Is Your Church Website Visitor-Focused?

Scott McClellan of Collide Magazine shared a recent frustrating experience with a well-known church's website. He visited their church website to find a specific piece of information. After sifting through the many banners, menus, links, and text, he found that the website didn't contain the information he was seeking. This prompted him to tweet ...

"Some church websites absolutely boggle my mind. The design, the layout, the information overload, the blatant disregard for the visitor ..."

Can your visitors say the same about your ministry website?

Your Ministry Website Visitors Want Information

During the construction and continued maintinence of websites, it is easy to forget that your visitors come to your website for one reason: information. The design, menus, ads, and fancy features are important, but only if they help your users find what they're looking for.

Does your website contain important information?

Here's a quick and easy test you can perform to make sure your website contains the information it should. Ask yourself the questions a person who has never heard of your ministry would want to know.

• Where is your ministry?
• When do you meet?
• Do you have a children's ministry?
• Where should I park?
• How can I volunteer?
• How can I join a small group?
• How do I register my child for summer camp?
  

Now try to answer these and other common questions on your website. Ask someone who has never seen your website to find these answers. Are there any questions that are only answered half-way? Or not at all?

Is it easy to find important information?

• How easy is it to find the answers to the above questions?
• Do you/they have to navigate through numerous menus, submenus, and pages?
• Are there any ads, banners, links, or highlights that act as shortcuts to this information?
• Are there too many ads, banners, or links so that it's more difficult to see this information?
  
• How do you/they feel when trying to find this information (confused, overwhelmed, frustrated, at-ease)?

Take this information and use it to improve your website.

Give your visitors what they want

Remember, your website is for your visitor. Give your visitor what they want: answers with as little work as possible. Here's three easy steps you can take to make your ministry website more visitor-focused.

• Create a detailed About Us page
• Use Google Analytics to see what your users are searching for
• Link to your important information from headers, ads, and highlights