Media Outreach

In the end, a good website combines good design, navigation, interactivity, and functionality for the ultimate goal of creating an environment that excites users and keeps them around long enough to get to the heart of the entire goal of the website: the content. Once a church attracts the attention of the user, there needs to be useful content or information available. By not only using text but also other elements such as music, sound, animation, video, a church or ministry can convey a body of knowledge to visitors and members alike. Having a great site in all other elements and then leaving the user with outdated, inaccurate, or impertinent information, defeats the entire purpose of having a website. On the opposite end, if all the information is perfect but the graphics are uninteresting, the links do not work, and the navigation is confusing, no one will ever read it.

Having an excellent looking site is important. We know having a site that works is important. Sometimes we forget how important having great content is. Content is the heart of your site. It’s the factor that will convert a simple site visitor into a church goer. Here are some simple tips to making your site content as excellent at the graphics on your site:
•    Keep formatting consistent- If you use a header, then body text on one page, be consistent and use the same format on all pages.
•    Content should be free from grammar and spelling errors
•    Pages should have a healthy balance of images that supplement the content (don’t just add images for the sake of images). One or two images on a page is recommended.
•    Use active voice when writing content.
•    Be succinct, not verbose.
•    Content length is very important. Keep all important information above the fold (within the top 800 pixels).
•    Content should fulfill the requirements of the page it is on. If the page is for directions to the church, including a map and links to driving directions makes sense.
•    Content should have interactive elements such as links when applicable: media, forms, etc…
•    Quality of images matters. Size the images in external editors to speed load times, keep resolutions clear, and crop the images to show the most applicable portions of the image.

With these few items in mind, your site’s content will be as attractive as your graphics. In a world where content is king, it is of the highest priority that your online content follows best practices, serving the needs of your audience. Good content should be engaging, current, formatted, relevant, and appropriate for the audience. Good content has a voice, a point of view. It may be informative, useful, or funny, but it always leaves you wanting more.

That is why faithHighway is now offering a content service solution that takes the message that you want to give to your audience and package it in a way that matches the rest your site, following our 25 points of best practices to excellent content management! If you would like more information about this service or how to continue to improve your content, please contact your CRM at crm@faithHighway.com.