had not been updated for four years. The website was now a negative for the candidate. This candidate was an online joke (he was voted by an online journal to have the worst political website on the Internet) and both supporters and friends were critical of him.

Spending too much (or too little) on your web campaign

When creating a campaign website, it's easy to spend funds on the wrong thing. Many candidates pay large amounts of money for a flashy design, but get no functionality. This is particularly true when seeking help from a company used to working with businesses, not political candidates.

Other individuals find themselves paying for "paint by numbers" websites. Many organizations sell these products. Although they are right for some, most of these products are 10 years behind today's technology.

Make sure your organization employs a consultant who can steer you in the right direction. Your online campaign may be the difference between victory and defeat. Don't lose because you didn't think it through.