If Jesus Had A Website

Well, it's time for the third entry in our free website critique series, this time we're looking at the site of Metropolitan Baptist Church (a.k.a. The Met) in Houston, Texas.

Again, I'll be taking the same approach as the previous entries, and I would encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Appearance

• What's done well?
  • Design – The Met has an extremely attractive design and layout that is easy to follow, and that gives it a very professional appearance.  It's definitely a lot slicker looking than I could hope to make on my own.
  • Coherence – The site also sticks to it's theme throughout the site, with little to no deviation.  All the images fit the styling of the site, but stand up on their own.  They manage to pull off the trick of being noticed, but not standing out.
• What needs work?
  • Ummm…
• Suggestions
  • Honestly, the site is amazing looking (and actually one of the reasons I chose to critique it).  They've taken the extra steps to make sure everything works together, and all uses of tools like Flash are well integrated and definitely add to the site.

Organization

• What's done well?
  • Divide & Conquer – Like Christ The King, the breakdown of main menu topics with sub-topics is clear and easy to follow.
  • Topic Volatility – Over a span of several visits, it's easy to see that The Met's main page gets updated frequently.  On their page, they have links to events that are around the corner, and future events that need to be addressed now (i.e. camp and VBS).  I'm sure keeping the information current both assists members and keeps them coming back to see what else is going on.
• What needs work?
  • Menu Consistency – I know, I already gave props to the menu in general, but the “Ministries” portion doesn't sit right with me.  While the rest of the menu items are links, this one isn't, and causes a big, black drop-down menu that doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the stylings of the site.
  • We Really Want You To Listen – While having links in the footer of each page to the church's contacts and calendar of events is probably both pertinent and useful, I think the other three links for sermon audio on each page is a little much.  These should probably stick to your Media Library page.
  • Did I Stay Or Did I Go? – Two things I noticed about the “Quick Links” sidebar that I noticed on most pages:  (1) Not all the links stay within the site, even though it looks like they should (mainly the Rehobeth links) and (2) the links in this section often take me to pages that do not contain the page I came from in their “Quick Links”.  For better overall site flow, I'd use the policy of “if I can get there through a link, I should be able to get back through a link”.
• Suggestions
  • Work on a few of the organizational inconsistencies you seem to have in the site.  In the end, they'll make for a better navigational flow to your site as a whole.

Utility

• What's done well?
  • There's Something Going On – No visitor can miss that there's a lot going on, and it definitely seems to be a focus of the church to promote these happenings.  It shows a liveliness and vibrancy for the church that I hope it fulfills in real life.
  • Event Details – Not only are there dates, times and locations for events, but there are also individual pages with descriptions and details on them.  That's a feature I really appreciate.
• What needs work?
  • Image Bloat – While the site is very visually appealing, it does suffer from some apparent image bloat.  Most of the header images in the site's sub-sections (like The Weekend page) loaded up very slowly for me, and I'm using a cable modem connection.  The image file sizes don't seem too awful, so I'm not sure if it's the images themselves or your web host, but something likely needs to be addressed.  I can only imagine the experience on a dial-up connection, which you still have to account for.
  • PDF Links – Yes, this is nitpicky, and I've mentioned it previously: If one of your links requires a special plug-in, like a PDF document, then it should be noted in or by the link.  To me “download the…insert” is not descriptive enough, as the link could be to an image, text document, or any other kind of file.
  • What About My Scroll Wheel? – Another picky thing, but the scrollbar on the News & Events section on the main page doesn't work with my mouse's scroll wheel.  While not a deal-killer, it's an inconvenience to someone like me who uses it frequently.  In addition, if you tab through the links in that section, the content moves while the scrollbar does not.
• Suggestions
  • Most importantly, take a look at the load times for the images on your site and how to improve them without sacrificing image quality.  This will improve the experience for all visitors.

Metropolitan Baptist Church has a fantastic website that is extremely appealing and functional.  It's a goal we should all strive for.  But it still has a few flaws floating around, which is a nice reminder to us all that our jobs are never done.  There's always work to be done when it comes to our church websites.

