7 Rules to “Tidy Up” Your Church Website

Marie Kondo’s Netflix Show (Tidying Up) has been all the rage. Why? We innately like living in a decluttered space where we can find things that make us feel fulfilled. It doesn’t take a Japanese organizing consultant to discover how to do this, however her simple tips have captured the world.

Let’s mirror her fervor. Not on your apartment, office space, or closet. But on your website.

This is the perfect time of year to start tidying this essential church communication space. It’s time to look through your website content so that your audience will feel joy when visiting it. Delight! No, not utilizing Japanese artistry, but instead, an editor’s heart with a communicator’s control. Note: We’re not seeking nirvana (this buddhism/hinduism term runs counter to Christian belief), we’re instead seeking “speed to content”. People want to find what they’re looking for. As quickly as possible.

Here are 7 tips to tidying up website content:

1. Don’t do it all at once. Start with a ministry at a time. Consider who’s coming to the website with questions about that particular ministry and take on their persona. Can they find what they’re looking for? Is the organization good? Get to know everything that’s on your website concerning that ministry. Consider the menu as you go through each ministry. You may want to adjust it!
2. Respect the ministry. Sit down with the Pastor/Leader in charge. Ask, from their vantage point, about the information and why they believe it’s necessary. Listen to their heart and make sure they feel heard by you. Thank them for all they do!
3. Be careful of “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mentality. We all tend to hang on to tradition. Especially at church! Look at other websites with similar content and see if there’s a better way to present the information. Change is sometimes your friend! Make sure you continue to respect each ministry as you make changes.
4. Editing is the wonderful purge. Because people want the answer in as few words as possible, start eliminating as many non-essential words and thoughts. Get to the heart of the answer quickly. Let this become enjoyable: count words and try eliminating half of them (or another reasonable goal). Keep your audience’s understanding in mind as you eliminate and reword. Bullet points are your friend!
5. Learn to Redirect. While you’re choosing thoughts for understanding; consider every location that the persona “might” want to go to if they only were aware. Create links while crafting sentences so you subtly redirect people to what they need to know. Enjoy creating the links!
6. Fall in Love with your Website. In the process of understanding your persona, I pray you fall in love with them. Then know the website is the channel to show your love. Show pictures of your persona loving the church and ministry back.
7. Rediscover your Church Brand. Control every color and font in such a way that each ministry has personality yet wears the church brand. The graphic standard will show constraint. And the persona will find a peaceful environment with less competition. Ministries will feel like they work in harmony!