*Trigger Warning for Satire*
Earlier on today, I found myself in a conversation about Church websites, and what should really be included on them. Here are the list of things we had that should be included on a church website*:
- Make sure you include an in-depth history of the church as well – for new comers.
- How long have you had a Church newsletter / magazine for? Include all of them on the website. As scanned in, PDF downloads.
- Lots and lots of photos of everyone. Don’t worry about any child / vulnerable person protection policies…
- Lots of images are good! Need an image? Google has it!
- Have “podcasts” available of your sermons. Don’t worry about having them available from iTunes, as people will come to your site anyway.
- A step by step theological guide explaining why your services are structured in the correct manner.
- Make sure you include a photo of the smiling lead minister and his / her smiling family.
- Flash animations. They look pretty.
- Blessed with creative musicians? Include their tunes on the website. Have the tunes playing automatically as the website loads.
- Ensure you include input from everyone you know within the church. After all, the church is a group of people – they must all have a say in the website. Right?
Is there anything we’ve missed out?
Please bear in mind we are not experts and some of this advice may be well out.
Update – Some extra suggestions from Twitter:
- Include directions from 50 miles away in every direction. After all, visitors may not know where your city is. (@gods_toddler)
- And ensure the “Latest News” section and “Forthcoming Events” are months out of date. (@grahamsoton72)
- And don’t put in service times – after all, churches all have their services at the same time (@grahamsoton72)
- Include only your church name on the website. Don’t include your city, state, or country unless it is a part of the name. (@MrChurchGuy)
- “To view the information on this page, first please enter your email address here” (@edaross)
- Don’t standardize design across pages. (@ubinam_rosarium)
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