From the very beginning of our journey we felt it was critical that we have a website up and running, even if at first it was bare bones. Our good friend Tommy Bailey, who owns Collision Media, has worked with us extensively to help us develop social media outlets that work for this leg of our journey with the church plant. Tommy and his team at Collision Media have shared with us some very helpful guidelines when building your church website and we'd like to pass those on to you.
WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 MISTAKES CHURCHES MAKE WHEN BUILDING A WEBSITE
1. Not keeping it simple.
a. Your website needs to be simple. Think about the most visited website in the world, Google. When you visit Google.com you have one option, and that’s it. You don’t need to under simplify your website, but your potential website visitors want simple instructions on where to find information.
2. Focusing on features rather than content
a. Church leaders often get caught up in adding the latest and greatest features to their website (Twitter feeds, live streaming, blogging, etc.) at the detriment of focusing on the most important content that your website users will primarily require.
3. Focusing on design rather than content
a. Church leaders often get caught up in creating a website that simply looks pretty at the detriment of focusing on the most important content that your website users will primarily require.
4. Not thinking through sustainability when putting together your website.
a. Consistently updating your website is a discipline, and it’s not easy. When building your website, make sure your are thoughtful about what you and your team can continue to update on a continual basis.
5. Not putting your times and directions front and center on your website.
a. This is one of the most common mistakes on a church website. The number one thing a user wants to know is where you are, and when your services start. When you church has launched make your times and directions very apparent on your homepage.
6. Using Flash technology
a. Flash is a technology that is going the way of the buffalo, it’s dying. It doesn’t work on most mobile devices and it consistently has security issues. When working with your web developer make sure they don’t use Flash, or if they do, make sure it’s minimal.
7. Using auto-play
a. Auto-play is at the top of the list of annoying things your website can do. When a user loads a page they don’t want your webpage to automatically play a video or audio. Give them the option to start and stop media on their own.
8. Not incorporating online giving
a. Online giving is easy with services like PayPal, MinistryGive, and many others. There’s no reason your website can’t accept online giving right from the start.
9. Using “your nephew” to create your website.
a. We’ve heard this story many times. Use a professional to develop your website, not your teen nephew who’s taken an HTML class. You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great website, but it’s an important investment, so choose someone who knows what they are doing.
10. Bad photography
a. You’re probably not a photographer, and just because your friend bought a new fancy camera doesn’t mean she’s a photographer either. Hire a professional to take a few quality photos of your leadership and church. Remember, most people who visit your website don’t know you - your photography may be their first impression.
WHAT IS THE #1 PRIORITY CHURCHES SHOULD CONSIDER WHEN BUILDING THEIR WEBSITE
Keep your website simple. This doesn’t mean that your website can’t be robust and feature rich, but simplicity and organization of your content is important both for you and for your visitors.
• For you: You’re working at a church, which is a lot of work, and rarely do church leaders have time to consistently update more than a few sections of their website. There’s nothing worse than an out of date website. Sustainability will help you in the long term, and ultimately create a better communication strategy for your church.
• For your website visitors: You have around 7 seconds for a visitor of your website to decide to continue looking for the information they want, or to leave. Keeping your website simple and organized is the best way for your visitors to find the information that they need. Most importantly, make sure your times and directions are easily found on your homepage.
CHECK OUT THE LINK BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SERVICES OFFERED THROUGH COLLISION MEDIA:
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