Today, If Jesus Had A Website, known for it's Christian propaganda, was purchased by the “Great Leader”, dictator Kim Jong-Il of North Korea.  Jong-Il said he plans to rename the site “If Kim Jong-Il Had A Webiste”, with the subheader “It Doesn't Matter, Because Now He Has One and You Will Bow To It's Awesome Power!”

Former owner, Greg Nilsen, of Pittsburgh, PA, was asked how the purchase came about despite the glaring conflict in interest.  “All I have to say is that you should never accept his challenge to a game of golf.  It looked like he could barely walk, but the man made 6 hole-in-ones!  I'm happy all I lost was the site,” he stated.

When reached for comment, Jong-Il said he plans to use the site to exhibit his talents as the best writer, blogger, reporter, photographer and web designer ever to grace the earth.

It may sound funny, but you probably want to spy on your church's website, especially if you're in charge of it.

“So, I should essentially spy on myself?”, you may be asking.

Not quite, but pretty close.  It's not really you or the content of your website that you want to spy on, but what your site is doing on the internet:

• Are people linking to your website?
• If they are, what are they linking to?
• And, what are they saying about it?
• Is your church being referenced in news or blogs, but not linking to your website?

For a church, this is all important information to have, but how can we go about acquiring it?

Google Alerts

Google Alerts allows you to have the latest new search results for a particular search term sent directly to your e-mail.  For this site, I monitor both “if jesus had a website” and “ifjesushadawebsite.net” as search terms so that I can be notified of new links to the site and any references to the site in any other manner.  For your church website, I'd recommend both the basic unit of your website URL (i.e. “abcd.com”) and the name of your church as search terms.  In addition, if your church goes by any distinctive nicknames, I'd create alerts for them as well.

Google Webmaster Tools

Google Webmaster Tools can not only help your church website's presence in search engines through the use of sitemaps, but over time it will also give you a multitude of stats and information to learn how your site is referenced.  This information includes search terms used that find your site, page access errors or problems, and the types of links on your site and where they go.

While you won't have to monitor these tools a closely as the alerts above, they're good for a periodic check of where you are with your site.

Bloglines Search

For those of you who use Bloglines as a RSS reader, you can also take advantage of the Bloglines Search feature.  It is similar to Google Alerts, but it focuses simply on the content of blogs, and seems to provide more up-to-date results.

A combination of these and other similar tools can really help you understand where your church website situates itself in the great expanse of the world wide web.  With that knowledge, you can determine if you're where you want to be, and if not, a course of action to get there.

Yes, this is a little belated, but a happy Easter to everyone out there.  I hope that you were able to take both time out to thank our Savior for all He did for us on the cross, and spend some time with family on this holiday, as I was able to today.

Sometimes there are just good reasons to stay away from the computer all day…

As a sports fan, one of the blogs I like to read is Uni Watch by Paul Lucas of ESPN.  If you're not familiar with the site, Paul describes it as “The Obsessive Study of Athletics Aesthetics”.  Basically what he and a few interns do is observe and comment on sports uniforms and accessories.  These will be anything from uniform redesigns and logo changes to name misspellings and equipment malfunctions.

The reason that I like it is that it collects the details and minuteness that some people overlook, but seems to stick out like a sore thumb to me.  In fact, part of me thinks that's why I started this site.  I had seen just too many church websites where my reaction was “yes, it's a website, but this, this, this and this could be changed to make it much better”.

What we can learn from many of these uniform examples are ways we can try to spot check our own church websites:

If You Make A Mistake, People Will Notice

Check all your spellings and other details.  Otherwise people my not take you seriously.

If Something's Out Of Place, It Will Distract Some People

It may not seem like much, and it may not bother you, but little things out of place will drive some people crazy.

People Will Notice If Something Is Missing

Just to be safe, I'll clarify that Miguel Tejada's normal number is 10.  If people are expecting to find something (i.e. service times), they'll notice if they can't find them easily.

If You Look Bad, People Will Let You Know

They may not say it to your face, but people will say something to someone if they find something repulsive.  Do what you can to avoid being the butt of some joke.

