We're about to redesign our church website, and give it a major overhaul.
I know what makes a bad website, but what makes a good church website? What's your favorite one? What features do you look for? What features seem cool but never actually get used? I'd love your thoughts.
10 comments:
Well, since you asked... my two cents:
What is the objective? If it is to serve the members of the church, I'd ask the congregation what would be useful for them.
If it is to present an outward face of the church to the community, for the purpose of evangelizing or inviting people to come to a service, that is a different objective with different requirements.
1. An address and phone number. Verify that both are correct and up to date.
2. a listing of service times and type of worship.
3. A link to denominational doctrinal principles.
4. A correct address and phone number.
5. An updated calendar of events.
6. The church's address and phone number, both of them correct.
7. If a picture of the pastor is present, it should not be featured prominently on the home page like a blinding sun giving forth holy light to the sinners.
email links for all the staff
current newsletter (pdf or html)
To piggy back on Jamison's comments - one of my favorite church web sites addressed stages 1 and 2 and had a FAQ page with questions like, "What can I wear to church? and Do I have to put money in the plate during offering? What type of worship service will I experience?" That kind of thing.
If you're going to have the church's phone #, include the office hours that someone will be able to answer it.
Make sure there are good directions and give some sort of sampling of a typical worship service. Maybe a few video clips.
Maybe a faq section with an opportunity for questions to be asked in a blog format that will be emailed to someone and responded to quickly with a follow up email and post?
If you can stand pomposity and geek techno talk, you will learn a lot from Heal Your Church Website.
I've done 2 nonprofits websites and it is a lot of work. Good places to go for info and for basic design planning:
http://www.adobe.com/support/dreamweaver/layout/site_planning/
http://www.digital-web.com/articles/creating_a_site_design_plan/
If you have a committee, look at something like this:
http://www.wilsonweb.com/worksheet/pageplan.htm
It's all very do-able. You are wise to plan before you edit!
:)
d
If you can stand pomposity and geek techno talk, you will learn a lot from Heal Your Church Website.
I've done 2 nonprofits websites and it is a lot of work. Good places to go for info and for basic design planning:
Dreamweaver Support
Site Design Plan from Digital-Web
If you have a committee, look at something like this:
Planning survey from Wilson Web
It's all very do-able. You are wise to plan before you edit!
:)
d
sorry - I forgot to make the links "live" the 2nd post should work...
d
Today I met the webproducer for the site of "Living with Faith", the NPR radio program. It's very evocative, intended to create a space for things of the soul, not just information and emotional provocation.
I've spent a lot of time with those deeloping the new umc.org and what is intriguing to me is that it focuses on the people and stories of our church, not information or structure.
Story: At Christmas I was visting the SF Bay Area and wanted to go to a UMC. I am accustomed to a racially diverse, theologically open, vibrant worship experience. None of the websites of local churches I found showed pictures of the church or staff, or really gave me any sense of what I would experience when I walked in the door. I want UMC church sites to tell me if I will feel comfortable when in this place.
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