With 2012 about to begin, New Year's resolutions are on the minds of a lot of people. Whether it's losing weight, starting a new hobby, restoring a broken relationship, etc., people are looking to make progress in their lives. The same should be true for your church when it comes to your website and overall web presence since it is such a valuable part of your connection/outreach strategy.

 While it goes without saying that each church has different areas that could use improvement, the new year is the perfect time to evaluate what those areas might be for you and your church. The following is a list of possible areas to consider investing time and energy to improve.

1. Logo - While a logo redesign goes beyond simply the scope of your website and touches on the overall branding of your church, perhaps this is an area that your church needs to address.

2. Website images - Using high quality images greatly improves the look of your website, while clip art and pixelated photographs can have an equally strong negative effect. Use good images!

3. Content - Fresh, timely content is essential. If your content is out of date, your website will not be effective in helping people learn about your church.

4. Home Page - Your homepage is the most visited page on your site so it is vital to have your most important information ie. service times, contact information, calendar, etc. either on your home page or clearly linked to from your home page.

5. Navigation - If a person cannot easily navigate your site, it doesn't matter how good your content is. People need to be able to find their way around without confusion. Period.

6. Media - It is incredibly helpful for people to be able to download sermons, watch videos, view event photographs, etc. If you don't have this type of content on your page perhaps this is the year to begin adding it.

7. Staff Information - This is one of the first pages people look for when they are investigating your church via your website so it is valuable to have this content available.

8. Blog - A blog is a great way for your staff to share information, insights, personal perspectives, etc. 

9. Facebook/Twitter - A strong social media presence can be of value in terms of sharing information and helping people engage in conversation with one another while not at church. However, in order for this to be successful a great deal of intentionality needs to be given to these social mediums.

10. Redesign - Perhaps your church is not simply in need of a few tweaks but an overall redesign. If this is the case begin planning what you would like your new site to look like and schedule out when you would like it to take place.

 While there are countless areas that can be addressed, the important thing is to make progress. Continue evaluating your web presence in 2012 and take the necessary steps to develop a website that will be helpful to both those who attend your church and those who are looking for a church home.

Happy New Year!