If variety is the spice of life, from a social media standpoint things just got a little spicier for CWW as we have joined the ranks of Google+.

While we have been taking advantage of the great opportunity to network and serve our clients via Facebook and Twitter, the development of Google+ pages now allows us to branch out and connect with those who prefer the Google+ platform for social networking. It also allows us another opportunity to share updates and information with those who double dip with multiple social networks.

 As social media continues to evolve, we will be looking or other opportunities that will help us connect in a more effective manner with you, our clients and we encourage you to evaluate what social mediums will do the same for your churches. The truth is not all social mediums will be of value to your church, but chances are there will be one or two that will allow you to engage with your congregation and community in a more consistent and dynamic way and that is worth looking into, if you haven't already.

So if you're a Google+ fan and would like another way to hear about the latest CWW developments, we encourage you to find us on Google+.

There are so many wonderful churches that we have the privilege of partnering with and from time to time we would like to feature their websites. Today's feature is Mill Creek Foursquare Church (MC4) in Mill Creek, Washington.

MC4 which uses our "Clean Gray" design, has a site that is both visually pleasing and incredibly functional. The following are screenshots and commentary on some of their design elements.

MC4 has done a number of things incredibly well including prominent branding of their current sermon series and intuitive navigation that allows visitors to quickly make their way to the pages that are most important to them. Although it can be tempting to use "in house" terms for navigation they limit the functionality of your site for guests who are not as familiar with your church's terminology. MC4 does a good job of using terms that are self explanatory so that anyone can navigate easily through their site.

MC4 has taken advantage of the showcase wedge to promote upcoming events with some beautifully designed images. While most churches do not have graphic designers on staff, there are a variety of websites that provide both free and paid images that can used for branding and promotional purposes. This is a great resource if you do not have a staff member or volunteer with graphic design skills.

Finally, at the bottom of MC4's website you find all of the important contact and service information as well as links to online giving, blogs, and other important information. Although your homepage should be aesthetically pleasing, it is important to include some of your most important information for people to find at a glance.

If you would like to explore Mill Creek Foursquare's website yourself, you can do so at www.mc4s.org.

A couple weeks ago we launched a contest that would provide people with a free months of service based on their interaction with us on Facebook/Twitter and over the last couple weeks we have loved how engaged you all have been. In fact you have shared a great deal of insight that has been incredibly valuable to us.

Unfortunately after a little research we realized that in order to abide by Facebook's contest guidelines we had to make some changes to our contest. So, instead of providing a free month of service based on interactions on Facebook and Twitter, we are going to do so, via this blog.

 Each month we will award a free month of service to someone based on their comments and interaction here on the ol' blog. We apologize for having to change the contest but we want to make sure that we are working within the terms and conditions of the social media platforms that we use.

 With that being said, please continue the great engagement via social media. We can't tell you how helpful your feedback and comments are. The information you share with us is vital for producing a product that is going to help you reach your congregation and community.

Thank you for being flexible, we look forward to awarding a free month of service the first Friday in December.

If you are considering creating a website for your church, the following outline will help you think through the process.

We are incredibly excited to introduce a new type of page to the CWW lineup, the “Sermon Series Page.” This is one of the most practical and exciting page types we have launched to date and we are eager for your churches to begin incorporating them into their websites.

With sermon series pages, you can upload audio, video, or even embed links to content that has been posted on sites like YouTube or Vimeo. Sermon series pages allow you to not only organize and display your sermons by series, but also add other supplemental content such as sermon notes or small group questions for download. This means that whether you have PDF files, Word documents, PowerPoint slides or any other type of file, all you have to do is upload them and they will be presented in an organized way. This functionality is very useful because now your congregation can go to one place on your site for all materials related to a particular sermon or sermon series.

While this feature is still in beta, we would love for you to begin trying this new page type and sharing feedback with us in terms of what works well for you and what could be improved. As always we strive to provide you with products that are powerful, yet user friendly.

We truly believe this will be one of the most used features on your site and will allow you to share the message of Christ in a whole new way!

One of the many things CWW strives to do is provide churches with variety when it comes to website designs. While it would make our job much easier if one size fit all, that just simply is not the case. There are countless factors that impact what type of website design a church selects. Some congregations are more traditional, while others more contemporary. Some desire a very simple homepage while others like to include more detailed content. Factors such as geographic location, target audience and overall church branding come into play as well.

For that reason we have created an expansive library of designs for your church to pick and choose from. It is our hope that as we continue to add designs and refine those already created, you will find one that will fit the personality and DNA of your church. We want you to be excited to direct people to your website because it effectively communicates what your church is about and allows you to connect with them in a useful and tangible way.

 Most Recently we added our “Blast” design to the library. As more designs are added/revised we would love to hear what it is you are looking for in a design. This feedback is valuable as we continue to work hard to provide you with the most visually appealing and functional designs possible.  

Last week we took a look at usability standards. Specifically we broke usability down into three categories analyzing how a usable website is effective, efficient, and satisfying. Our discussion so far has stayed in the realm of best practice usability. Moving beyond just best practices means performing some usability testing. 

Usability seems to be a buzz word in the design industry lately, but what is usability and is it something that needs to be taken into consideration when designing a church website? The truth is, if you are not considering the usability of your website it is certainly not living up to its full potential. For this reason we want to take the next two weeks to explore what usability is and how to test your website for it.

Essentially a usable website is both easy to use and a pleasure to do so. The three keys to making this happen are effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. 

Effectiveness is best understood from the perspective of a first time visitor. Access to information such as service times, church location, and your church’s mission statement should be easily accessible on the front page. Effectiveness is also a matter of keeping all information up-to-date. If the only dates on your calendar are in the past your website is not going to be effective. 

Efficiency could be viewed as improving the ease of use for repeat visitors. This means ensuring that the information your members are looking for is readily available and easy to access. Convention says that it should take no more than three clicks to get to any needed information. Scanning for information should be quick and painless. If you have more than five items in a group consider condensing or reorganizing.

Today efficiency requires meeting your congregation where they are. Social media can be one of your best communication tools for doing this. If you don’t have a strong Facebook and Twitter presence you may be missing one of the most efficient means of reaching your congregation.

Satisfaction comes down to the aesthetics of your website. Taking a little time to find quality graphics can make a world of difference here. Avoid clip art and Google image searches. Spend a little time and money on stock images and illustrations and the payoff will be well worth it. Ensure that any photos you have uploaded are high resolution. If a photo is overly stretched it will appear pixelated or blurry. Out of focus or low light photos will quickly degrade the aesthetics of your website. If you are short on photos petition your congregation, some amazing photos may already be out there just waiting to be used. Always be sure to get the permission of both the photographer and any subjects in the photos before placing them on your website.

Take a moment and examine the usability of your website. Approach your website as a visitor, would someone who knows little about church in general be able to easily find the information they need? Approach it as a regular who is looking for information on getting involved, would you be tempted to pick up the phone rather than navigating the website? Implementing best practice tips like these is a big first step to ensuring your web presence is an effective, efficient, and satisfying experience for your congregation and visitors.

Next week is part two of this series on usability and we will be talking about how to conduct usability tests.