1. It’s still got an announcement about your Easter service posted on the “Events page.”
2. The staff pictures are more than 4 years old
3. You have flashing crosses and rainbows somewhere on your site
4. It doesn’t have links to your Facebook and Twitter pages
5. The church has moved and is no longer at the “find us” address on the site
6. It’s navigationally challenged- your visitors have to click several pages deep to find directions, what you believe…etc.
7. It’s filled with text. Where are the pictures?
8. It just looks out of date..Make sure it has personality, preferably the personality of your church
9. It doesn’t show up in search engine results
10. The footer says ©2000 or something similar.

If this sounds familiar and fits your current website…What are you waiting for? Talk to us! In fact, if you’re a current client and you’ve been meaning to get an updated website, call your account manager today and ask about our new loyalty program.  We know you’ll like it!

*photo by anitakhart

pic by chromatophobe

In fact, it’s been a topic of discussion for quite awhile, now.  Just yesterday, CNN posted an article titled, “Do you speak Christian?”  In the post, the author makes the point that Jesus didn’t try to speak in code, so no one could understand him or to prove his spiritual elitism. Nope, he told stories and examples that the average person would understand. He wanted to draw people in, not make them go, “huh?”

The same goes for your website.  Does your website use language that’s only understood within the four walls of your church? Or is it written in a way that attracts those who know nothing about Christ and want to know more?

Will your website visitors feel like they’ll fit in with the people in your church or will all the pictures of doves, crosses and rainbows scare them away?

If you’re not sure what language your website is written in, maybe ask a friend who doesn’t go to church what he thinks about your website. Ask for honest feedback. You might be surprised what he says.

*photo by Gadget Virtuoso

We all know how the web has completely changed the way we live our lives.  Today, I’m going to help voice what it is that pastors know a bad website won’t accomplish for their church.

1. Overcome the misconception that church-goers can’t relate to the unchurched.
2. Start a conversation.
3. Positively stand out among the 5000 other marketing messages your community encounters.
4. Empower your members with an effective outreach and marketing tool.
5. Position the church’s brand within the community as a relevant, active, supportive participant.
6. Effectively tell your story.
7. Disciple your members and visitors beyond the Sunday experience.
8. Facilitate connection for guests and congregants to build solid relationships.
9. Keep traffic returning to your site over and over.
10. Actively work for your church growth, instead of against it.

These are obviously only the tip of the iceberg.  With the average person spending several hours online each day, we know the gravity our church website pulls.  Share your thoughts on what a bad church website won’t do below…

Photo By: psd

Check out this post on effective communication for your website content.

But…now what?  Are people coming to your site? Has it become the main hub of activity for your church or organization?

One very important step in setting up a new website is in regard to site traffic and statistics.  If you can’t tell what tools and pages people are utilizing, you’ll never know what ways to continue improving your site. Here are a few things to check for on your website analytics.

1. Check unique visitors. While page views are great, they aren’t nearly as important as the number of unique visitors.  You can have 35 page views from one person – and that person could be YOU.  If your site has a low number of unique visitors, focus on promoting the site through the methods listed later in the post.
2. Notice bounce rate. Bounce rate is the “percentage of single-page visits” and “generally indicates that site entrance pages aren’t relevant to your visitors” (according to Google Analytics).  With a high bounce rate (anything over 70%), you know that your audience is not finding your home page relevant.  Make sure there are moving, interactive elements, coupled with appropriate, updated design and information.
3. Ensure that the top visited pages are those that help “funnel” someone through your website. If you notice that your About Us page has a lot of traffic, place links to other pages within the website, keeping in mind that this is a page your visitors will frequent. Consider having links to an FAQ page or the ministries pages.  In the event you aren’t receiving traffic to the pages you assumed to be highly trafficked, it may be time to restructure the navigation or the actual content itself to make it more intuitive to your readership.

For some churches, there is little trouble attracting attention to their website.  If the main audience is students or young adults, the website will be the first place people seek information (this is a growing trend for sure).

Sometimes though, it requires some training.  Building up a recurring audience will take continual promotion, so here are some great ways to keep traffic returning.

1. Print out business cards that simply have the church logo and web address to empower your members to spread the word.
2. Place the website address on every mailer, bulletin and print piece you release.
3. Purchase 2’x8’ banner stands to place in the entryway of the church to remind your people of the great tool you have.
4. Consider removing some traditional print pieces, encouraging them to turn to the website, while saving you money!!
5. Request feedback. One of the best ways to get your organizations using the website is if they have ownership over it.  Consider passing out a small feedback card, asking them to get online and offer their feedback about the new site.
6. If you have the budget, outdoor marketing is a great way to promote your website. A billboard or outdoor signage with your website address could be all your audience needs to pique their interest. After all, 85% of people attend a church after first visiting the website!!
7. Tell them!! If you are excited about your website tell them and then tell them again!  Whether it is on Sunday mornings (for several weeks in a row) or from your Facebook/Twitter account, passion and energy begets passion and energy.

A website is an exciting tool and can be used to grow your organization and spread the Good News.  Let’s make sure we’re giving our websites the attention needed to be a relevant voice in the Technology Age.  Please share the creative ways you have promoted your website to your audience. We’re all ears!!

Photo By: Ivan Walsh

If you ever have a topic you want us to explore and write about, please let us know!

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