What your Church should put on it's Website
Trying to decide what to put on your church website can be a difficult task. Thankfully there are some key rules to follow that will make it easier to decide.
Listen to Your Congregation
You want to start with what your audience is looking for. A great way to conduct a bit of research is to survey the people you already have! Slip a survey into the weekly bulletin or leave some out at at fellowship.
Ask them questions like what attracts them to your church?
What is the most important information they want to know?
Look at Other Church Websites
This is another great way to figure out what you should include. By looking to see what’s already been done, you can start to figure out what makes sense for your congregation as well.
Pages that Churches typically have include:
Service times and dates
Church history
What we believe
Information about church staff and the pastor
Information about extra activities such as
Bible studies
Baptisms
Fellowship
Special Holidays
Children’s school
Vacation Bible School
Etc.
Church calendar
Community Service and Outreach
Blog
Some special information and
Archives of newsletters and bulletins
Podcasts or audio recordings of the sermons
Interactive tours
Links to online bible study groups (Facebook perhaps)
Social Media
Etc.
Remember that websites are ultimately a resource for people to find out more information in their free time. So if there is something important people are searching for, you can always link through to another site. Make sure though to have the link create a new tab so that users don’t navigate away from your site.
If your website becomes a tool and a resource for people seeking answers, that will keep them returning. And the more value you add to your site, the more likely someone is to recommend your site.
That’s what it’s important to keep, up-to-date, and timely information on your website. And a good mix of new and evergreen content.
Create a Site Map of All Pages
Site maps are not just files so Google knows to index your site, it’s also a handy tool designers use when figuring what what should be included on a website.
A sitemap doesn’t have to be anything fancy, a simple pen and paper sketch will do.
But make sure to list all of the pages and links on your site, including main links you want to include in any navigation. This includes parent and child pages or first, second, and third level pages.
Seeing it all laid out like this can help you decide if you have too much, too little, or just enough. And it’s an easy way to show it to other people for their feedback as well.
Look at your Analytics
If your church already has a FB page, social media presence, or even Google Analytics hooked up to your current website, take a look to see what people are engaging with or asking about.
What are they searching that brings them to your website?
What are they clicking on?
This kind of information can let you know what’s working and what isn’t. And what you could potentially add to make your website even better.
Reflect over your Message and Goals
Really think about your message and what you’re trying to accomplish. Are you looking to attract believers or non believers? New members or old members?
Websites are a marketing tool to help speak to your congregation and help them find answers and resources. If your church has a particular ideology, this is a great way to help them make decisions for their personal and spiritual lives.
When in doubt, keep it simple
Deciding what to put on your website ultimately shouldn’t be too complicated. Thankfully there are a ton of resources out there to help you decide what’s best.
When in doubt, stick to the most important information and then have the board of trustees test it out. If there is something missing, usually getting another pair of eyes on it will help you out.
Card Sorting is a helpful way to categorize information and figure out your users mental models. In this presentation, I’ll break down what card sorting is, why we use it, the different types of card sorting, and how to use it effectively.