Start With Why

The “Start With Why” philosophy is that while most organizations start by telling you what they do an appeal to their audience’s self-interest, inspiring leaders and organizations start by telling you why they do what they do and invite you to join their cause.

OurChurch.Com believes in partnering with other Christian organizations to help them achieve their mission online. That’s our cause. So, the OCC site was redesigned in several ways to “Start With Why.”

• The motto below our logo was changed from “Because the church is the people” to “Achieve your mission online.
• On our homepage and the main page of each section of our site – web design, web hosting, search marketing and advertising services – we replaced content that promoted our services with graphics showing quotes from ministries who we have helped achieve their mission online.
• Further down on the homepage, we added a “Why Choose OurChurch.Com” box and included our mission statement next to it.

Simple and Beautiful

We believe that the simpler a website is the better. However, we also wanted to include color and creativity in the site so that people interested in having us develop a custom designed website for them would immediately know we are capable of creating a stunning website for them. To achieve both simple and beautiful, we designed the site itself to be very simple and include a lot of white space and put color and creativity into the content – the slides you see just below the header.

A few more things we did to simplify our site. We…

• Reduced the number of items in each menu
• Placed the consultation request form at the bottom of every page in our design, SEO and advertising sections (previously the bottom of each page had a link to a separate consultation request form)
• Drastically reduced the number of items in the consultation request form.

The results couldn’t be more dramatic! The number of people completing the consultation request forms has more than tripled!

Better Social Media Integration

One other significant improvement made to the new site is the addition of the social media sharing buttons on the left side of every page. Not only is social media an important source of new visitors, but search engines are factoring Tweets, likes and +1s into their ranking algorithms, so it’s important to encourage and facilitate as much Tweeting, liking, sharing and +1ing as we can.

In fact, would you please take a moment to Tweet, like and +1 our homepage right now?

We Covet Your Comments!

While we’re super excited about our new site, we also recognize that our opinions and our user experience on the site is secondary in importance to yours. Please tell us what you think of the new site – good and bad.

• How does it look to you? Do you feel like we achieved simple and beautiful?
• Can you immediately understand our “why” – our mission – when you first arrive on our site?
• Are you able to quickly and easily find our way around our site?
• Did you run across any problems? Any misspellings, broken links, confusing text?

Thanks for taking a look at our new site! And thanks for the feedback!

In His Service,
Paul Steinbrueck, CEO

The design of your website encompasses:

• The way your site looks
• How easy (or difficult) it is for visitors to find their way around
• Functionality such as login, forms, calendar, blog, multimedia
• The administrative interface for staff
• The “behind the scenes” tags necessary to optimize it for search engines

As you can see, web design is about much, much more than having a pretty site. There’s a lot riding on it!

So, we’re devoting an entire month to helping you evaluate and improve the design of your website.

1) Blogging About Design Issues

As I mentioned earlier, our mission is to help you achieve your mission online. That’s regardless of whether you use any of our services or not. We’ll be blogging about design issues that may be giving people a bad impression of your organization, issues that could be frustrating your visitors and help you think through and prioritize steps that will bring your website more in alignment with your mission.

2) Website Reviews

If you’d like to take the general insight we offer here on Christian Web Trends and have it applied specifically to your website, we offer a comprehensive website review. The review includes evaluation of your site in 6 key areas:

1. Appearance and layout
2. Navigation and usability
3. Purpose and goals
4. Content
5. Availability in search engines
6. Interactivity and social media

We provide you with a written evaluation very similar to the website reviews we published here two years ago and include recommended action steps. Then we schedule a half hour phone call to go over the evaluation with you and answer any questions you might have. The cost of this comprehensive review is just $199. If you’re interested, please complete the consultation request form to discuss the service further.

3) Custom Web Design Services

If you’re at the point where you know you need a new website in order to accomplish your mission online, we would love to help you with that. Remember, our mission is not just to build websites but to help you achieve your God-given mission online. So we listen to understand who you are and what your mission is. Then we can custom design a site for you that has a look that conveys who you are as an organization and the specific functionality you need to accomplish your goals. See our web design portfolio for examples of the organizations we serve and then complete the consultation request form so we can set up a time to talk.

4) Everything But the Kitchen Sink

Lastly, one of the ways we help you achieve your mission online is by being available to help you with whatever you need – everything but the kitchen sink. If you need someone to fix up your current site, we can help with that. If you need custom programming or database integration, we can help with that. Domain registration, web hosting, SEO – you name it, we can do it all for you so that you have just one company to call anytime you want to do anything with your site.

