First Impressions is facilitated through Guest Reflections. People are asked to pick a website from a church in their area at random and review it. These sites may or may not be powered by faithHighway.
Church Location: Orlando, FL
User Profile:
- Female
- 60+ years old
- Caucasian
- Area Resident for 11 or more years
- Attends Church 2 or more times per month
Final Grade:
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“It was easy to navigate through. Had I been a visitor, I would have found all the information that was important to know.”
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“It communicates clearly to all kinds of people. It had no error messages, pages loaded quickly and information was current.”
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“They included pictures of each staff member which was helpful. A list of meetings, studies, activities were given with added information for each.”
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“It was efficient but didn’t have bells and whistles. Visually it was appealing and pleasant to look at. It was to the point and it was easy to tell where the site content was located.”
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What is your overall first impression of this site?
“The site was very simple and to the point, easy to find information on the different ministries of the church.”
What would make this site better?
” Add more graphics, more color…it seemed very bland.”
Would you visit this church based on the site?
“Probably.”
pic by Duchamp
August 11th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I don't understand this. Does the site accomplish the goals of the ministry? People seem to be able to find what they are looking for and seem willing to visit. What would give the site a better grade. Is the purpose of a site to look pretty and artsy or push the agenda of the ministry. If it looks professional, visual appeal shouldn't be rated high. Graphics are a problem on a lot of ministries if visit. They make sites confusing, they get in the way of find what I want, they take a long time to load. If Flash animation is used they hurt thier SEO if not sued properly. So I wonder what the difference between an A, B, and C site is. I will have to look more on this site to see if I can find it, but I like what you are doing.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Hey Charles…
Great questions… there are 5 keys to a great website. These are industry standards, not just made up by us. They are…
#1 Visual Design "How does your website look ?"
#2 Structure and Nav " How is your website organized ?"
#3 Interactivity "How do people interact with your website ?"
#4 Functionality "Does your website work ?"
#5 Content "What does your website say ?"
According to "Your Church" Magazine 85% of people will visit your website before the come on a Sunday morning. So it is imperative to tell your story well on the web, if you do not the chances of them coming decreases. The question I always ask pastors about there current site is this…"If you knew nothing about this church, and just visited their website. Would you come on a Sunday morning ?" If you cannot say "YES !". Then you need some help with your website. Check out our "Best Practices" series for a more in depth look at the 5 keys. Thanks for the comment !