There are definitely many different things that make Web sites good or bad. The following is a list of some of the things that every Church Web site should and should not have:
Do's - Here are some things that every Church Web site should have:
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Fresh Content
You should never let your Web site get out-of-date. When someone visits your site in October and sees last years Holiday celebration, that is not good. Try to keep some current information (no matter how small) on your Web site all the time so that your visitors know that your Web site is the place to go for current info about your organization or your faith group.
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Contact InformationA way to be contacted is one of the main reasons that an organization has a Web site in the first place. You should always have your address and/or phone on your Web site. In fact, it would be a good idea to have contact information on every single page of your Web site. An easy way to accomplish this is to have your contact information in the template. This can easily be done for free depending on which template you are using (
more...).
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Calendar
One of things that can be easily updated daily, and is one of the most useful things on your Web site is the calendar. Whether your using the WebMedley interactive calendar tool, or just listing the upcoming events on a page, a calendar is the best way to make your Web site a valuable resource for your congregation.
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Link to Faith Based Resources Of course you should have a link to the Web site which
includes more than 40 faith groups and religious organizations representing 200,000 congregations and 120 million congregants, whose mission is to use television and other media to promote the vitality of religious experience in everyday life.
Don'ts - Here are some things every Web site should not have:
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Animated GIFs
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a standard image file format used in Web pages. GIFs allow a short looped animation, which appears similar to a short cartoon. It is rare that you will find an animated GIF that enhances the experience of visiting your Web site. Animated GIFs are older than Internet itself and tend to date your site.
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MIDI Music
M.I.D.I. or Musical Instrument Digital Interface is a type of file that will play a song on your computer (similar to a cell phone ring). This is something that seemed like a great idea when it was invented, but now is something that dates your Web site and does anything but improve your site.
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More than 2 colors of text
In many ways, uniformity makes an attractive Web site. Just because you can use 100 different colors, sizes and styles, doesn't mean you should. Stick to only a couple colors (one for header text, another for body) and give your site a clean attractive look that flows from one page to the next.
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Pictures of kids without parents consent/with name, contact info etc.
Using graphics of people in your congregation is a great way to personalize your Web site. If you are going to use pictures of children, be sure to NEVER use their full name or include any other information about them. Example: "This is Katie Johnson, she goes to Central Elementary and her mother is generally late picking her up." Obviously that example is extreme, but always be mindful of who could be visiting your Web site. Also, it may be a good idea to get parental permission before using pictures of children. This ensures that you do not use anyone's picture without his or her consent.
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Chat rooms without moderators
Some sites out there schedule chat rooms to have interactive discussions. Although this can be a great ministry source, NEVER allow chats to go unsupervised. Chat rooms are sometimes the environment for predators to take advantage of the innocent and should always be monitored to prevent that from happening.
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