To Suck or Not To Suck: That is the Question
Do I have your attention?
I have been saying for a long time that most church websites suck. Yes, that is right. They are bad, bland, out-of-date, hard to navigate, not branded well, and generally make you want to run…and as a result, sadly many people do. I do not want church web sites to suck. I want churches to have web sites that engage, thrive, and excite.
Blink
In Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink“, the general premise of his research is that people make judgments on everything they encounter in a matter of seconds. This is called rapid cognition. So, when you as a visitor to a web site land on that site for the first time you instinctively make a judgment about what you encounter within about 2 seconds. Your mind rapidly makes conclusions about the site and the organization that quickly!
So, today…three key considerations for your church web site…
Design Matters
If the design, and navigation draw you in, if something about the content captures your attention, then you move forward and engage. If your immediate reaction is negative then often in the blink of an eye you are gone. Design matters – it matters a lot. Your choice of colours, images, and fonts are more important than most people realize. Flashy can be nice but it can also be distracting. Professionalism is very important if you want to be taken seriously.
Navigation
Equally important is the ease of navigation if people can not intuitively find the content they are searching for they get frustrated and leave…and they won’t come back! With navigation, the simpler the better. Don’t make people work hard – give them a good road map and lead them to the content they need to find.
Call to Action
Today, a web site is more than a static online brochure. Your web site has to ooze with the culture that is your church. What is it that you want a new visitor to your web site to do next? Well, in most cases you want that visitor to come to a Sunday church service or other event that you are putting on. Essentially for the new visitor the purpose of your web site is for it to be an online invitation. So invite them! Make everything you convey deeply appealing and put forth the call-to-action – come visit us!
Assessment
Please take some time to assess your church website. Sometimes you can make minor adjustments that can make a big difference. Other times, you need to start from scratch. Hire a professional – outsource your church marketing and web redevelopment...it is a small price to pay with big long term gain.
What do you think…do church web sites (generally speaking) suck? Do you think working on design, navigation, and a call to action will help improve the state of church web sites? Do you have any other suggestions that would help church web sites not to suck?
(Image via Flickr @muntz)
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http://www.egracecreative.com Brandon Cox
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