We, (StreamingChurch.tv), just redid our website. We put a lot of time and effort in doing it right and there are several important things to consider when putting up a new website.
It’s now as important — and sometimes even more so — to have a successful online presence than it is to have a successful offline presence. If someone does not like your church’s website, that’s the equivalent of a person walking into your church, yelling out “yuck!” and then walking out and planning to never return again.
It’s safe to say that web design is a vital part of doing ministry nowadays. Even the smallest web design mistake can ruin the experience for your visitors, which could end up costing you a significant amount of money.
1. Usability
One of the most important aspects of web design is actually making the site usable for the average user. Most members who visit your webpage are not professional HTML coders, so they might need things simplified a little bit (which are fine).
2. Speed
Website speed can make or break your entire church. Despite the insane technology involved with connecting people to various pages all around the world, if the page doesn’t load within three to five seconds, users will go mad. They will likely exit your web page and never return, causing you to lose out on their potential ministry.
3. Aesthetics
The look and feel of your page is just as important as the functionality. You only have 10 seconds to make an impression on a visitor and to let them know what they’ll get out of visiting your page. If they aren’t impressed within that time, they’ll leave. Don’t overdo it with color schemes and crazy images like the 1990s; just have simple, sharp and decent looking webpages.
4. Content
Users are very picky. Even if your webpage is easily accessible, functions well, works quickly, and looks great, they still won’t be pleased unless you have compelling and engaging content on your site. Content marketing plays a major role in any church’s advertising campaign. People much prefer video content over written, which is why content video views have exceeded 50 billion views per month.
5. Contact Info
Nothing makes visitors angrier than not being able to contact a ministry when they want to. Make sure that from every page on your site, your users are able to easily find your church’s contact information.
6. Website Maintenance
Every page on your site should work 100% of the time. In the event of an issue, however, you have to have some sort of 24-hour support system implemented to ensure that someone can immediately address the problem.
7. Mobile-Friendly
Wholly 48% of all users admit that if they visit a church’s webpage that doesn’t work on their mobile device, they take it as an indication that the ministry simply doesn’t care. It’s 2020 — just like your church should be online, your webpage should function on mobile devices.
8. Promotion and SEO
What good is a website if no one ever sees it? There are three primary ways to get found:
- Paid marketing – Google Adwords
- Organic Search – SEO
- Social Networks – Facebook, Instagram, etc.
9. Google Adwords
You pay to be listed when certain terms are searched “ie – Tampa Bay church, Tucson church, etc.”. The key strategy you want to think about is what search terms will work for your church and how expensive are those terms?
10. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Determine what terms you want to be found under and then optimize your site for those phrases.
- Page titles, domain names, and page content are very influential
- Speed is key (your home page must load faster than the other results). Gtmetrix.com to analyze and compare your site to others.
- Links to your site from other highly Google ranked sites is very influential.
11. Social Network Activity
The wider audience you can secure, the more you can direct people to your church website.
Do us a favor and check out our new website, StreamingChurch.tv. We’d love to get your feedback. And if you have any questions about websites, let us know.