<\/p>\n
Continuing our series of articles on our Christian ministry, business and church website design process\u2026<\/p>\n
Now that you\u2019ve got all of your plugins installed, it\u2019s time for\u2026<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, this is the phase of website development where things tend to get bogged down.\u00a0 Some churches take months or even years to put text, images and other content into their website.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t want you to experience unnecessary delays like this so, here are\u2026<\/p>\n
We discussed what a content map is, why it\u2019s important, and how to create one in step 3.\u00a0 A content map is like a blueprint for your website. If you don\u2019t have one, you\u2019re going to get lost in the weeds during the content phases. So, if you skipped this step earlier, do it now!<\/p>\n
Going back to the blueprint analogy, if you created a blueprint for a building, you wouldn\u2019t just throw it in a drawer and start building from memory. You also wouldn\u2019t use it for \u201cinspiration\u201d and then build \u201cfreestyle.\u201d You would build exactly what is drawn up in the blueprint.<\/p>\n
Therefore, once you have your content map, refer to it frequently throughout the content creation phase of the project.<\/p>\n
If you already have a website for your church and you\u2019re going through the process of creating a new one, you probably have content on your old website you can reuse.\u00a0 Go through your content map.\u00a0 For each piece of content, decide whether you can reuse something from the old site or want to create something new.<\/p>\n
Create a \u201cReuse\u201d list and a \u201cCreate\u201d list.\u00a0 Don\u2019t forget about photos and video.\u00a0 You\u2019ll probably want to take some new photos and shoot some new video for your new site, but not everything has to be new.<\/p>\n
\u00a0If you\u2019re planning to reuse a lot of your existing content, consider hiring someone or purchasing a\u00a0website transfer service like OurChurch.com offers.<\/p>\n
Just because you\u2019re overseeing the church website development doesn\u2019t mean you have to create all the content.<\/p>\n
Try to add a photographer and\/or a videographer to your team. Perhaps there is someone else who can write the copy for your pages.\u00a0 Teams are always better than flying solo.<\/strong>\u00a0 Just make sure expectations are clear, deadlines are agreed to, and people have proper training and oversight.<\/p>\n Sometimes people take the delegation thing a little too far and ask every ministry team leader to write all the copy for their ministry\u2019s pages.\u00a0 I recommend against this because often ministry team leaders will miss deadlines, and you\u2019ll end up with totally different writing styles on each page.<\/p>\n A better option is to have one person write all the content but to interview each ministry team leader for the information they need.\u00a0 By interview, I mean talk with them in person or by phone and write down all the info needed.<\/p>\n Bonus Tip: Don\u2019t wait until after your theme is selected and plugins are all researched and installed to start creating your content. You can start on this immediately after your content map is created.<\/p>\n While it is important to get your content done in a timely manner, keep in mind your content has a big impact on whether the people who find your church website decide to visit your church in person, so don\u2019t rush it: Proof read. Edit. Make it good.<\/strong><\/p>\n And speaking of finding your church website, the content of your website has a big impact on search rankings and\u00a0church SEO. Therefore, try to include keywords \u2013 your city, nearby cities, denomination, ministries people might search for \u2013 in your content wherever possible.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no better way to improve search rankings than creating great content, and there are no shortcuts to great content. -Paul Steinbrueck<\/p>\n Click to share this image on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram <\/p>\n In Tip 4 above, we talked about delegating content creation to others within<\/em> your organization.\u00a0 But, the ultimate shortcut is to outsource your content creation to someone outside<\/em> your organization.<\/p>\n OurChurch.Com offers a Content Writing Service as an option with a custom-designed website.\u00a0 We also have an innovative way to write personal, authorative blog articles on your behalf with our SEO services.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to work with our experience team of experts on your church web design or church SEO, we\u2019d love to talk with you.<\/p>\n Complete the consultation request form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop).<\/strong><\/p>\n Continue reading\u2026\u00a0The inside scoop on our 10 step church website design process<\/p>\n Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com<\/strong><\/p>\n Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like <\/span>ChurchLeaders.com<\/span>, <\/span>The JoyFM<\/span>, and his personal blog, <\/span>LiveIntentionally.org<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at <\/span>Journey Community Church<\/span> and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n5) Interview ministry leaders.\u00a0<\/h4>\n
SEO Impact of Website Content<\/h2>\n
Actually\u2026 there is a shortcut to great content\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Comment and Discuss:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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