Making Readable Text for your Church

Imagine that your sound system did not work. Your pastor could deliver an amazing sermon. But few people would hear it. The same applies to printed words. Text is the primary method you convey information. Thus, it makes sense to use it in ways that are most effective. The concepts in this article will make your physical and digital text easier to read.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 54: Can I Have a Minute of your Time?

cws-podcast-logoIn today’s hectic schedules and busy lives, it is often hard to take a step back and examine things from a distance. However, I bet you can find a few people that can spare one minute to review a page on your church website. One minute of questions can provide some low hanging fruit; which offer huge returns for minor fixes and edits.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 41: Even If You are Wrong, Be Consistent

cws-podcast-logoIn this episode I ask that you utilize patterns to create a consistent experience on your church website. Inconsistent designs are more disruptive than a bad design. They forcesyour users to constantly learn new mechanisms to use the site. Instead, explore page patterns, color palettes, and navigation. These common website mechanisms should provide visitors with a familiar and comfortable experience that keeps them on your site and hopefully walking into your church.
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Church Social Media: Social Media Authentication

Did you know that social media could be used for something other than announcing what you had for breakfast, or sharing funny pictures of cats? Online identities can be used across the web and increase how often users interact with your church’s website. If you have sections on your site where you hope users will interact with you, include social media authentication to give them less hoops to jump through and give you more community activity.
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CWS Podcast – Ep. 25: Brochures Vs Websites

cws_podcastIn this episode, I will compare and contrast content specific differences you should consider when migrating content from the print world to the digital. The first action many churches take when creating a new website is to examine all of their printed material and simply migrate it to this new electronic format. Please do not make this mistake, as your church website should not be an electronic brochure you can hand people. First, there are many limitations brochures have that websites do not. The way we interact and consume content on the web is far different than a brochure.
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Using Search Terms to Guide Content Updates

Depending on the website platform your church utilizes, you can easily capture what users are entering into a search box. This information is an absolute treasure trove of information about what your users want to find on your website. It shows exactly what topics people want to find, the language they are expecting to see, and on what page they were expecting to find it. By using search terms to guide future content updates, you are giving your users what they are already asking for.
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Disabilities and Your Church Website: Hearing and Technology Impairments

Your target audiences most likely include people with disabilities and impairments. Although visual and cognitive impairments may seem like the most obvious obstacles to using a website, two others to consider are hearing and technological.

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Disabilities and Your Church Website: Visual and Cognitive Impairments

What good is a website if your audience cannot use it? A well designed website does not simply mean that it is aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate, or can be viewed on a mobile device. It also means that your users can access the information despite any restrictions they may have. This article will delve into some of the common disabilities your users may have, and the barriers you can remove for them.

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Can I have a minute of your time?

In today’s hectic schedules and busy lives, it is often hard to take a step back and examine things from a distance. However, I bet you can find a few people that can spare one minute to review a page on your church website. One minute of questions can provide low hanging fruit; which offer huge returns for minor fixes and edits.
Continue reading “Can I have a minute of your time?”

Inspire Confidence on your Website

What if your pastor’s sermon had no major points, no reference to scripture, and no relevance to your daily lives?  What if they wore a distracting outfit, talked too quietly, and stuttered?  I doubt that pastor’s preaching career would last very long.  So why would it be OK for your website to do the same thing?  Create good looking, recently updated, relevant websites and you will inspire confidence in your visitors.

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