Creatives, Design
5 Design Tips to Make Your Church Website Kick Butt
Designing for a ministry is tough work; there’s much more to consider than just making sure people click through and buy your product and service (or whatever a business is trying to do).
We’re trying to capture people’s attention to what’s most important in life and we’ve got a message to die for.
As a result, we should be the arbiters of good web design strategy and techniques, right? Here are 5 Design Tips that I’ve learned in the past few years that have helped me greatly:
A Starting List:
- Have a Clear Mission Statement – Let people know what you’re about, fast. Make it obvious.
- Images – Make them real, authentic, and high quality!
- Ways to Stay in Touch and Updated – Newsletters, RSS feeds, text messaging; make it all available and easy to signup!
- Dynamic Fresh Content – Make that initial page (and most of your other pages) dynamic and updated. Keep it fresh and lively!
- Easy and Accessible Contact Us Info – Amazing how obvious this is but how little time and attention it gets. Give it a good polish!
Got any other great design and functional tips? Let’s have ‘em!
Buzz it!
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34 Responses to “5 Design Tips to Make Your Church Website Kick Butt”
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When Church Website Naysayers Say Nay | ChurchCrunch
[...] blogged before on the basics of good web design for a church, so if you’re looking for a high level checklist, check that [...]
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Add a Facebook Fan Page box to connect people who attend your church and to let guess see real people like them already attend your church. Example: http://firsthattiesburg.com/
It doesn’t have to be expensive. You can start with a corporate WordPress theme for under $100. WooThemes http://www.woothemes.com/themes/business/ & Theme Forrest http://themeforest.net/category/wordpress/corporate are good places to start.
On #2 “Images” I think it’s important they don’t look like the typical Stock photos, maybe get a local photog to take some actual photo’s of your location or events. People can spot fakes
I was at a church the other day and their tag line was “a church for ordinary people”
Funny thing about this is that on the bulletin right about this tagline and church name was 3 stock images of people. Ironic
Isn’t a stock person nearly identical with an average person?
No?
Weird
haha.
I argued with people at our church for an entire week about not using stock images. I lost the battle because….
I don’t know why, but i lost. ugh.
I knew a stock guy at a warehouse job I had. He was average.
Love the tips. Definitely some important things for a church’s website.
sure thing!
4.1 Offer Flash alternatives for folks that don’t have those capabilities in their browser or disable Flash.
Or don’t use flash at all. I’m for that. The most impressive flash items, like slideshows, can now be done with jquery, and many other ways, very elegantly.
I agree. Down with FLASH!
4.2 don’t use flash! ha
word.
agreed.
Yes – down with Flash. I’m looking forward to when HTML5 hits so a lot of the Adobe dependency can subside a bit.
kill flash. period.
Great timing. Needed some tips right now. I’m currently working on a small church website. My instructions: “Wow, me”. umm ok…
word!
Be relevant?
While we live in the so called Global Village, most Churches cater for the local community – so maybe that is who the content must be directed at? Without excluding the international visitor or the local who is more comfortable within the Global context.
Absolutely. “Know your audience.” Good stuff!
audience? who’s that.
No GIVE buttons!
I’ve said this, it seems, every chance I get to weigh in on a church website design discussion. But I really think that having THAT on your site turns people off more than NOT having other things. Categorically speaking- those that are most likely to take offense are those that think churches only want their money anyways- congrats for assisting their off-base paranoia. [off soapbox]
Really folks- there are better uses of your web presence than this.
The reason I like the give button is that it allows our members (myself included) an easy way to give online. I use a credit card for everything so its nice to have an easy way to give online through our church’s website.
Just a thought.
I think both of you have a valid point… I think instead of making it a big call to action sort of button in the header.. having a simple link in the footer could satisfy both looks at this… ?
hmmm, I agree.
It has to be somewhere, I recently had the experience of having to look for the giving details because I was sending money to the wrong account (fortunately the right Church, phew)
It was not obvious to me, but I was clever enough to append the word giving to the end of the url and I found it.
There is no way around it – the info needs to be there, just not so in your face.
I don’t see why it does. I really don’t.
If our peeps don’t know where to find it, then that’s our problem for not communicating it clearly to the in the first place (point in case, PG).
Like I said before- the only reason to have a “give” link on our sites is for the less than 1% chance that someone stops by and just decides to give- it’s not going to happen.
The “give” button will turn more people away. If you don’t believe me, go ask people why they don’t go to church. A lot of them are going to say- because all they want is my money. Yes- there will be a lot more answers than that, but why add more fuel to the fire? Why give ammo?
It doesn’t need to be there. We just don’t like change. That’s why we still do that lame “handshake” time that makes every visitor feel like an idiot because they don’t know what to do.
Listen- if your church is “us four, no more”, sweet. Put the give button on your site. It’s a sure-fire way to get people to NOT show up (those who don’t know Jesus- the people that REALLY need to be hearing the Gospel).
Sorry if it seems that I’m not letting this go- but I just don’t think churches are thinking this whole thing through. Christians don’t need to hear the Gospel (in the first time/exposure sense). Non-believers do. If your church only exists for believers, I truly feel sorry for you. That’s not our call.
Much love peeps.
Or just create a separate site (sub-domain even).
I get that it’s “easy”. But I think if people really want to give online, they’ll take the extra step. Plus, greenhornet79, you bring up a good point- members are 99% of the people that will take advantage of this, just as you do.
Jared- I’m saying don’t have it on your site ANYWHERE. (I know- the air just went out of the room. Am I being heretical yet?)
I just don’t see how the “convenience benefit” outweighs the goal of bringing people to Christ as His Church.
give buttons FTW!
Use lots of mirrored buttons where possible and definitely post your pastor’s Twitter feed on the front page without context of what it is.
Sorry. That was sarcastic.
i’ll create one for you.