How long does it take to get a church website up and running?

At MonkDev we hear this question daily. The answer we give is, “it depends.” Each website project has it’s own challenges and scope.

That being said, we’ve seen three areas that derail church website projects. Often churches are not fully aware of how long these steps can take. Which leads to missed deadlines and pressure from ministry leaders who want the website up yesterday.

If you’re working on a new website project or considering a redesign keep these areas in mind.

Entering Content Into Your New Website

Content is often overlooked in favor of design. People worry about the look of their website instead of really thinking about their content. Which is surprising, since church websites are almost entirely made up of content.

For instance, the average church has 85 pages and almost 246 sermons on their website. That’s upwards of 4 years of sermons! Adding all that content into a new system takes time. (If your site is already on Ekklesia 360 we can transfer the sermons and events for each time you redesign your site).

Also new content will need to be created and older content will need updating. Depending on the size of your staff and how much time you can commit to the project, those tasks can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

One of our customer advocates has this tip for churches, “Don’t worry about putting every event for the next year on the calendar. Just add events for the next three months. You’d be surprised at how much time you save. The same thing goes for sermons. Get one year of sermons on the site and slowly add older sermons later.” - Kellie Cameron

Getting Everyone On The Same Page

Sorting through all the conflicting needs and establishing the overall strategy for a new site can be a daunting task. We’ve even seen projects stall because the goals for the new site were not established up front. This leads to scrapping designs and completely starting over from square one. Thus adding months to the date when you can launch your site.

If you’re starting a website project, you need to ensure key stakeholders have initial input into the decision making process. You also need everyone to agree on the overall website strategy.

Our Content Strategist had this to share, “Getting everyone on the same page from the start will save you time down the road. You’ll understand the goals of the site and you’ll be able to explain why you made certain decisions. It will also help you set project expectations with your team. Plus, you’ll get a website that works with your ministry, not against it.” - AJ Fenlason

If you don’t know where to start, we can help with our content strategy services�. A content strategy helps define high level priorities for your website. It also establishes a framework for creating content that encourages your community to take next steps.

Creating New Graphics For Your New Website

When a church creates a new website, generally the supporting graphics also need to be updated. After all, the images have to match the new design and certain graphics need to be resized. It’s something churches don’t always think about. Sometimes they end up with a tough decision; either launch the site without the right graphics or push it back until they are finished.

Our Senior Designer shares this advice, “When getting started on graphics for a new site, I highly recommend creating a mood-board. Gather up images, colors, textures and font styles that have the feel you want for your site. Use this inspiration to set strict rules for yourself. This will not only create a cohesive aesthetic throughout the site, but it will also save time in the long run.” - Jenn Craycraft

If you’re not sure where to start with graphics for your new site, MonkDev offers design services. We can even help you create a new logo for your church.

These are just a few of the areas where we’ve seen website projects get derailed. If you’re starting a project, make sure you have a game plan in place to address them. How about you, where have you seen website projects get derailed?