Common Design Mistakes

The most frequently made mistakes in the design of church websites are given here. Don't repeat them on your site... please!

1. Starting with the church building

Many church websites begin the homepage with a history of the church building. This approach shows the webmaster has forgotten that the Church is the people, not the building. So don't begin the website with "St Hilda's was built from red brick in 1908".

In fact, unless your church building is a significant attraction to visitors, there is probably little reason to have any historical information about it on the website at all. If there is something that you want to include, move it into a "Church Building" section.

2. Incomprehensible statement of belief

If your denomination or network has a 'Statement of Faith' or 'Doctrinal Basis' then it is tempting to include it on your website. But these documents are rarely written with non-churchgoers in mind, and are unlikely to help your users find out what the church believes.

A better way is to create a "What we believe" page which contains a simple explanation of what it means to be a Christian. Then, if you still want to include a more formal statement of belief, simply provide a link to the relevant page on your denomination's website.

3. Out of date content

It is a good idea to include news of forthcoming events and service details. But it isn't sensible to keep displaying this on the website after the date has past. Keep your website up-to-date.

4. Special effects

Some 'cool' features of websites, such as scrolling text or innovative menu systems, are just irritating. It has been shown that most users ignore all these special effects, and will leave your site if they can't find what they want quickly. So keep it clear and simple or else leave it out.

5. Long download times

Websites filled with graphics may look appealing when you view them on your own computer, but when users access them they can take ages to download. Unfortunately, most people won't hang around on a slow website.

So if you want people to find out more about your church then make sure that the website runs quickly. The best way to do this is to avoid too many graphics. Photos are fine, and they help to show who you are, but if you have lots then place them on a special "pictures" page so that people can choose whether or not to view them.

This article came from hosea.co.uk (closed January 2004)

If you would like professional help with designing/hosting etc your web site then please feel free to contact me at chris@browncow.co.uk