A few things are needed from the parish in order for us to get started with your web site.
1) Decide Organization of Site – Many parishes will just let us decide where things should go. We are okay with that. If you have a certain way you would like to organize the content of the site, please lay it out in an email or Word document. It is often helpful to look at some other church websites. When you are sending us information in a word document, please edit the file as little as possible. Refrain from using tabs, color, or fonts. These are things we will work on later.
2) Pick Domain Name – The domain name is the web address of your site (example www.yourparish.com). It is best to keep the web address simple and easy to remember. You may use this address for advertising and announcements so you will want people to be able to memorize it easily. Keep in mind that some Domain Names may already be taken so you will want to have a couple of choices.
3) Find High Quality Pictures – We can do so much with good high quality pictures. When designing a new site, we appreciate 10-20 high quality pictures to play around with. Send us these pictures right away so we can get started on the look of your site. If you want pictures of staff, start working on that. If ministries or organizations have their own page, you may want a picture that represents them also.
4) Get Content – Content is the most important part of the site. If your website does not have the information that people are looking for, they may never come back. When deciding on content, think about the people who are not a member of your parish and want to see what your parish offers and the parishioners that go there often to get the latest information and news. Start asking all of the organizations in your parish to send in at least a half a page of information about their ministry. Give them our email address and have them send updates as often as they would like.
5) Payments – Once you have agreed to let us work for you, we will set you up with a client login and password to our site. From there you will find a list of invoices for the work agreed upon for the next year, including a down payment $200. We do not start on a site until this down payment is paid. The rest of the set-up fee is paid for after the set-up is completed.
Every parish is different. We will be in touch and will email or call you with questions about the website. Check your site often and let us know what you think. Remember, it is your website. If you want something changed, do not be afraid to let us know!
