There are few things more satisfying than finishing a big project, right? It requires a lot of momentum though. Sometimes the hardest part of a project is the beginning. Starting a project can be overwhelming and paralyzing. The key to gaining traction is starting with small steps. For example, knowing the “first steps” of the church website design process may be intimidating at the start but if you start with the fundamentals, you can conquer project paralysis and take productive steps forward.
Five More Talents identifies defining the website's purpose as a crucial first step in building a church website, ensuring it aligns with the church's vision and specific goals like outreach or administration. Another fundamental step is focusing on a specific audience, which helps the church website effectively connect with both potential visitors and existing members, guiding content creation and SEO practices. Finally, building a dedicated team is essential for a successful church website project, typically including a pastor or elder for vision, an administrator for logistics, and potentially a graphic designer or photographer for visual content.
So what should those first steps be on a church website project? Whether you’re redesigning your website or building a new one from scratch, here are three fundamental first steps of your church website process to get you off to the right start.
How do you define your church website's purpose?
Your church has a purpose and a vision. Why shouldn’t your church website have one? You’ll want to know exactly what you expect your website will accomplish. What will you use it for? Outreach? Church administration?
Consider asking these questions:
“What will we have with our website that we didn’t have before without our website?”
“What will we be missing if we don’t get this website published?”
Setting a vision for what you want your website to accomplish is a very important first step in the setup process. It will also determine what elements you include (sermon library, events calendar, welcome video). It will also help you determine if you are on track, and where you need to adjust to stay on track.
Why is it important to focus on a specific audience for your church website?
Your church website will undoubtedly serve a wide variety of people. It should serve potential visitors looking for information and it should also serve church members looking for administrative resources. While your church website should be flexible to serve these various segments, it’s also important to drill down and focus on a specific audience. You’ll want to ask yourself:
“How will our website connect us with newcomers?”
“How will our website serve our church members?”
“When we ‘fire’ out blog posts, social media posts, and email newsletters, who are we ‘aiming’ for?”
Knowing your audience will help your church website develop good SEO practices. If setting a vision is understanding the why, focusing on an audience is understanding the who. Who do you want to reach with your church website?
What role does building a team play in the church website process?
A church website requires a team of people to keep it updated and on track with its purpose. One of the fundamental first steps in your church website project is deciding who will be working on it. What skills do you need? Who will provide the vision? Where will the storytelling/marketing perspective come from? Who will provide the operations/logistics perspective?
Most church website project teams include a pastor or elder. This person will provide the vision and help lead the project from a theological perspective. They will also probably be involved in the church website welcome video and greetings to potential visitors.
Another valuable person to include on your team would be a church administrator. This person has a grip on what events the church is hosting, what signup needs the church has, and what updates need to be made to the sermon library and event calendar. The administrative person will probably be the one most active in the website setup and maintenance process.
Finally, you might want to consider adding a graphic designer or photographer to your team. This person can be responsible for the visual aspects of your website. They can be tasked with taking and editing photos, managing your homepage slides, creating a fresh logo, and putting together the welcome video.
These are just ideas to get you started. Your church website project will be unique and your team will be unique too. It’s a good practice to have someone responsible for setting and directing the vision, someone responsible for the nuts and bolts, and someone responsible for the storytelling/visual aspects.
How can Five More Talents help with setting up your church website?
These are just the basic first steps. The website setup process can still be intimidating even after getting these fundamentals figured out. Fortunately, Five More Talents can help you simplify the process with our Ready-to-Go church website packages. We’ll simplify the process by working with you each step of the way and letting you direct the content of your church website without the frustration of wrestling with web code.
Frequently Asked Questions
- 1 How do we define the purpose of our church website?
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Defining your church website's purpose involves understanding exactly what you expect it to accomplish. Consider what the website will provide that you currently lack, and what you would miss if it weren't published. This vision will help determine what elements, such as a sermon library or events calendar, to include.
- 2 Why is it important to focus on a specific audience for our church website?
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While your church website will serve a wide variety of people, focusing on a specific audience helps tailor content and develop good SEO practices. It involves asking who you are 'aiming' for with your blog posts, social media, and newsletters. Understanding your target audience helps connect with newcomers and serve existing members effectively.
- 3 What role does building a team play in the church website process?
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Building a dedicated team is a fundamental first step because a church website requires ongoing maintenance and updates. A team ensures the website stays on track with its defined purpose and remains current. This collaborative effort helps keep the project moving forward effectively.
- 4 How can we overcome the initial overwhelm when starting a church website project?
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The key to gaining traction and conquering project paralysis is starting with small, fundamental steps. The article suggests defining your website's purpose, focusing on its audience, and building a team as the three fundamental first steps. These actions help you take productive steps forward and get off to the right start.