Whew! That’s a lot going on this month. No matter how big your organization is and no matter what state your website is in now, we’ve got something that will help you take the next step towards achieving your mission online.

In His Service,
Paul Steinbrueck, CEO
OurChurch.Com

7 Resolutions for Your Website in 2012

1) Give your site a new look. If it’s been 2-3 years since you’ve changed the look of your site, it’s time. You don’t have to have the coolest, cutting edge website on the planet, but you do want to make sure your site doesn’t look behind the times.

2) Keep your website up to date all the time. Resolve to update your website at least once a week and any time there is news or announcements. You’ll probably be most successful keeping this resolution if you schedule a specific day and time to do it.

3) Optimize for search engines. Getting your site to the first page of the search results for keywords relevant to your site is a great goal for any organization. If you are just hoping for the best when it comes to search engines, you are missing out on so much potential. If your site is for a church, school, or local business, search engine optimization (SEO) services will almost more than pay for themselves with the new customers, members, and students they produce.

4) Email a newsletter. If you don’t send out a regular email newsletter, you are just hoping that people remember to come back to your site. An email newsletter is one of the few opportunities you have to proactively bring people back to your website. Your current members, visitors, or customers are the best target demographic ever, so reconnecting with them on a regular basis is one of the smartest things you could do this year.

5) Engage with social media. Resolve to take the next step with social media. Maybe that’s the first step – setting up accounts and adding links to them on your website. Maybe it’s developing for specific content and posts each day of the week. Maybe it’s time to stop broadcasting on social media and start asking questions and interacting.

6) Add to your communications team. If you are the only one managing your website and social media, you are probably holding back the potential of your website. We’re all limited in the amount of time we have to put into our websites, so one of the best things you can do is train and delegate some of the work to others. Perhaps there’s someone in your organization who would like to just update the photo galleries, do the sermon podcast, or manage the calendar. Plus to engage in social media well, you need additional contributors and people commited to sharing and engaging with you.

7) Upgrade to a Custom Site with Content Management System (CMS). If you built your website with a web builder like NE1 or if you designed it yourself with HTML or software like Dreamweaver, there is a whole ‘nother level to what you could accomplish with a custom, CMS-based website. In fact getting a CMS-based website will actually help you accomplish all 6 of the other suggested resolutions above.

Well, those are my suggestions. I’d love to hear the goals you’ve set for your website for 2012. Post ‘em in the comments.

We posted screenshots of the 3 design finalists to our Facebook page. The one that gets the most votes will be the design we create this month. Vote by posting the name of your favorite – Artwork, 70s Swirl, or Radiance in a comment.

What do you think of the designs in the running?

What do you think of letting you choose the next design by voting on Facebook?

Is there anything your organization is or could let your online community choose through online voting?

We hope you like the idea and the designs and we can make this a monthly event as we continue to help Christian organizations like yours achieve their dreams online.

For the second pick, I select Mobile App. (My first pick was a redesigned website from the ground-up. Your first pick should always be a functioning, attractive website, as well.) Sorry, Mobile Website, you’ll have to wait until later.

With the popularity of mobile apps growing and Android being the number one used platform, I was finally able to reach the masses with a trending tool. Yes, iOS is great and pretty, but I work for a church and work to reach the masses, not just the pop culture. I knew the majority of my church was using Android, not iOS. Now, I had a solution that worked with both platforms and the back end was one system. (Keep that in mind when you’re searching for mobile app solutions.)

In addition, the new website was mobile friendly even though it wasn’t a true mobile website. For example, I made sure Flash wasn’t used and menus weren’t drop down. I tried to make sure the interactive features were easy to use without sacrificing the full desktop experience. I also made the choice to program for newer technology knowing phones without a full browser were becoming obsolete quickly. That meant full websites were becoming an accepted practice for mobile devices.

Furthermore, I chose the mobile app to be a separate tool in my web arsenal. I had and still have no intention on using the app to replace a website. I designed the app to be used in church services and on the go. Instead of filling out paper sermon notes, people would fill them out on their device (phone and tablet). Instead of reading the paper weekly bulletin, people would access it quickly from the app. Instead of subscribing to our podcast, they can easily access the audio, video and sermon notes from the app.

Now for the pick I passed up. As more people use their phone for web browsing, they want to easily access and read information. I even find myself surfing on my phone at home 6 feet away from a 19″ monitor. Our lives are becoming more mobile. Notebooks are becoming the primary inventory of brick and mortars (Browse through the computer section of Best Buy) and tablets are picking up speed. We want the answers now, period. Mobile website offer the solution. They display information simply and when designed correctly, make navigation friendly.

