Most people visit your church’s website before visiting your congregation’s physical campus. How welcoming is your site for prospective visitors? Tyler Walworth recently suggested assessing your site in light of questions visitors will likely ask including:
- Where is the church located?
- Who is the pastor?
- What should I expect?
- Will I be singled out as a visitor or pressured in any way?
- How do I join? Do I have to join?
- Should I know anything before I arrive?
So What?
A few years ago a church’s website played a number of roles. Many congregations sought to use the site to effectively communicate information to both participants and prospective visitors. In many ways these sites were digital billboards containing relevant updated information about the congregation, its ministries, and its leaders.
Most congregations have retained their websites even as they have shifted their primary focus to more interactive web 2.0 endeavors. While some incorporate these effectively into their site design, many simply link from their site to these newer options. Regardless of the path chosen, congregations who have websites should consider the primary users in their site design.
- What percentage of visitors to your congregation’s website do you think are either not yet involved in the life of your congregation or have marginal involvement?
- In addition to the questions above, what other questions do you think newcomers are asking? What information about your faith community do you feel is most important for them to know while in the process of making a decision about attending?
For more on this topic consider reading these recent posts: