Case Study (Part 2) - kings-medway.co.uk

February 01, 2012

Last week I took a look at a website (www.kings-medway.co.uk) which belongs to a church run by my Uncle Matthew and are doing some wonderful work for their local community. I pointed out that perhaps the website could function better and look more professional. More importantly, it should show off some of that great work that is happening on a daily basis and be more accessible for the local people of Medway and beyond.

Whilst discussions are very much at preliminary stages as to the concept of the new website, I thought that now would be as good a time as any to look around at other church websites, get some inspiration and look at what people have done well, what type of content is being displayed and what pitfalls to avoid.

As design is always so subjective, it should be stated that those that I’ve not particularly liked might well be by others. It should also be worth remembering that someone, or a group of people have put the time and effort to make these websites work, and church websites are often created by volunteers and hobbyist’s - this then is not a critique of someones work. It is purely a list of examples showing what works for me and what doesn’t.

Here are some of the best and not so great websites I came across on my travels (click any of the visuals to open the website):

The not so good:

Christ Church (Tunbridge Wells)

- Despite the bright purples, it lacks general interest and a focal point
- 6 key sections on the homepage are difficult to make out against the main menu
+ Contains recent and up to date information

City Praise Centre

- Feels as if everything has been squashed into a small a space as possible
- Dislike the imagery used inside the main rotating panel
+ Navigation is simple and concise

Emmanuel Baptist Church

- Shows why a website shouldn't be left to stagnate, as things on the web tend to age very quickly.

Jubilee Church

- Needs modernisation
- Repeating background tiles on larger screen sizes
+ Navigation feels familiar and easy to use

Medway Family Church

- Shows why a website should be careful to choose a right template
- Feels corporate, as if it should be selling taps or something water related
+ A positive introduction message that says who they are

St Peters

- Too generic in theme, doesn't feel intuitively that it is a church website
- Lacks real interest
+ Information is up to date and easy to find

Waterford House Evangelical Free Church

- Lacks immediate visual appeal.
- Second item on the menu "India 2011", therefore second most important page on the site. Has a coming soon message. If it isn't ready, don't display it.
+ Social tools integrated into the site allowing visitors to share content.

The lot better:

Calvary Church

+ How a simple colour scheme of one or two colours can really make your website shine
+ Clean, concise navigation
+ Bright, vibrant, appealing event banner on homepage

Community Bible Church

+ Segmented homepage with each section giving you just what you need to know.
+ Photography carefully chosen and edited to complement the site design, not detract from it.
+ Homepage carousel compliments the site and functions correctly.