While you’re not watching and you can’t listen in, your church website is telling your visitors a few things behind your back. There’s a conversation going on in each visitor’s head and your website is influencing how that conversation goes.

A visitor may be arriving with the impression or expectation that your ministry is dynamic, progressive or has impact in the community. But when they arrive on the church’s site and find that it’s not current, let alone dynamic, the website can whisper a few things into the conversation that undermines that impression and diminishes response:

• There’s nothing going on. Check back… there’s never anything going on!
• This is not an organization of impact.
• There’s nothing for me here.
   

Perhaps there’s a relationship of trust with your ministry or a strong referral was given. And then that visitor arrives at a site that isn’t functioning properly or looks unprofessional.  That church website is tapping the visitor on the shoulder…

• I don’t know if I should trust this.
• Looks a bit shaky. Might be risky.
• Too amateur for me; It doesn’t look solid or professional.
   

The question is “How bad is it hurting or undermining the Church’s online efforts?”. Is it undermining response in multiple areas of the site?  Your site’s success at driving visitors to attend or contribute can be compromised, however these are not the only potential impacts.

There’s a few things a church website can “tell on you” that could damage your image and the overall perception of the organization beyond the visit to the website.  Very common situations such as loud home page music, over-the-top animations, confusing navigation, acronyms everywhere, lack of contact info, etc., can speak volumes to a visitor.

• Interacting with this organization is frustrating.
• This is annoying!
• They seem disorganized.
   

 And finally, if there was a way for your church website to “talk trash” about you, I suppose the infamous “under construction” would be the equivalent.  Far too often “under construction” or “coming soon” is displayed in one or more pages of a site.  This can shout vs. whisper.

• They still don’t have it together yet.
• They’re obviously not serious about this.
• This has been dysfunctional for a while now.
   

Review your website from a visitor’s perspective.  Better yet, recruit some people who know little or nothing of your organization to review your site and provide honest feedback.  There may be some things you recognize yourself if you’re aware of the whispers around you!

 An effective church website can convey many positive aspects of the organization and can deliver great benefit.  Considering the effort and resources involved in developing a site, as well as it’s potential impact, it’s worth the time and a little review to be sure of what your church website is saying behind your back.

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