What is the first impression that visitors get when they go to your Church website? Are they finding a fountain of useful information, or more internet clutter? You want to avoid the clutter, since it will quickly turn them away. Here are some items to watch out for:

Hit Counters – back in the early days, these were impressive; not now
Autoplaying music – the organ is great, but let users choose to hear it
Dollar signs – let users choose to explore giving; there is more to ministry than that

Be sure to get some strangers to look at your site. They will be able to give you first impressions. And listen to them when they identify pages that are confusing or overloaded.

Want to know how you can improve your Church’s web site? Obviously, you can start surveying members and visitors alike to identify ways to improve. And you should always be listening to what people in the congregation are saying about the site. Do they find it helpful in finding a particular event? Can they identify the staff person responsible for that event? And do they get lost in the menus? These are all good questions to address, but what if you want to look harder? There is a web site the supports a formal review process. You run the review page and it generates a report that helps you focus on areas that need improvement. The link is:

www.internetevangelismday.com/church-site-design.php

And while you’re there, check out the web evangelism event, held the last Sunday in April of every year. It is a time to focus on evangelism through your Church’s web presence.