Do you have direction and a call to action on your website?
How your church website fits into the bigger picture
A website can be a great communication tool and in a digital age where the world is connected together by the internet, it can often be an accessible way for someone to find the message of Christ. It can also be a great tool for those who are new to the area to get to know more about your church and what you’re about.
Church websites can be powerful in many different ways, however, whilst your website may have all of the relevant details and information for both visitors, members and for those who do not know Christ, unless you have clear call to actions, it is all just information.
I am on your website, now what?
Think about all of the various public spaces you may have been recently, chances are that if you were new to the area then you will have looked for signage to point you in the right direction to something you that were looking for, whilst you may know that what you are looking for exists, unless a sign tells you where to go, you will still be none the wiser.
This is true with a website too. If someone visits your website and reads up on what it means to be a Christian for example, and they as a result, would like to attend your church, then unless you have given them clear instructions on where and when the church meets within the same page, they may just leave your website without ever having gone any further. It is commonplace to think about call to actions within a church service setting, if you have a special service for Easter or Christmas, chances are you will also have time during the service for the congregation to reflect, or you may have a call to prayer.
As you create your website, think about what information is relevant on each specific page. For a page that is dedicated to explaining Christianity to someone, then provide clear directions as to how they can visit the church or what to do for more information. A page that explains the various events happening at the church may also give clear directives as to who to contact about an event.
I have the relevant pages on my website though, I don’t want to repeat the same message
Do not be tempted to make the assumption that if someone is visiting your website then they will look at every page on the website to find the relevant information; on average a user will spend only a few seconds on a website before leaving, unless they can find the relevant information easily then they are unlikely to stay for long.
Call to actions are not just techniques that sales teams use to sell a product, they are vital in everyday life to help navigate people to the right information that they are seeking. They help the user of a website to take the next actionable step into the right direction.
If you would like any suggestions on what kind of actionable steps you can include on your webpages then contact our team, we provide full help and support for all Church Edit websites.
Give us a call on 0121 651 1120 or email us hello@churchedit.co.uk