Blog

Matt Morrison is a web developer from Vancouver, BC and co-founder of Church OS. He specializes in front end website programming with a focus on creating great user experiences. 

1) Make it easy to use

• Less is more.  Website interfaces can become cluttered quickly (Google vs. Yahoo).
• Know your user.  Usually new users and returning church members.
• Answer the questions that your visitors are asking.
• Know your goals. 
• Once you know users and goals everything else comes together easier.
• If something looks pretty but doesn’t work it’s ineffective.
• Test your site.  Find people in your target groups and have them test the site to see if they get tripped-up using it.
• Limit the options. Keep navigation items to 7.  Limit sidebar items.  Too much choice causes confusion for a user.
• Be familiar.  Your navigation has to make sense.  Use clear wording in menus.

2) Keep the content updates and be consistent in those updates.

• Brochure style websites don’t cut it any longer.
• Regularly updated content will give people a reason to return.
• Users will realize they can’t depend on your website if it’s stale.  If they come back a second time and things haven’t changed they won’t come back again.
• Your secretary is not a web developer.  Find a content management system people, like a non tech person, can use.
• Ideas for updated content: featured events, allow commenting, community announcements, ask discussion questions, use a blog for teaching, post stories/testimonies and ministry updates.
• Don’t let a volunteer build their own thing that another person can’t use.

3) Make sure the message is clear.

• Design/look will say a lot about who you are trying to reach.  It starts to tell your story before any written content.
• Voice/content.  What kind of language are you using? Casual? Traditional? What events are you posting? What people are you using in images?
• If you try to reach everyone, you may reach no one.

4) Connect Your Community

• Sites that allow people to contribute will allow people to stay on your site longer.
• Examples for interaction: comments, prayer requests, private group areas, discussion boards or social media integration.

5) Use the right features.

• More features do not equal a good website.
• Questions to ask before adding a feature:
  • Are people asking for it?
  • Can you do it well?
  • Can you afford it?
  • Are YOU willing to use it?  You need someone to take ownership.
  • Does it help you achieve your goals?

6) Assign ownership

• Put someone in charge. 
• Or have several user accounts for people in different ministry areas so they can update their own areas of the website.

7) Value your website

• Be willing to review the website to make sure it’s still working.
• Budget every year for ongoing maintenance.
• Web hierarchy of needs
  • Have a website
  • Church info: phone, address, service times, staff, ministries
  • Upcoming events, community news, audio sermons
  • Facebook/Twitter, online giving, video sermons
  • Members area

Bonus: Things you can do now

• Make your message clear.
• Use photos of people in your church
• Make contact info and service times easy to find
• Add links to Facebook and Twitter
• Simplify your text.