If Things Don't Work Right, People Will Notice (And May Complain)

Make sure your site is fully functional, since you don't want to get caught with your pants down!

For the second entry in our free website critique series, we're taking a look at Christ the King church in Kingwood, Texas.

Again, I'll be taking the same approach as last time, and I would encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Appearance

• What's done well?
  • Design – The background and the shadows incorporated into the design really make it pop.  Plus, it really fits the style of the logo, so there a coherency there.
  • Colors – The mix of colors do a great job of making the site appear very lively, but they all work together as well.  Good choices.
  • Eye-Catching Graphics – Many of the images on the site, like the ones on the Help & Healing page are nice and eye-catching.  However, I would check the spacing on the images to make sure text is given ample space.
• What needs work?
  • Pick A Font – Just on the main page, I count at least three different fonts, and that's not including graphics and images.  You really should select just one to help maintain a better consistency in your site.
  • Link Inconsistencies – Some links are underlined, while some aren't.  Some underlined links change colors and lose their underlines when hovered over, and some don't change at all.  While I'm not saying all links should look exactly the same, they should behave in a consistent way so they are easy to identify.
  • Trees? – I guess I don't understand the use of the tree images in the top area of the site.  It really left me scratching my head.  I'd think that images of the congregation or from around the church might be more effective.
  • Flashing – While using Flash and other similar technologies can do great things for a site, I've also been know to advocate that they be used properly.  In this case, I don't think the use of Flash really does anything to enhance the site.  On the main page, with two different sections changing at different rates, I'd say it's more of a distraction.
• Suggestions
  • I'd lose the Flash and reexamine ways to display that content.
  • Find some new images that convey more about the church to use in the top section of the page.
  • Make sure your design template is consistent, and stick to it.

Organization

• What's done well?
  • Menu Structure – I like the breakdown of main topics with sub-topics.  It's clear and easy to follow.
  • Well Organized Pages – Each page is nicely broken down into sub-sections that allow a visitor to quickly scan for the information they need.
  • Upcoming Events – Even though they're in the Flash area, having this information right up front is very logical and useful.
• What needs work?
  • Duplicated Content – How many different places do you need to have the map to your church?
• Suggestions
  • Honestly, there isn't much.  I'd just take a look at the duplicated content and figure out the best place for it.

Utility

• What's done well?
  • Service Times Up Front – Something I always like to see!
  • Sermon Podcasts Available – Having not only the most recent sermon podcast available, but the last ten, is a nice feature for visitors to “try out” a pastor's preaching style or for members to miss a sermon and catch up (especially in the case of a sermon series).
  • A Plethora Of Information – Honestly, there is just a lot a lot of information to wade through in a critique, but for a new visitor that can be a good thing.  It means that if someone's looking for some information, they're likely to find it.  Especially when it's presented in such an organized manner.
• What needs work?
  • Meaningful URLs – Unfortunately, the URLs aren't indicative of what content is at that page, which is bad for search engines.  In addition, if I send a link to a certain page to a friend, they may avoid it in this day and age of phishing because they don't know where the link is taking them.
• Suggestions
  • I know that it's likely a big hassle, but it would do a world of good to clean up the site's URLs.  Not only will the links be more indicative of the content, but they'll also look more professional.

Additionally, I'll add a bonus point for the use of ColdFusion, being a ColdFusion Developer myself.

In the end, Christ the King church has got a very strong base established.  They've done a lot right, but haven't addressed all of the details.  While it may take some time to address these, it will be worth your effort.  They may not seem like much, but they will help your site with the search engines, and they will help give your site more credibility and a more professional appearance.

Well, after a long search, my wife and I have settled on a new home church.  We will now be attending Beverly Heights Church.  We were really drawn by the passionate and insightful preaching of Senior Pastor Rick Wolling and Assistant Pastor Nate Devlin.

I have yet to get involved in any of the ministries, but eventually I'd like to help get involved with their website…not that it needs much help.

For our free critique series, the first church website I have chose is First Baptist Church Hendersonville, a large church in Hendersonville, Tennessee. 

