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www.awesomeinsight.com Tips & Guides
2011 Copyright Beyond Marketing Group, Inc. Awesome Insight (336)854-4196 3
Start Your Church Website in 5 Easy Steps
For Leaders & Communicators Who Want to Know How to Start Planning a Web Site
If your church is just beginning to plan a website, you have started atthe right place. This 5 Step Worksheet provides your ministry thesteps to get started.Step 1:
Establish a web team
Identify a group of people who can work together to build a team. Who should you consider inviting onthis team?
 
Web enthusiasts(People who surf the internet as a personal hobby or in their jobs may havesome knowledge of web design or blogs. These persons are familiar with websites, what peopledo on the web and how it works. Sometimes the best people for this role may be some of theyouth and young adults at the church.)
 
Writers(People who enjoy writing and can easily put together lots of information into smallbites of data. These people may already edit the bulletin, write for the newsletter or simplyenjoy communications. )
 
Creative people(People who enjoy creating visual graphics and have interest in how things lookon the web)
 
Church photographers(People who may own digital cameras and take pictures at events at thechurch)
 
Church Leader Who knows the Vision(Person(s) who are in line with the congregation
’s vision
to seek beyond the walls of the church and to utilize technology as one tool to reach out)
 
Administrative Person(Person who keeps the church calendar up-to-date and knows what ishappening in the life of congregation.)
Prior to the first meeting, ask your invited team members to visit at least 3 church websites of growingcongregations.
Step 2
Establish a vision and goal for the church website
At the first meeting, ask the team:
“
What do we want to accomplish with this website?
”
 Seek consensus on the following:
 
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2011 Copyright Beyond Marketing Group, Inc. Awesome Insight (336)854-4196 31.
 
What are our top 3 goals for this site?
This discussion point will help the team determine, whyare we creating a website? You may have only one goal:
“
To reach beyond the walls.
”
However,encourage the team to try to identify 3 goals. This will help you as you shape content, and thelook of the site. Sample goal statements from other churches:
 
To reach out and establish an online presence
 
To reach young adults and engage the youth of our community
 
To re-launch our ministry in the community with a communicator that opens thedigital door and keeps the community abreast of our activity
 
To maintain a web presence that builds awareness of our ministry and inspirespeople to build a stronger relationship with God
 
To demonstrate to the world what God is doing at ___Church2.
 
Who should be our primary target audience?
This step will require prayer and understanding of the vision God has for your congregation. (Note: Primary target is defined as you think aboutwhy you are really creating this website. Are you trying to reach young families? Are you in agrowing area and trying to reach new comers to the community? Is the target the young adultsin a college town?) You may have more than one primary target.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3.
 
Who is our secondary target for this site?
In other words, what group of persons do you alsowant to reach and satisfy needs but they are not the primary reason for the site? Afterdiscussion, your team may determine that members are the secondary target as your firstconcern may be reaching new disciples.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4.
 
What content makes sense for this site?
This question should be a brainstorming question. As away to think about the information that may be available to you, the team may want toreference the bulletin, newsletter, administrative office calendar, audio/video available, visionfor the ministry as it relates to technology and ministry communication.List the items that are available first__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Then go back and begin to prioritize
what may be good content based on first, team goals andthe primary target audience.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
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2011 Copyright Beyond Marketing Group, Inc. Awesome Insight (336)854-4196 3
Conclude with a list of content
planned based on what you would like to accomplish and whatyour primary and secondary targets will likely find most helpful. Consider the chart below:What Primary May Find Helpful What Secondary May Find Helpful Does this accomplish our goal?
Step 3:
Begin to visualize your website.
Before getting too involved with a web designer, it may be helpful to know how you see the site.
 
What will be on the home page? 
 
What are the navigation links? 
 
Where will video or audio be placed? 
 
What images or photographs do we want to include? 
Stop:
Now may be a good time to contact web designers to begin to have conversationon your web site planning. If you have not done so already, having an idea of what will be included andhow it would look will help you in evaluating the services of a designer.As you visualize
…
 Navigation Links-Determine items that can be linked together in one menu link (Example: Link- AboutUs may include these sub-links Worship Times, Church History, Pastor & Staff while Link-
“
I am New
”
 
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