As I searched for word of faith websites to add to the links pages of this
website, I saw a pattern of site design that needs to be discussed so churches can better serve their guests that visit
their websites.
I found many sites to be no more than announce boards About pastor,
About the church, About this or that. Websites can and should be used as much more powerful witnessing and information
tools in cyberspace. The internet is about information.
A church's website is their sign in cyberspace
The website is the first connection to visitors that are making decisions
as to whether they want to visit the church. Active churches should have active websites. As a matter of fact
a church's website says a lot about the church. What the website says not just in words but in every area needs to reflect
the truth about the church.
A website needs to be inviting
If a church's website is not inviting causing people to return
to it again and again for useful information, then why should its visitors think any different about the actual church.
Word of faith websites need to be pleasant, inviting, and useful to its
visitors. Many websites are confusing because of the over use of photos, frames and flash. Visitors
are not going to wait for long downloads just so flash images can pop up on screen. Many will
click off and not return. If a website does require a visitor to wait for a download to flash on screen, it
better be worth viewing or they will most likely click off.
It can be a distraction when a guest is reading page content and a
banner is constantly scrolling across the top of the screen or a word is being spelled out one letter
at a time.
Page content is important
Simply telling the guest what is going on is not enough. There needs
to be useful page content such as, sermon notes from the pastor and regular articles from the pastor or ministers, not
just audio and video files. The more original articles that pertain to the purpose of your word of faith website the better.
The key word is original, not copied and pasted from another website.
If the home page, which is the websites first impression, looks confusing
the eye says, Where do I look first. The human eye needs a home base from which to search a scene where it can often
look back to for reference. It is called a focal point. If the eye cannot find a focal point to what is before it, it
sends a confusion signal to the brain and the brain sends a signal to the right hand to click off.
Welcome to our site is a waste of words
What is the first thing you want a visitors to see when they log on
to your website. "Welcome to our website!" or "Jesus is Lord!" What do you want them to remember?
You want them to see and remember the keywords that they typed into the search engine to find you. If you are a word
of faith church and they typed "word of faith" in the search engine then that is what you want them to first see.
You want them to know instantly that you are a "Word of Faith Church".
Your site can welcome them in without ever saying the word Welcome.
They know they are welcome or they would not be there. Would you visit your next door neighbor for a chat if you knew
you were not welcome?
Website design is so simple. Webmasters sometimes complicate it so
they can charge you the big bucks. People are more interested in the page content than they are in all of the cute bells
and whistles, which sometimes can hurt page rankings in search engines.
Keep the website design simple but make it rich
Don't make it look like Joseph's coat of many colors. Three
matching colors are ample and not confusing. Keep the font and font size uniform. Do things that are
pleasing to the eyes. Find an interior designer and ask them for advice in necessary. Your finished product is who
you are to your visitors. Just have a MUST SEE WEBSITE.
Links links and more links
Add plenty of out going links from your website to other word of faith
websites and develop a network of incoming links from other word of faith websites to your website. This is one of the
most important things that can be done to cause you to be found in cyberspace. It is important that the links be revelant
to the content on your pages.
Design page content around keywords
It is so important to design each page of your website around preselected
keywords. Do not just start writing page content. On purpose select keywords that you think search engine users
will key in the search box. Use those exact words or phrase in you page content. It needs to be written so
it flows naturally and does not sound artifical. If you are real crafty you can design a page with two sets of keywords
that flows naturally. The keywords need to be mentioned more than once or twice but not over used. Too many repeated
key words will hurt your page ranking.
