Whether we like it or not, we live in a digital world and basic communication is increasingly moving online. This leaves the parish and many other organizations with the need to build a website that communicates what was traditionally conveyed in print form (the parish bulletin). However, is it enough to simply have a parish website? If you build it, will they come?
[featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]
Unfortunately, no, they may not come and you may spend thousands of dollars building a beautiful website that has no visitors and serves neither those in the pews nor the lost sheep. The good news is that there are 3 essential qualities of a parish website that if implemented, will have a lasting impact on your flock.
Before I dive into the 3 essential qualities, I want to briefly recap where we have been and where we are going. I wrote in my previous article how effective online communication can have eternal consequences and can impact those on the fringes of the Church. It is a great evangelization tool that should be a part of a much wider plan to bring back those who have ceased the practice of the Faith.
At the same time, a parish’s online communication can also have a profound impact on those already in the flock and can deepen their faith and help them become more active members of the parish.
I write all of this from 10 years of experience helping parishes, organizations and even Dioceses improve their digital platforms. I have seen first-hand what works and what does not work.
The first and most essential part of a parish’s digital presence is the website. It is the online “portal” or “front-door” of a parish and many people will make their decision to visit a parish based on their website.
So what make a parish website successful? Here are 3 essential attributes:
1. Simple
A major downfall of many parish websites is that they try to put everything on the website and do so in a jumbled, incoherent manner. A parishioner visits the website and spends 10 minutes trying to find the link to the parish bulletin. I have heard of the frustration of many people who visit a parish or Diocesesan website and can’t find what they are looking for and never go back again. You don’t need to post every single detail on the home page, nor do you need to post every aspect of your parish. If you do need to put a wealth of information on the website, it must be done in a simple and coherent way that is natural. It should be geared at those in the parish who are not tech-savy and who have trouble moving a mouse around. An example of this is my own parish website, which I designed and intentionally made simple. Another great example of simplicity is the website of Word on Fire, which has a basic home page that gets you where you need to go. Their designers worked under the direction of Bishop Barron, who wanted above all things for his website to be simple.
2. Attractive
Along with a simple website, it must also be attractive. This attribute of the website is what brings in young people as well as those who are not regular parishioners. If they visit the website and it was clearly made in Microsoft Word, they most likely will not return. It does not take much to make a website beautiful. If you follow the previous rule of simplicity you can order your website in such a way that it maximizes beauty, while not being overly complicated.
3. Updated
This is probably one of the hardest qualities to acquire at the parish level. Most parish websites were started by a volunteer five years ago, who has since moved on or does not have the time to maintain it. As a result, it still has the previous pastor’s homilies on it and an invitation to the next parish picnic, which was three years ago. This greatly impacts the number of parishioners and outsiders who visit your website. If it is not updated regularly (at least weekly), they can’t trust the website and won’t use it as a source of communication. However, if it is updated on a regular basis AND with great content (i.e., not just a reposting of the bulletin), parishioners and others will flock to it and will keep on returning.
Real Results
Again, I do not write this as a theory that has not been tested, I have seen the results first hand. Here are two graphs that show two different websites where I have implemented these three basic qualities:
As you can see, these two example show how website traffic increases with this strategy. And just like any website, there will be fluctuations over time but overall the trend will increase.
But many parishes will say that they have older parishioners who do not use the Internet. However, you will be surprised at the level of interest. I have been involved with many different parishes, many of them rural parishes that are dying out, and the level of interest in an updated parish website is surprisingly high.
From my experience, two of the greatest obstacles to implementing this strategy is inexperience of parish staff and lack of time. However, what I have seen is that given the right tools and resources ANY parish can do this and do it effectively without costing the parish a lot of money or taking-up too much time.
Before I get into the nitty-gritty details of the tools and resources a parish can use to make it happen, I will explore how you can double or triple your impact by using a parish website in tandem with social media, e-mail and parish mobile apps. Look for that post on Friday.
Read the Entire Series