Both, mobile apps and mobile websites are needed. Which one does your organization need first? If you’ve already made your pick, which one was it? Why did you select it over the other?

This article is my contribution to the new book Outspoken: Conversations on Church Communication.

It’s estimated that as many as 80% of people looking for a church start their search online.

Typically it looks like this: A person starts by searching Google for churches in their community. They click through to the websites of those churches at the top of the search results. Based on the information and impressions given by those websites, they select which churches to visit in person.

What this means is:

1. If your church’s website doesn’t show up on the first page or two of the search results, people looking for a church will never see your website and thus never visit your church.

2. If people do visit your church’s website but it gives a poor impression of your church, people will also never visit your church.

Don’t misunderstand. This is not about competing with the other churches in your community. It’s not about having the best search rankings or the coolest website.

I’m talking about loving the people in your community enough to make an effort to meet them where they are—searching Google. I’m talking about loving them enough to make them feel welcome once they get to your website. I’m talking about authentically communicating who you are as a church and what God is doing through you.

Here are seven ways your church can do that:

1. Optimize your website for search engines or hire a professional to do it.
2. Give your website a nice design. It doesn’t have to be the coolest site in town, but it should be uncluttered, have a consistent color scheme and be easy to navigate.
3. Prominently feature a “New Visitor” section on your website.
4. Include a welcome message from your senior pastor—either a video or a picture and text welcome message.
5. Include pictures or video of your worship services and children’s activities.
6. Answer all the questions you would want answered before you visit a church: How does one get there? What are the service times? What are services like? How do people dress? What do kids do?
7. Publish video, pictures and stories of what God is doing in your church: Stories from people in your church about how God has changed their lives, stories of how your church is impacting your community, and stories of how your church is changing the world through missions and giving.

When you love the people in your community enough to make them the priority on your website and authentically communicate the stories of what God is doing through you, people will be drawn to God and to your church through your website.

We’re giving away 3 copies for Outspoken today.  Find out how you can win!  Or buy a copy online right on Amazon.

Are you motivated by love for the people in your community to have an well designed website that is well optimized for search engines?

That’s why our team partners with churches to design church website and optimize church website for search engines. It’s all about love – loving God and loving people!

First you need to ask the question: “Do we need a website?” <gasp> “Did he just say that? Doesn’t everyone need a website?” Not necessarily. There I said it! Designers around the globe are probably drafting their hate mail now. I often see church websites that do not fit the church to which they belong. A huge, state of the art, corporate style website for a small, rural congregation of 20 to 80 people does not best represent your church. Also, many are often so poorly done that they actually send a negative message. If your site looks like it stepped out of the 90’s then send it back there. I also see churches in poor or older communities where the potential audience could care less about a website. Some churches could save the money spent on an elaborate site and focus it on more important things in their communities.

If you have determined that you need a website and you are not fortunate enough to have a “web person” on staff or a volunteer in your church, there are thousands of design companies out there that can do a great job on a site for you. Just run a Google search on “church website design” and take your pick.

However, there are also many inexpensive, easy to maintain, alternatives to a “traditional website” available out there.

A Facebook Page is a great, free, and easy way to get yourself on-line. The tutorials available are fairly easy to follow and Facebook is increasing the flexibility in their design all the time. HERE is a great example of how Granger Community Church has set up a “Welcome” tab for their Facebook page.

WordPress is typically used as a blog platform but now offers wider design choices. You can set up a simple but professional looking site for free with very little design experience needed. I have customized my own WordPress blog HERE. I am also working on a few other sites in WordPress for some other organizations.

Other free DIY options include WIX, WEBS, even Google to name just a few.

So, you don’t need to spend a fortune and you don’t necessarily need a big, elaborate site. So, before you pull the trigger- sit down and consider your needs, your wants, and your options.

What are some ways you have found to save money and still be effective on the internet?

Social media does have a lot of potential. Companies are using it to develop relationships with new and existing customers. Non-profits are using Facebook and Twitter to connect with new and existing donors and volunteers.

But you can create a brilliant social media strategy, get all the best tools, and empower a bright, savvy person to lead it all, and you’ll fail miserably if you have these two things.

1) An ugly website

Just this past week I talked to two people who told me straight up they won’t share their organization’s website with people because they think it looks embarrassing. If you’re website looks bad, you need to address that before jump into social media. Most people who lead organizations with bad websites don’t realize how bad everyone else thinks it is. So, if you think your site looks fine, you probably ought to ask 3 or 4 people you trust to give you an honest opinion.

