5 Things Parish Websites Can Learn From Web Stores
Photo by Gary Simmons
How can your parish website reach out to people beyond your current community? Here is what we can learn from popular web stores.
The majority of parishes today has a website (or a blog). However, in most cases, this website is mostly aimed at parishioners. It is often similar to the traditional printed parish bulletin people find in the back of the Church.
How to approach the new marketplace?
But how about new people? What about visitors that aren’t Catholic and don’t belong to your parish? Does your parish website have any relevance to them? And should it?
Why not? Jesus said to make disciples of all nations, to baptize them, to teach them. Saint Paul went to the marketplace in Greece to debate with the people there. The internet is the new marketplace where people shop, socialize and discover. It is our mission to be there!
Internet stores know that each virtual visitor could be a future customer. Everything on their websites is aimed at consolidating the relationship with the visitor. Parishes should approach their web presence in the same way. After all, we are in the business of eternal goods, and we can even offer them for free!
1. Make new visitors feel at home
One of the big internet stores greets its visitors with “Hello. Sign in to get personalized recommendations. New customer? Start here.” In one phrase, the visitor is welcomed, invited to engage by signing in, and introduced to the store in case it’s a new visitor.
What if our parish website would have a similar greeting on top of the page? “Welcome! Sign up to receive our newsletter. First time visitor? Start here.” A parish website should try to establish a relationship with the visitor before they move away from the page.
2. Highlight what is valuable
A web store shows visitors a sample of the most popular goods they sell. Your parish website should at least have part of the front page dedicated to the most popular things you have to offer.
Imagine a row of three or four pictures at the top of your site, linking to attractive aspects of your parish community. Do you have beautiful liturgy? Show a picture that links to a page where people can see a YouTube video with some highlights. Is your parish doing a lot for families and kids? Feature a link to a page where you tell visitors how your parish supports families. Is there an upcoming event that could be interesting for a broader audience than your parishioners? Show a picture and link to more information.
3. Important things first!
Most web stores feature a menu listing the various departments or categories of the website, so customers can quickly get to what they are looking for. The emphasis is on what people are looking for, not on the structure of the organization and the names of the people that work for the store. Contact information, policies and background info about the company is usually listed at the bottom of the page.
For some reason, parish websites (and diocesan websites as well), almost always do the opposite. The top links often go to things like the history of the church, a list of people that work in the parish, contact information etc.
Why not begin with what is most relevant to the visitor instead of all that institutional information? Start with what is really important to the people your parish wants to serve.
4. Ask first, then provide
If you don’t know what people value most, ask them! Ask new parishioners what attracted them to your parish. The things they name first should be on top of your list. Even ask ‘outsiders’ (non parishioners, non catholics), what they would be interested in on your website. It will help you to think in terms of your audience instead of thinking in terms of the organization.
The first question of a store owner should be “how can I help you?”, “what can I do for you?” It is also Jesus’ first question to the blind man (Mark 10:51). It should be our first question as well. Our parish website is there to help, not to list the organizational structure of our community.
5. Establish a relationship
Every web store wants returning visitors. That is why they hope to convince you to create an account, to leave your email address, follow the store on Twitter or to sign up for its email newsletter.The relationship with the customer is what is most important in any business.
Likewise, the most important goal of a parish website is to help establish a relationship with the visitor, that will hopefully lead to a real-life relationship with the parish community and with God. You want visitors to come back for more, to engage in an activity, to join the community.
Every page or article should engage the visitor to do something, to interact. Ask for feedback, suggestions and comments (easy to do if you have turned your static website into a blog). Invite people to sign up for your email newsletter (and tell them what value it could have for them), to follow the parish on Twitter, to leave you a voicemail, to visit your church, to join an RCIA group.. I’m sure your parish has much to offer to new people, but they need to feel invited!
What would the perfect parish website look like for you? Do you have additional tips on how to engage new visitors? Are there other things parish websites can do to become more attractive and relevant for non parishioners? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Wonderful write-up Father. I have learned a great deal out of it. The problem is that in my parish we don’t have a website and I wish I could start one . How do I go about?
Thanks and God bless your work,
Michael ngetich
John Paul II Parish
Chepterwai
Eldoret Diocese
Kenya
The use of dynamic content is a great function to add. Having the ability for the office staff and organizational members to post their events, thoughts and ideas is grand and even better with the new content automatically moving the old content off the homepage and posting the new information.
This gives better chances for return viewers as you mention,…
Keeping it real, to me is another aspect that can get out of hand. Posting pictures and creating videos that often give “grander” thoughts of what the parish event or environment truly is, can give bad feedback from parishioners and viewers.
Use your own photos, and footage of parish life. Let the viewers see the active parishioners in action.
When I do use photo stock and footage, I am make sure it is in the posters and videos being used around the parish for events, making their visit to the website and event marketing more memorable.