In an age of smartphones and other devices, many more people are visiting church websites than may ever walk into the building. Church websites face the same challenge as any other site -- communicate clearly and powerfully to a broad audience. Is your site easy to navigate? Does it convey who you are as a church, both for existing members and potential new visitors? Are you providing news, updates, and fresh photography on a regular basis?
This article, the first in a series, walks through ways to evaluate your current website and identify needed changes. Future articles will address creating a content and SEO strategy, and marketing and launching your new site.
Best practices for websites
When you begin evaluating your website, it is good to keep in mind some best practices that apply to any site.
Visual consistency and branding
People should always know they are on your site versus another church's. You can achieve this with a consistent color scheme, fonts, logo placement, and general "voice" of your content. Consistent branding breeds familiarity and helps to define your online presence.
Simple, clear navigation
People come to your website for information. Make it easy for them to find by having clear and logical menus and navigation, plenty of links between pages and sections, and good search capabilities. Clutter will turn off visitors, who will likely never return.
Regular updates and calls to action
An effective website will have regular updates, providing new information for people each time they visit. Updated content also helps your site appear higher in internet search results -- something known as search engine optimization (SEO). That will be covered in a subsequent article.
Allowing people to engage with your site also boosts its effectiveness. This can include online Connect Cards, event and volunteer sign-ups, prayer requests, periodic polls, and other methods of interaction.
Photography and multimedia
Photography and video are powerful tools to help promote a strong visual identity for your church. They allow potential visitors to "see" themselves as part of your church community. Video also brings your church to life and can include recorded messages from the pastor, videos of your members volunteering, and even "selfie" videos of members sharing a short testimony about your church.
Mobile design and use
An effective site must be easy to access and use on a mobile device. According to data research organization Statista, 62% of global website traffic comes from mobile devices, excluding tablets. That means a large number of people are likely visiting your church website on a smartphone.
If you have ever visited a site that is not designed for mobile use, you know how frustrating that can be -- having to pinch the screen open, read tiny words, and scroll from side to side for information.
Get honest feedback
One of the best ways to determine what your site needs is to ask others. Gather a focus group of five to six people who are willing to click through the site and provide honest input. The group should be a mix of those who know your church well and those who are unfamiliar with it. You may even ask for feedback from someone who does not attend your church at all, to provide an outside perspective.
Ask them to spend an hour or so using the website, clicking around and trying to find information. It is helpful to provide a list of tasks and questions for them to consider, such as:
- Find the links to view the service online via YouTube or Facebook. Were those links easy or hard to find?
- Was the church branding always clear and visible on every page?
- How does the site look and work on a mobile device or tablet?
- Were you able to easily find a list of pastors and staff?
- Was it easy to find contact information and a way to submit a question, idea, prayer request, etc.?
- Were you able to search for information easily using a search bar?
- Look for information about preschool enrollment. How easy or hard was that task?
- Did photos represent the church, or did they feel generic and stock?
- Does the navigation menu at the top of the page make logical sense?
- Did you come across any broken links or old information?
Come up with additional questions that make sense in your context, and allow people to make broad comments in addition to answering questions, as this can yield valuable information.
Finally, provide an easy way for people to respond, using a simple Google form or other survey-style software to capture the results. You will use these results when you build your content and SEO strategy.
Research other church websites
While your focus group is reviewing your site, take some time to examine other churches' websites. What seems to work well, and what does not? Some questions you may want to ask yourself:
- How is information presented on the homepage? Are important items presented "above the fold" (i.e., visible immediately without having to scroll)?
- Does this site give me a real sense of this church?
- Would I want to attend this church?
- Does this site feel coordinated and easy to use?
Track your notes during this process. You will use them along with the focus group feedback as you create your content and SEO strategy.
Next steps
There are other elements to consider as you update your site. Does your website platform or vendor allow you to achieve your goals? Do you have a good design program, such as Canva, to build attractive visual components for your site?
As you move through this process, keep in mind that websites are living things, and your site will always be a work in progress. With a good content plan, you will give people a reason to visit and keep coming back.
The second article in this series will address how to build a content and SEO strategy.
United Methodist Communications provides several web services for churches.
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Rebeca Ervin has more than two decades of experience as a journalist and legal and nonprofit marketer. She enjoys working with teams to implement strategy and vision through strong and effective communication. Rebeca is a lifelong United Methodist and native of San Antonio, Texas. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Anthropology from Harvard University and a Master’s in Theological Studies from the Iliff School of Theology. In her free time, Rebeca enjoys photography, writing, traveling abroad, and spending time with family.