Does it matter if your church website is a “freebie” or you us a free tool like Wix or Weebly?
What if you get a package deal from one of those church websites you see advertised on the web?
Maybe the best thing to do is have a fully customized website built by a designer?
Or maybe—just maybe—it isn’t the amount of money you invest into your church website that makes the difference…
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We mentioned a few links on the podcast and I’ve included some others that I highly recommend taking a look at:
…and some links I highly recommend:
- Rethinking Your Church Website Strategy
- 4 Things Your Church Website Must Do
- Church Website Re-Design Inspiration [Images]
- Church Website Content — Foundry #1
- 3 Questions to Ask When Building a Church Website
- Who Owns Your Church Website? [Podcast]
- Church Website Design Tips from Shopify’s Design Winner
- 4 Church Website Options
- A n00b Guide to Building a New Church Website
- A Professional Church Website Made Easy
Aaannd this week’s ChurchMag Pro Tip at the beginning of the podcast was brought to you by the very cool, Chip Dizard.
Does your church need a new website?
Are you willing to invest in it?
Do you have a question, comment or an awesome idea for a future podcast? Email us: podcast[at]churchm.ag or use our fancy contact form.
This episode is sponsored Mogiv:
Pamela Lipscomb - Spiritual Gifts Today says
I have on many occasions looked for a church to visit, and I immediately click on their website, to determine if I want to visit that church. If the site is poorly made, I leave and keep on looking. Your church website is your calling card, which determines if someone wants to visit.
Putting up a free website is like wearing jeans and sneakers to a corporate job interview. One look at you and they know they don’t you’re not right for the job! A ministry is better off not putting up a website, until It can be done right.
Eric Dye says
Strong words, but there’s some truth to that. 🙂
KC says
Snider nailed it! The obsession with “free” in the Church at large is more evident of a consumer-driven culture than of a servant’s heart to give generously.
At the very least churches should happily pay market value for goods and services. Especially those that directly correlate to reaching people with the Gospel.
Eric Dye says
It’s true.
Sean Leacy (@GeekAthair) says
As a web developer I run in to a lot of churches that go the free route out of a lack of understanding about the importance of a website and personnel to manage it. It’s another expense they need to add to the already dwindling budget.. I’d rather see a church buy a good domain name and have it forward to their Facebook page then have a horrid design (and I’ve recommended that to several until they can afford to build a clean site). What that tells me is we understand where our skill-sets are and web design isn’t a part of them but understand that we NEED content available on the web.
Eric Dye says
True story!
Paul Alan Clifford (@PaulAlanClif) says
To me, firstchurchhackensack.webs.com or firstchurchhackensack.wordpress.com are huge problems. A “.com” is $10 a year. Even if you stick with free hosting, at least pay the $.03 a day to get a URL you can take with you wherever you go.
Free is fine, but I always worry about a church that doesn’t heed the words of the Apostle Paul, quoting Jesus, who both said “The worker is worth his wages.”
Paul
Sean Leacy (@GeekAthair) says
I’d also add that “first-second-Presbyterian-church-of-whoville-county.com” should never happen (no offense to the leadership of the First Second Presbyterian Church of Whoville County… it’s just an example).
Eric Dye says
LOL
Sean Leacy (@GeekAthair) says
I agree with this completely! My wife and I recently moved to a new area and one of the first things we did was start looking to local churches. Before we even stepped foot in the buildings we looked at all of their websites. Was I looking for a trendy modern theme? Sort of? I was more so looking for a clear way to get information about their core values, what a weekly activity schedule looked like and get a chance to listen to a sermon or to and see if it’s a good fit. Is there a children’s ministry? What are they learning about? When do the men meet? Do they have camp-outs? In the modern age these things should be available on your website well before they show up in the church bulletin.
Eric Dye says
This is it, Sean. Spot on.