Parish Playbook: 4 tips to build a better website

Sept. 15, 2022 by

Katie Cerni

Consider your website as a "digital front porch"

With the right tools and resources, your website can be a place of meaningful connections and great first impressions! But, if you're looking for a few tips on how to improve your virtual front door, the eCatholic team of website experts are here and ready to help!

Click the play button above to watch our latest webinar, where we cover four tips that should be in every parish's digital playbook. We go into detail during the webinar, however, if you're short on time, here's a quick review of the tips we think you'll find most impactful!
 

1

Choose a simple website platform

Which website builder is right for your team? With an ever-changing sea of options and resources, you might feel like your drowning in this decision. Fear not - before choosing your website builder, ask yourself a few questions like these:;

• Is this website builder easy to use? 
• How many people on my team need access to this software?
• Will this software prioritize how my website looks on a mobile device? 

Once you know what you actually need, the choice should be clear. Keep it simple and don't overcomplicate your decision with all the digital bells and whistles that you might not even use as you build your website.

And don't forget to start a 30-day FREE trial of your very own eCatholic website to see how our website software and other free features can serve you and your team!
 

2

Create a brand style - and stick to it!

The difficulty that can sometimes lie behind choosing the right fonts, colors and designs for your unique brand are worth your time and effort. However, once you've come to a conclusion, the most important thing you can do is stay consistent throughout all of your communication materials. That means using the same 2-3 fonts, colors and other graphical elements across the board.

If you're not sure where to begin when choosing your brand style, try browsing through eCatholic's list of free website themes. Each theme comes with dedicated font and color options. Simply choose the theme you like best and adapt those pre-determined styles to your other communication efforts as needed. Ta-da! It's branding made simple.
 

3

Embed your online forms

Studies have show that when visitors are directed away from your website, they become less likely to complete an action that you would like them to accomplish. Do your current forms embed directly into your web pages, or are your visitors taken to a different site? Be sure to remember these questions when considering what type of forms you put on your website as you gather information from visitors.

eCatholic forms are some of the most versatile you'll find. They embed directly on your website and allow you to add or remove fields to collect only the information you need. Our forms are also able to collect payment and registration details, so you can capture every possible ticket sales or event sign-up!
 

4

Make your Mass times prominent

Question: What is the most sought-after piece of information that visitors are looking for on your website?

Answer: It's your Mass schedule.

Your Mass schedule is one of the most important pieces of information that you can make available to visitors. Now is the time to review where your Mass schedule is displayed on your website. Is it visible on your homepage or navigation menu? Can visitors find it in less than three clicks? Is your schedule up to date?

Additionally, consider alerting your faithful by using eCatholic's MassTime™ feature, which allows you to instantly display Mass (and other sacrament) times right on your website's homepage!
 

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Bonus Tip: Choose a good support team

A responsive and helpful support team is worth its weight in gold these days - and it could save you time and headache. When choosing a website provider, be sure to check if they charge extra for regular support services or charge fees for contacting them "after business hours".

With eCatholic, our award-winning customer support team is at-the-ready to provide phenomenal service, right when you need it most, at no extra cost.
 

Have additional tips that you think belong in our Parish Playbook? Let us know by leaving a comment below! :)