I’ve been perusing the websites that make up the online footprint of our diocese. I’ve clicked my way from Albion Park on the South Coast, to York Street in the CBD. I feel like I’ve visited most of our churches as I’ve explored our websites. 

Our worst mistakes

There were a number of common web mistakes – roadblocks if you like. Is your church website guilty of the following?

1 Info that’s past its use-by date
Where the internet is concerned, content is king and the more relevant it is, the better. However I’ve clicked on links to “Download this week’s news” – and the news was dated February 8, 2009. Some sites haven’t been updated since Easter; others haven’t been updated in a year. There is no more important task on your website than ensuring you have up-to-date, accurate content.

2 Dead links
On one site most of the links I clicked displayed “404 – Page not found”. On another there was a link to “All about you”. Curious, I clicked and was redirected to the website of another church! Do an inventory of your links - dead ends and error messages won’t encourage visitors on or off line.

3 Content overkill
Some websites love content too much. I can understand why: your church has a lot going on and you want people to be aware. But for the visitor it’s just overwhelming. Avoid a busy homepage with a clear and logical navigation menu.

4 Dodgy videos
Churches are experimenting with video welcome messages. Often these videos are great, with well-scripted content. However, too many are poorly filmed or badly edited, detracting from the main idea. Clear sound, good lighting, uncluttered backgrounds and a simple message can make all the difference.

5 Cringe-worthy clip-art
Let me state the obvious: ugly images are hard to look at, and therefore don’t encourage visitors to stick around. Yet some sites persist in using images from clip-art galleries that detract, rather than enhance the experience for the visitor.

6 “More info to come”
One classic mistake is messages like ‘More info to come’ or ‘Under construction’. These appear on quite a few of our websites. These promises can often persist for years! If you don’t have the content yet don’t put the link up.

7. Painful colours
A good colour scheme is both essential for a good user experience, and necessary for meeting accessibility requirements. Ask how colour-blind visitors, or the vision-impaired would deal with your site.

Our best websites

There will always be room to improve, but Sydney Anglicans also have lots of good content and great online features. Here are seven examples to get you thinking:

1 Simple and uncomplicated

If you don’t have a lot to say, don’t over-complicate things. St Philip’s York Street has a simple site, light on content, but what it says, it says well, and the contact details and service times are easy to see.

2 Clear service times
And those are some of the most important pieces of information. Your service times should be displayed loud and proud. Bobbin Head Anglican, Wentworthville Anglican and Helensburgh Anglican make it very easy to find out when and where to go.

3 Friendly faces
Church is about people. St Mark’s, Avalon has a great staff page with well-taken photos and friendly, easy-to-read biographies. Meadowbank International Church has utilised images of people on the homepage to create a welcoming feel. 

4 Thinking like an outsider
Some churches have worked hard to make their websites attractive to newcomers. Greystanes-Merrylands West Anglican Church has a clear welcome message to visitors; Valley Heights Community Church has a section called ‘Sundays’ with FAQs like “How long does it go for?”, “What about my children?” and “What should I wear?”. Remember, church is not a familiar place for most Australian web users.

5 More about Christianity
People may not come into our churches but that shouldn’t stop us from sharing the good news with them. Kiama Anglican Churches has a link on the homepage to ‘What is a Christian?’; St James’, Minto has a page of apologetic videos featuring Lee Strobel; and Summer Hill Anglican provides a link to “Christianity” with details of its Christianity Explored course.

6 Social media
West Ryde Anglican Church is experimenting with social media (Facebook, MySpace, and more) as a way of communicating with its members. St Faith’s, Narrabeen has similar tools as well as a novel “Ask a Minister” section. A number of churches like St Matthew’s Ashbury maintain blogs.