An Alaska Native Corporation website has a harder job than almost any other business site. In one visit it might need to update a shareholder in Bethel, show a contracting officer in Virginia what a subsidiary can deliver, help a young shareholder apply for a scholarship, and tell the corporation’s story in a way its people recognize as their own.
This guide covers how to plan that kind of website: who it serves, how to structure parent and subsidiary content, what shareholder and contracting pages need, and how to design with cultural respect, security and rural access in mind.
In short: a strong ANC website is organized around its audiences, grounded in the corporation’s own identity, built to load well on rural connections, accessible to elders, secure with shareholder information, and clear enough that government and commercial partners can find capabilities in seconds.
Why ANC Websites Are Different
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 created regional and village corporations owned by Alaska Native shareholders. Today these corporations range from small village corporations to large regional companies with dozens of subsidiaries working in government services, construction, energy, tourism, real estate and more.
That mix creates a website with several very different audiences:
| Audience | What they need | Key pages |
|---|---|---|
| Shareholders and descendants | News, meetings, elections, distributions, records updates | Shareholder section, events, contact |
| Job seekers | Open positions and how shareholder preference works | Careers, internships, training |
| Government contracting officers and prime contractors | Capabilities, certifications, past performance, contacts | Subsidiary and capabilities pages |
| Commercial partners and investors | Lines of business, leadership, stability | About, leadership, business lines |
| Students and youth | Scholarships, internships, cultural programs | Foundation or education pages |
| Community, media and public officials | Mission, values, land and resource stewardship, news | About, news, community pages |
A common mistake is building the site around the org chart instead of these audiences. Visitors do not care which department owns a page; they care whether they can find what they came for.
Start With Identity, Not a Template
An ANC is a business, but it is also an expression of a people, a region and a history. Generic “Alaska” imagery of bears, mountains and northern lights rarely says anything true about a specific corporation. The design should come from the corporation itself: its region, its values, its people and its voice.
- Imagery: use real photography of shareholders, communities and lands, with permission from the people pictured. Avoid stock photos that could be from anywhere.
- Language: Native place names and words should be spelled and used correctly, and reviewed by people from the region.
- Voices: elders, shareholders and leaders can tell the corporation’s story better than marketing copy can.
- Brand system: logos, colors and patterns with cultural meaning need clear usage rules so subsidiaries apply them consistently.
Our article on tribal website design in Alaska covers many of the same principles of respect and purpose, and telling Alaska stories through design explains how branding and web work together. When a corporation’s visual identity needs refreshing, brand strategy and logo design is the place to start; you can see examples in our logo and brand design portfolio.
Parent Company and Subsidiaries: Choosing a Structure
Corporations with several subsidiaries need to decide how those companies appear online. There are three common approaches:
| Structure | Works well when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| One site with subsidiary sections | Subsidiaries share a brand and audiences; small team to maintain it | Pages can get crowded; contracting content may get buried |
| Separate subsidiary websites | Subsidiaries compete in different markets or need their own identity | More sites to secure, update and pay for; brand drift |
| Hybrid: parent site plus key subsidiary sites | A few subsidiaries are large and active, others are small | Needs clear linking and a shared design system |
Whatever the structure, each subsidiary should be easy to reach from the parent site, and the parent should be clearly visible from each subsidiary. Consistent naming and linking also helps search engines understand the family of companies, which supports SEO for each business line.
The Shareholder Section
For many shareholders, the website is the main connection to their corporation, especially for those who live outside the region or outside Alaska. A good shareholder section usually includes:
- News and updates from leadership and the board.
- Annual meeting and election information: dates, candidates, proxy instructions and results.
- Distribution information: schedules, how payments are made and how to update details.
- Records updates: how to change an address, name or direct deposit details.
- Stock and estate questions: how shares are gifted or inherited, explained in plain language.
- Scholarships and programs, often run through an affiliated foundation.
- A clear contact path to shareholder services, with phone numbers for people who prefer to call.
Keep sensitive personal data out of the public website. Address changes, tax forms and account details belong in a dedicated, secure shareholder portal, with the public site linking to it. Regular website security audits help confirm that forms and integrations are protecting shareholder information.
Careers and Shareholder Hire
Many ANCs give hiring preference to shareholders and descendants, and careers pages are often among the most visited parts of the site. Make them work hard:
- Explain how shareholder preference works and how to identify yourself when applying.
- Show jobs across all subsidiaries in one place, with filters by location and field.
- Highlight internships, apprenticeships and training programs for young shareholders.
- Make the application process work on a phone, since many applicants will apply that way.
Government Contracting and Capabilities Pages
Many ANC subsidiaries work in federal contracting, and many participate in the SBA 8(a) Business Development program. For these companies, the website is often checked by contracting officers and prime contractors before any conversation happens. Capabilities content should be easy to find and easy to scan:
- Capability statement: as a web page and as a downloadable PDF.
- Core competencies and NAICS codes for each subsidiary.
- Certifications and status, stated accurately and kept current.
- Company identifiers such as UEI and CAGE code.
- Past performance and contract vehicles, where they can be shared.
