The forgiveness of sin by faith in Jesus is an essential foundation of Christianity. Some non-believers think they have sinned too much to be a Christian. Yet this is not the only obstacle they face. A staggering number of men and women feel they cannot have a relationship with God because of sins committed against them. Websites need to not only address how we can be cleansed of the sins we commit, but also the heavy baggage of shame for those committed against us.
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Tag: Content Strategy
Constrict Your Content, Not Your Audience
Christianity is unique in many ways, but one that was controversial for early believers was the inclusion of the Gentiles. Faith in Christ was not be restricted to any group, race, or nation. So how do you market your church website to a particular demographic if you want to welcome everyone? Instead of narrowing your market, focus your content to answer the most frequently asked questions of potential members.
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Fasting and your Website
Fasting and prayer is the discipline of doing without earthly sustenance and replacing it with Godâs. How does this apply to your website? Try replacing something man-made with something that is from God.  It is often hard to let go, get out of the way, and let the Lord work. So I challenge you to take a stance with a bold statement. Remove things from your homepage that are âof this worldâ. Allow people to set their eyes on the person who will ultimately change their life, Jesus.
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Words Matter on your Church’s Website
When words are the primary means of communication, they matter… a lot! Church websites need to be especially careful with how they word things because of the hot topic religion has become. Even among fellow Christians, theological differences can cause splits in groups. I trust that your pastor will proofread the copy for your tenants of faith; however, you as the web team leader need to take great care when crafting the rest of the words on your site.
Inspiration from a Conversation
I started this blog with an article about conversations, and I feel compelled to revisit the topic. Often everyday experiences can be leveraged for writing. In this case, a quick conversation and questions that arose from it made me think about what can be lost in translation. The weakest form of communication, writing, is what we primarily rely on for our websites. A renewed focus on your church website’s content may help improve your message, and further the Gospel.
Starting your Churchâs Website: Clueless to Colors
After debating your church’s need for a website, you decide it is the next best step. So now what? Although I primarily write individual articles focused on connecting church goals to web technologies, I feel compelled to write a tutorial-themed article. In this first piece, I will take you through the planning stages of creating or revising your website.
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SEO for your Church Website
If you build it, they do not always come. The novelty of the web has worn off and the fact that your church has a website will not make you unique anymore. So how can you bubble to the top of search engine rankings? I talked about some pro-active measures you can take to get yourself known, however there are plenty of strategic decisions you can make that will give your site the high ranking it rightfully deserves.
Donât Be Afraid To Take Something Away
If you visited the original website, you may remember when I changed the color scheme of my header image / logo . I took away the colors for the sky and ground. Why? I was doing too much and was not providing enough focus. This blog is about growing church websites. So I drew attention to just that, a growing plant. Much like fasting and isolating yourself for prayer helps you focus; taking something away from your church’s web pages can help users focus.
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Always ask WIFM?
When discerning the future of your church, many people would suggest asking yourself “What Would Jesus Do?”, or WWJD? When designing your webs site, you need to consider it from your user’s perspective. One question they are undoubtedly asking is WIFM?, or “Whatâs In It For Me?” Your website should always be communicating the value that your church and a Christ-centered life can provide them.
Writing a Content Strategy Document for your Church
Everything on your website must have a purpose. Just like a Sunday sermon, if you go off on an unnecessary tangent, or leave a key piece of information out; you are doing your listeners an injustice and may lose their attention. I imagine most pastors research and prepare an outline for their sermons. The content on your website should be no different and not treated as something we should do at the last minute. A great tool to focus your efforts is a content strategy document.
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Let Love Shine on Your Church Web Site
Although the drivers for my ideas and topics for this blog come from secular sources; you must not forget that your church’s website is a marketing tool for the Kingdom of God. Just like how Jesus commanded us to be different from the world, so must your website. E-commerce sites do everything they can to highlight key features a product. One key feature of Christianity is Christâs love, so show it on your website in as many ways as possible.
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Writing for Your Church Web Site
Writing content for your church website is different than any other type of writing. That is because websites are not printed material. Despite what you think, most people will not read your website; they will scan it. Fortunately plenty of research has been conducted on how people read websites, and we can use this data along with industry best practices, to craft good content for your church’s website. Plus you can do all of this while creating content that search engines will rank high. This may be confusing at first, but a few easy steps will ensure all of your audiences can effectively find and comprehend your content.
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