Posted in Culture
Websites are one of the most effective tools for congregations to connect with the wider community – but some churches struggle to know how best to use their websites. The Uniting Church SA Communications team recently launched the new Congregational Website Program*, which provides an innovative, easy-to-use platform for churches to work from.
To help congregations make the most of their online presence, New Times has compiled 10 tips to keep in mind when writing for the web.
Use language that is short and concise. Don’t say in three sentences what you could say in one. Most web users scan content and are less likely to engage with a large chunk of text. Ask yourself, for example, does your audience really need the entire history of each of your ministries? Or do they just need to know how to engage with them?
As mentioned in relation to the first tip, web users typically only scan text, so it’s important to ensure the most important information is placed prominently. This information will differ from church to church – it may include your location/address, contact information, or one or two lines about who you are.
While church websites are often useful tools for current congregation members, they also provide the best way to connect with people outside of your church. As you write for the website, keep in mind the information you would want to know as a visitor or new attendee. You may also want to consider how people of different ages, cultures and backgrounds might engage with the information provided.
Many people now visit church websites before choosing to visit the physical buildings so it’s important to use inviting, inclusive language. By using others-centred language – for example, using the word “you” in your welcome or calls to action – you are inviting the web user to connect with your community. But don’t go overboard! Stick with using this kind of language in welcome lines, introductions, conclusions, etc. rather than in every line of your text.
Communities and organisations often develop their own language, using abbreviations, slang or acronyms to refer to certain ideas or groups. This sort of language can be difficult for people outside of your community to understand so make sure you simplify these things as much as possible.
Making sure the information on your website is correct and updated frequently is very important. Your contact information, as well as the times and days of your different services and ministries, should always be correct. If you are including a calendar, blog and/or sermon section this should also be kept regularly updated. Web users are less likely to engage with information when they can see nothing new has been added to the site – or if old items have not yet been removed.
When writing about your church and different ministry areas it is important to think about what makes your community/ministry unique. Why will people want to engage with it? And how can they do so?
What do you want visitors to your website to do? Come along to a service or activity? Contact someone from your community? Give to a particular ministry or cause? Providing a clear call to action can help you to achieve this – and helps web users to find the best way to engage. Provide clear directions through text and/or titles asking web users to take action – Get involved, Contact us, Find out more, Subscribe to our newsletter, etc.
When writing web text it can be tempting to make your church sound even bigger and better than it already is. While it’s good to keep your language positive, it’s also important to ensure the information you include accurately represents your community.
If you’re having trouble phrasing your information in engaging and welcoming ways, seek out other ideas and advice! Friends, family and members of other churches may have different experiences and perspectives that you can learn from or consider. Inspiration can also come from other websites – but be sure to adapt any ideas to your church’s own unique context!
*The Congregational Website Program is open to all Uniting Church SA congregations and costs $20 per month. For more information or to sign up to the program, please visit ucasa.org.au, email Turn on Javascript! or contact Communications on 8236 4230.
Subscribe to receive Culture articles by email >
The new 'normal’ that we have entered into can certainly bring changes to how we as a church undertake international mission. However, despite this challenge we encourage reflection on the importance of partnerships, solidarity for social justice issues and ecumenical sharing.
A couple of years ago I was participating in a course which had a smattering of people from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) background. I would have said that they were good participants in class discussions but not the most active ones, and I gave little thought to it.
.png)
A UnitingCare Emergency Relief Centre was needed in the Port Adelaide-Enfield area of Adelaide. And that's when Lefevre UC and volunteers from Port Adelaide UC stepped up.
Comments (3)