The document provides guidance on building an effective church website. It emphasizes that websites are now essential for churches to engage both current and potential parishioners, especially younger generations who are more comfortable interacting online. It recommends choosing a simple content management system, assigning someone to manage the site, and keeping content fresh. The document also stresses the importance of design, navigation, and using the website to drive online engagement through features like blogs, social media feeds, emails, and event signups. It suggests using analytics to measure engagement and provides tips on what content to include and pitfalls to avoid.

1. Building a Great Church Website
Joe Luedtke
Vice President, Liturgical Publications
jluedtke@4lpi.com
@cathtechtalk

2. Website Axiom
• In Real Estate its “location, location, location”
• On the Internet, we had one axiom, but may be
developing a second:
Its all about the Conversation!

3. Why You Need a Good Website
• The next generation of parishioners are growing
up online. Simple. End of discussion.
• Internet searches are far more common than
Yellow Page searches.
• Your website is your online marketing tool.
• If you don’t do it, others will try: masstimes.org,
parishesonline.com, seekandfind.com,
thecatholicdirectory.com

4. Creating a Good Website
• Pick a Content Management System (CMS)
that’s simple to use.
• Put someone in charge of it. You have a bulletin
editor. Where’s your website editor?
• Keep the content fresh.
– Here’s a challenge for you! Don’t update your bulletin unless
you update your website.
• Start small. Just a few pages and then grow
from there.

5. How to Create a Good Website
• Absolutely no…
• Under construction and outdated content is up to you, but
tools like Google’s Webmaster toolset can help with 404
errors

6. Why You Need a Great Website
• The Internet is moving from a Marketing and
Informational Tool to an Engagement Tool.
• Not only is the next generation of parishioners
growing up online, they’re more comfortable
engaging there too!
• Your website is your online marketing tool but
can also be a parishioner engagement tool. Our
goal is to drive engagement online and into
Mass.

7. Creating a Great Website
• Start with…
– Your Parish Mission and Vision. These will guide you along the
way.
– A Theme. Does your church already have a logo, taglines, color
standards, or standard fonts that should be used?
– A guide for voice and tone. Consistency helps.
• Hire a professional or a volunteer, but make sure
they’re up to the task.
– Unfortunately, well intentioned volunteers are the number one
cause of outdated and abandoned church websites.
• Design first, then Build, and then Test. They’re all
equally important.
• Don’t forget to launch. Have a goal and stick to it.
– It’s the web. You can keep changing and growing it.

8. The Website’s Foundation
• Domain Name
– Keep them short and memorable if possible
– Consider .org, .com, or .net. If you can, get them all
– Common Domain Registrars: www.networksolutions.com,
www.godaddy.com.
– You need to own the domain
• Content Management System
– WordPress is the easiest and most common do it yourself CMS
– Joomla! And Drupal are affordable Open Source platforms
– LPi’s website product, WeConnect, http://www.4lpi.com/web-
sites-social-networks/weconnect
– Many customizable, template driven options exist for churches.
Go to www.catholictechtalk.com and look under resources.

9. Design
• If you hire a professional, focus on the design.
– Style Guide
– Wireframes
– Comps
• If you buy a template-based system, focus on your
sitemap.
– A sitemap is your site’s table of contents.
– Options:
• http://www.4lpi.com/web-sites-social-networks/weconnect
• http://catholictechtalk.com/website-builders

10. Design Tips
• Understand your audience or audiences
– Is the site for parishioners or the public?
– Design your home page for the general public
• Less is more
• Don’t go for the flash and splash. You’re here to serve
not entering a beauty contest
• Do, however, use photos and videos
– But use them with purpose
– Make them engaging and inviting

11. Content Navigation
• People read print left to right, however, people read a
website in a capital “C”: top, left, center
• Primary navigation can be top or the left. Experiment
with both
• Navigation within the footers are now a best practice

12. Content Tips
• Remember what makes a good website. You need to able
to manage your content
• If you’re website doesn’t change, why would anyone come
back?
• Less is more
• No small print. You’re designing this site for all ages and
all abilities
• Are you a bilingual church? Then your websites needs to
be too!
• Don’t let your visitor get lost, open external links in a
separate window

13. Content and Searching
• Searching – Church’s are at a disadvantage with Google
• Understand your keywords and then use them in your
content.
– “St. Bernard” returns in Google 23,000,000 results
– “St. Bernard Wauwatosa” returns 19,000, but the church is in the #1
position
– With “Catholic Church Wauwatosa” St. Bernard falls to #2. Why?
• “St Joseph Parish is a welcoming Catholic…”
• “The mission of St. Bernard Parish is to provide the people of
God…”
• Both sites call themselves a “parish” but people search for a
“church”. St Bernard forgot to use the word “Catholic”
prominently on their home page
• If you plan on having lots of content, your site needs its own
search function

14. Things on a Church’s Home Page
http://catholictechtalk.com/2011/11/08/-page-things-on-a-churchs-home

15. Generic Site Map
• Home Page – Service Opportunities
– Welcome (About Us) – Giving Opportunities
• Mission – Your Faith
– Who we are • Religious Education
• Clergy • Adult Faith Formation
• Staff listing • Readings
• Contact • Homilies / Reflections
• Directions / Map – News
• Mass Times • Bulletin
– Sacraments • Newsletter
– Ministries • Blogs
– Calendar of Events – School

16. Driving Engagement
• Fresh, regularly updated content. It needs to start here
• Blogs. Your priest often puts a letter in the bulletin why
not online too?
– And yes, allow for commenting
• Facebook and Twitter feeds. Yes, but commit to them.
They must be treated as extensions of your website
• Email newsletters, the simplest most effective way to
start online engagement
• Forms
• Event signups and online donations

17. Analytics
• “You can’t manage, what you can’t measure”.
• Google Analytics is wonderful and free tool. Leverage it.
Its also fun!
• What to measure:
– Visits
– Unique Visitors
– Pages/Visit
– “Contact Us” requests.
– eGiving Signups
– Form downloads
• More on SEO, http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-
to-seo

18. What Not To Do
• Attempt more than you can handle. Start with plan or
start small.
• Blogging, Facebook, Twitter? Yes, but only if you’re
committed.
• Skip the building. We’re not
architectural buffs.
• Pictures of people? Yes, absolutely,
but only with their permission.
• Flash? Use it sparingly. Remember
it doesn’t work on some mobile
devices!
• No Popups and no special effects

19. What Not To Do
• Music. Please don’t have any
autoplay. Make them come to
mass to hear the hymns.
• Hit counters. Its no longer a
common practice and initially
can send the wrong message.
• Busy backgrounds

20. Rate Your Website

21. Rate Your Website

22. Your Score Rate Your Website
0 – 100 Points: Yikes… it’s probably time to create a “Web Committee” at
your church. Get together and discuss solutions that can make your
church website fully functional and beneficial to your overall mission.
101 – 150 Points: You’ve got the basic framework for a working website,
but there’s always room for improvement! Decide what’s working, what’s
not, and assign tasks for web team members to carry out. Need some
help? Advertise in the bulletin that you’re looking for volunteers to help get
your website up-to-date.
151 – 250 Points: Nice job! You’ve got a great website, but don’t forget to
keep updating your content! Your site should keep your members up-to-
date, as well as inform potential members or visitors about your faith
community.

23. Rate Your Website
• So how did your website rate?
• Anyone want to share their score?

24. Thank You
Joe Luedtke
Vice President, Liturgical Publications
jluedtke@4lpi.com
@cathtechtalk