CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE STARTING A WEB SITE

Before starting a web site it is necessary to plan, plan, plan. I know, it is not the fun part but it is the most necessary part. You may be totally new to the process of developing a web site and not even know what the possibilities are. That's all right! Here are some steps to take even before you open a program to start building your site. For all you seasoned veterans, these are good reminders of solid design practices.

Consideration 1: What is your objective?
Consideration 2: Who is your target audience?
Consideration 3: What do you want your web site to communicate to your visitors?
Consideration 4: What information do you want to make available?
Consideration 5: What are some tried and true strategies and helps?

Consideration 1: What is your objective?

Putting up a web site on the internet simply for the sake of having one is not a good reason to venture into cyber space. If you aren't expecting your web site to accomplish something, then that is exactly what you will get... nothing. Plan on purpose! Establish a vision for what you want to do. As an example, you may want to build toward any or all of the following:

  • Evangelism
  • Communication to membership
  • Portal for electronic donations
  • Sales of church related items
  • Communicating a positive image to the community

Consideration 2: Who is your target audience?

It is important to keep your target audience in mind as you build your site. Will your users most likely be using dial-up or high speed connections? What browsers are they likely to connect with? Internet Explorer is the industry leader, but a significant number of people are using Mozilla Firefox, Netscape Navigator, or even Opera. What will those users be looking for when they connect?

Consideration 3: What do you want your web site to communicate to your visitors?

When you visit web sites, you immediately get a "feel" for the organization when the home page loads. Everyone invloved in the planning should have a firm idea of what the site will communicate. One process that is helpful is to have all involved in the planning write down a list of words that they think should apply to the site. Such a list might include some of the following:

Professional Reverent Contemplative Urban
Friendly Traditional Crisp and clean Animated
Colorful Contemporary Quiet Modern
Classy Easy to use Natural Pastoral
Bright Casual Technical Active
“Warm” color palate Bold Understated “Cool” color palate

Of course, you may come up with other words to describe your future site. That's great! That means you know what you want and will be able to recognize it when you get it! (or don't get it, as the case may be)

Consideration 4: What information do you want to make available?

You may have heard the phrase, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." This is true of many things, and definitely applies to ministry web sites. Just because you can publish something on the web, doesn't mean you should. Keep your goals in mind and decide what you want to make public. The following is a limited list of what you might want on your web site.

Home Page Directory Contacts Page Calendar of events
Photo Gallery Streaming Audio Members only Areas Newsletters
External links Sermons and articles What We Believe Mission Statements
Maps and directions FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Outreach Activities Church related a
Programs Affiliate Ministries Youth Pastor's Blog

Consideration 5: What are some tried and true strategies and helps?

Go out and serf the net, specifically looking for what impresses you and what doesn't. Look subjectively at the sites you visit and I think you will agree that some of the following points are valid no matter what type of site you are buliding.

1) KEEP IT CLEAN - meaning free from clutter. Don't use too many animations or moving elements on your pages. Don't be afraid of open space. Your downloads will be faster and visitors more likely to stay if you don't try to get all your information on your home page.

2) BUTTONS ARE NOT THE MODERN STANDARD - most web sites simply use links in a menu at the side. Your site will look more modern and up to date if you use limited buttons.

3)POST NEW INFO - Nothing will communicate that your site is a low priority more than having outdated information on your website. (I have seen calendars on websites than have events listed from 3 years previous!)

4) AVOID BLACK AND RED BACKGROUNDS - these colors are often associated with a specific genre of web site. For the sake of communicating the Gospel it is often best to stay away from using these colors overwhelmingly in page backgrounds.

5) AVOID USING INSIDE LANGUAGE - unless you don't anticipate anyone outside of your organization viewing your web site.

6) SELECT YOUR GRAPHICS CAREFULLY - Unless you have an outstanding or unusual building, people will not be attracted to your church because of the building. Think about putting pictures of people up instead. (Make sure to read the next point first!) After all ... the Church is people... not buildings!

7) GET WRITTEN PERMISSION TO USE PICTURES OF PEOPLE IN YOUR CHURCH - Some people might object to having their picture published. We MUST respect that right. For security reasons it is especially important to get permission from parents before using a child's picture. Even with permission to publish the child's image, NEVER publish a child's picture with their name. Unfortunately we live in a fallen world and as such we don't want to give information that would give those with wrong intentions an advantage in achieving their goals.

NOTE: If you do not want to use pictures of your own people, there are many available on the internet, but be aware that many are copyrighted and cannot be used without permission. BE SURE YOUR IMAGES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR USE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

8) MAKE IT IS EASY TO NAVIGATE YOUR SITE - One key is to think in terms of "broad and shallow" rather than "narrow and deep". Try to make all your pages available to users with a maximum of 3 clicks from your home page. Make it easy for people to get back to where they were and to get to other areas of the site.

9) MAKE IT EASY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU - It sounds simple, but it is surprising how many church web sites don't have any contact information.