I'm going to break down this critique into different sections, and in each section, highlight what's being done well, what weaknesses there are, and offer some suggestions for improvement.  I'll then wrap things up with an overall impression of the effectiveness of the site.

After hearing my take, I encourage you to then add your feedback in the comments below.  After all, we can all help one another.

So, let's begin…and I'll be referring to the site as FBCH from hereon, just so I don't have to continually type the whole name out.

Appearance

• What's done well?
• Clean Layout – Not too busy, and focuses on the content of the site.
• Readable – Text is placed on contrasting backgrounds for easy readability.
• I See People – The images of members of the congregation help to show the personality of the church.
• What needs work?
  • Header Text/Image – The name of the church doesn't stand out in the header, and I don't find the animated text all that effective.
  • Inconsistent Layout – The Contact Information page doesn't have a side column, but The Connection Place page does.  This trend continues throughout the site.  While I understand that the latter page has more sub-sections, it would be nice to see some more consistent layout across the site.
• Suggestions
  • Get a new header image with the church name that is more readable and isn't so busy.
  • Work to make the page layouts more consistent across the site.

Organization

• What's done well?
  • Great Navigation Bar – The navigation bar ties the site together well.  It doesn't take over the site, but it's extremely functional.
  • Announcements & Upcoming Events – It's nice to have a section of the main page dedicated to upcoming church activities.  Visitors can then see what's coming up quickly and easily.
• What needs work?
  • Contacts vs. Service Times – On the other side of the main page, I think it would be more effective to put a listing of the weekly service times.
  • Labeling Documents – Some of the links on the site link to PDF files, but they have no indication that they aren't web pages.  These documents should be clearly labeled, so at least people need to have an external application (like Adobe Reader) installed.
  • Duplicate Navigation? – On many pages, the use of the navigation bar along with the sub-menu that sits right below it seems like a bit much.
• Suggestions
  • Put the service times on the main page (yes, this is a point of emphasis for me).
  • Make sure links that don't go to other web pages are clearly labeled.
  • Pare down navigation menus to a minimum.  There's no need for redundant links, especially when they're right next to each other.  (I'd combine this with the standardizing of the site layout.

Utility

• What's done well?
  • Something For Everyone – The site does a nice job at trying to provide information both for regular members (most of the When & Where pages) and for visitors (most of the About Us pages).
  • Interim Pastor's Blog – Having a place where the pastor can regularly share about his views and expound upon sermons is a great way for the pastor to be able to connect with visitors and even members.  Normally, I'd like to see this incorporated into the main layout of the site, but seeing as FBCH is using an interim pastor for the time being, it's probably appropriate for them to let him use his own blog site.
  • Resources – FBCH's Resources section is a great tool for both members and visitors.  Members can get the learning materials they need and even catch up on services they missed.  Meanwhile, visitors can preview the church by listening to recent sermons.
  • Staff Portal – Not that I can login or anything, but it's a nice feature to allow staff members to get into confidential (or at least protected files) anywhere that is convenient for them.  Especially if many of your staff members don't actually work in the church, this can be a big plus.
• What needs work?
  • What's In A Name? – Some of the names of menu items and pages wouldn't be clear to a first time visitor.  For example, the Homereach link and page didn't clearly tell me what Homereach was.  I'm assuming that they are a form of small group bible studies.
• Suggestions
  • Examine the names of links and “churchspeak” used on the site to make sure that all terms are clear to a first time visitor.

Overall, FBCH has a very nice site that covers many of the needed bases.  It's not flashy, but it does the job well.  There's a few details that could be cleaned up to improve the site.

In general, keep up the good work, and strive to take your site to the next level.

Well, I had originally planned to have the first of the upcoming website critiques done by this evening, but instead of rushing through them, I decided I wanted to take my time and be thorough with them.  Therefore, the earliest you'll probably see the first of them is later this week, or early next week.  Then, probably every week or two thereafter.

Sorry about the delays.  I just wanted to make sure I gave them the proper time for a full and thorough critique.

I'm leaving submissions open until Wednesday, and then I'll be picking out the five which I'll be reviewing in the coming weeks.  Just leave your comment/entry here.