- A named business development contact with direct phone and email.
Professional, secure and accessible sites also signal that a company takes compliance seriously. Many of the expectations overlap with what we cover in government agency website design in Alaska. And because procurement teams increasingly use AI tools to research suppliers, clear, structured capability content also supports generative engine optimization.
Built for Rural Alaska and Every Device
Shareholders live in regional hubs, villages, Anchorage and across the Lower 48. Some connect through fast fiber; others rely on slower or costly connections. A site designed only for a fast office connection leaves people behind.
- Keep pages light: compressed images, minimal heavy video, and no unnecessary scripts.
- Design mobile-first, since phones are often the main way people get online.
- Offer key documents as small, readable files, not huge scanned PDFs.
- Put phone numbers and essential information in text, not inside images.
We go deeper on this in rural Alaska website design and mobile-friendly web design. For a broader view of what Alaska audiences need, see designing Alaska websites that serve real people.
Accessibility for Elders and Every Shareholder
An ANC website serves people of every age and ability, including elders who may have low vision or limited experience with websites. Following WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the widely used accessibility standard, makes the site easier for everyone:
- Readable text sizes and strong color contrast.
- Clear headings, simple navigation and descriptive link text.
- Alt text for meaningful images and captions for video.
- Accessible PDFs for reports, ballots and forms.
Publishing an accessibility statement and a way to report problems shows commitment; see our own accessibility statement as an example.
Content That Keeps Shareholders Informed
A website is only as useful as its content. Most ANCs publish a steady flow of news, annual reports, newsletters and program updates. Plan for it:
- Annual reports and newsletters: publish an accessible web version alongside the designed print piece. Our print and graphic design services cover annual reports and printed materials, and our Alaska graphic design guide explains the process.
- Plain-language writing: shareholder content should be clear to readers of every background. Content strategy and copywriting helps keep a consistent, respectful voice across the parent company and subsidiaries.
- Social media: many shareholders follow their corporation on Facebook first. A coordinated social media strategy should point people back to the website for full details.
Security, Hosting and Governance
ANC websites often have many contributors: shareholder services, HR, communications and each subsidiary. Without clear governance, sites become outdated or inconsistent. Set up:
- User roles and approvals, so the right people can publish and sensitive pages get reviewed.
- A content calendar for annual meetings, elections, distributions and scholarship deadlines.
- Reliable hosting with backups, updates and monitoring. Ongoing website hosting and management keeps software patched and the site available when shareholders need it most, such as around elections.
- A plan for subsidiary sites, so smaller companies are not left on outdated, unsupported platforms.
Planning an ANC Website Redesign
A redesign is a chance to bring the whole family of companies into one clear system. A practical sequence:
- Audit what exists: every site, domain, account and document. A professional website audit maps this quickly.
- Listen to your audiences: talk to shareholders, staff, board members and business development teams about what they need.
- Agree on structure: decide how the parent and subsidiaries will appear online.
- Build the brand system: logos, colors, photography and cultural guidance that every site follows.
- Plan content and approvals before design starts, especially for shareholder and contracting pages.
- Test with real users, including elders and shareholders on rural connections, before launch.
Our website redesign checklist walks through the technical side, including redirects that protect your existing search visibility.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using generic stock imagery instead of the corporation’s own people and lands.
- Burying capability statements so contracting officers cannot find them.
- Collecting shareholder personal data through basic website forms.
- Heavy pages that barely load in rural communities.
- Letting subsidiary sites drift onto different brands and outdated software.
- Publishing reports only as large scanned PDFs that are not accessible.
Related Industries We Write About
ANCs often operate across several industries. You may also find these useful: website design for Alaska nonprofits (for affiliated foundations), commercial real estate web design (for land and property divisions) and web design for Alaska tour operators (for tourism and hospitality subsidiaries).
Frequently Asked Questions
What should an Alaska Native Corporation website include?
Most ANC websites need an about section with mission and history, a shareholder section, careers with information on shareholder preference, subsidiary or business line pages, capability statements for contracting, news, and clear contact information.
Should each ANC subsidiary have its own website?
It depends on the subsidiary’s size, market and brand. Small subsidiaries often work well as sections of the parent site. Large subsidiaries that compete in their own markets may need separate sites, linked clearly to the parent.
How should an ANC website handle shareholder information?
Keep sensitive personal data in a dedicated, secure shareholder portal rather than basic website forms. The public website should explain processes and link to the secure system.
How can an ANC website work well in rural Alaska?
Keep pages light, design mobile-first, compress images, avoid heavy video, and put essential information in plain text. Test the site on slower connections before launch.
What makes a good capability statement page?
A clear summary of core competencies, NAICS codes, certifications, company identifiers, past performance and a named contact, available as both a web page and a downloadable PDF.
Plan Your Corporation’s Website With an Alaska Team
Bianca Frank Design is an Anchorage studio that designs websites and brands for Alaska organizations, with a focus on clear structure, accessibility and respect for the communities they serve. Explore our website design services, see our web design portfolio, or contact us to talk about your corporation’s goals.