I’m not suggesting your website needs to look amazing (unless you’re in an artistic field), just make sure it’s not an embarrassment.

2) Lack of original content

The most successful people and organizations on Facebook and Twitter are the ones that provide value to their followers. They create content that’s funny, inspiring, or useful for improving your life. If you don’t create original content, what are you going to share on Facebook and Twitter? If you don’t create original content, what are other people going to share and retweet?

Blogging, podcasting and/or posting videos are essential to social media success. If you’re not creating original content, why not? Do you have insight to share with others? Are there stories you can tell about what your organization is doing, what people are doing with your products, or lives that are been changed?

Social media does not exist in a vacuum. It hasn’t made other forms of online and offline marketing obsolete. In fact, it’s made them all more important as social media multiplies the impact of a good website and good content.

Faith Lutheran Church

FLC is one of our most recent recipients of our TPS (Template Personalization Service) product. They had chosen the “Travel Portal” template in the building process of their website, using the NE1 Website Builder’s template gallery. They sent us a logo (off of a scanned piece of paper) and provided their own header images. We then graphically embedded them (along with their name and slogan) into the template. The result was a unique website design personalized just for Faith Lutheran Church. Visit their site at http://www.flcnpr.org/.

Druid Hills United Methodist Church

Druid Hills UMC is located in Ocala, Florida. They recently purchased one of OurChurch.Com’s Bundle packages which includes the TPS that we mentioned above. They had chosen the “Worship the Lord” template. They sent us a sketch of their church building to use as the church logo, but then the rest of the design was left up to us. We decided to make the header of the website a little larger so that the logo cold be seen, then we created a dark gray background with some lighting effects to finish it off. Check out their site at http://www.druidhillsocala.org.

Let’s Share

There is no doubt about it. Social Media is huge! Facebook and Twitter are constantly listed in the Top 10 most visited websites in the world (http://www.alexa.com/topsites). If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. You can do this by adding a simple way for people to share your website or webpage with their friends.

At the top of this post, you will see a Facebook share button and a Twitter share button. When a reader clicks on this button, a smaller window appears that allows the user to quickly post the Title and URL of this web page to their Facebook or Twitter account. Below this article, there is a “Sharethis” image that you can hover your mouse over and choose from several other sharing services.

These buttons and “widgets” can be found in software plugins (such as in Joomla or WordPress) and can also be found as simple snippets of HTML code that you can copy and paste right into your site. Either way, adding these features can turn your website or web pages into a viral traffic generator, which is truly remarkable!

Save All Comments Until the End

While letting your visitors share your information is pretty remarkable, you can give your readers an even more remarkable experience by letting them create a dialog about your website or web page as well. You’ll notice at the bottom of this page, you will find a “Comments” section that allows readers to post their own thoughts, feelings, ideas and criticism on the same page as the article. This allows for 2 things to happen:

1. Readers create a dialog with other readers.
2. Readers create a dialog with the writer of the article.

By allowing visitors to comment on your website, you have a created interaction and intrigue. It’s true that it may open your site up to negative feedback, but this is something that should be embraced. As a business, church, school or any other organization, we should accept negative feedback as an opportunity to improve ourselves and reach out to our readers, showing them that we truly care. This allows not only your website to be remarkable, but your organization as well.

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Searching For

One last feature that you can add to your website to make it truly remarkable is a Search Box. When people want to find something on the Internet, where do they go? They go to search engines. Google, Yahoo and Bing are just a few of the hundreds of search engines that are available online. People type in what they want to find and then they are presented with several places to go and find it.

You can do this with your own website as well. Some web software or content managements systems (such as WordPress or Joomla) have a built in search function that allows visitors to search only that particular website. For example, let’s say that you own an Online Widget Store which has thousands of widgets available for sale. A visitor lands on your site and wants to find the “Widget 2000 X”, but doesn’t know where to click to find it. If there were a search box on the website, they could simple search for “Widget 2000 X” and probably find it within a few seconds, rather than trying to browse through all the pages of widget categories to find it.

For those of you that do not have software or a CMS (content management system) that includes a search feature, Google has actually created a feature called “Google Custom Search” (http://www.google.com/cse/). This will allow you to place a simple search box on your website and then extract the Google search results of certain keywords from your site only. There is a Free version that contains Google Ads, but there is also a paid version that starts at $100/year that contains no ads.

Either way, adding a search box to your site makes it easy for your website visitors to navigate your website and that leads them through a remarkable experience.

What other things have you seen that you thought were remarkable when it comes to website design or features? Please leave your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below.