Rockin’ Church Web Sites Don’t Miss the Obvious
ByWith so many details that go into designing and maintaining Rockin’ Web sites, it’s easy to leave out important details and information.
An example of how consuming the process can be is that when I was redesigning our church’s site, I realized into the process that I had forgotten to provide a “home” link for all the interior pages. In other words, the user didn’t have a handy way to get back to the home page without using the “back” button.
Putting those details aside for the moment, here is a list of items (information, actually) that are vitally important to the success of your site:
- Contact information – The church’s phone number WITH area code. We’ve had a lot of people relocate from out-of-state for job transfers. This is important. Don’t assume everyone knows it already!
- Physical address and mailing address – Old-schoolers still go to the yellow pages, I go to Web sites. So be sure that information is handy.
- Map – Link to MapQuest, Yahoo! Maps or my personal favorite Google’s Map. See our map.
- First-Time Guest Information – Answer all the questions that a first-time guest would have. Include information on childcare, service times and style. See how I do it.
Finally … list all this information on your HOME PAGE, or make it one click away aka easily accessible!
Churches and organizations miss a big opportunity to connect with potential guests and communities by burying this information within their site. This information is key for your target audience and the goals you have already set for your site.
See all the posts in the Building Rockin’ Church Web Sites series here.
Is it legal to use the google maps image without the google logo or name on it? Is it ok to place your own markings on the map that was originally created by someone else?
Chris, if you have a solid answer to your questions, go ahead and tell us.
Because Google provides the code to place maps on a site, I went ahead and did the modified map graphic like you must be referring to …
It seems like a grey area to me … we’re not selling it. And we have a link prominently to Google right below it. And of course, if Google wanted it down, it’d come down.
It’s amazing how many business’ and public organizations have websites with little or no contact information. I’ve come across several newspaper websites lately that in no way list the state they are in. They assume that their readers are local and know the paper. Good post.
Check for broken links.
See how I do it:
http://www.qsbc.org/about/guests/