Exirus Creative: Houston Web Design and Multimedia Company

Have you ever been invited to a party and you're so excited but when you got there, there really was not too much going on?

It's the same thing with websites. People visit your website in hopes that they will find something valuable there for them.  People love "goodies" and so when you invite them to visit your website, there is a certain level of expectancy.

If your goal is to have regular, consistent traffic to your website, the key is bringing valuable content that will benefit your visitors. In this case, the saying "Content is king" applies.

I can't remember how many times I have gone to websites only to get disappointed. Overall design is substandard, content is outdated, information is hard to find, and so on and so forth.  And guess what? I'm not coming back to those websites again.

They lost a what "could have been" a regular traffic. Those websites failed to convert a visitor into a regular. Imagine how many times this happens on a website?

So what are the ways that you can acquire consistent traffic and convert those visitors into regulars?

First of all, make sure that your church website is easy to navigate. Easy to find information is paramount to the success of your website. If people can't find their way through your website, if they have to dig through more than 3 levels of links before they even get to the information they need, the person will leave.

You always have to keep in mind that web users have time constraint. To accommodate this, information must be easy to find and make sure that you highlight important information or features of your website on the homepage.

For example, most church websites have a certain number of upcoming events on their homepage, the most recent sermon for easy access and 2 or 3 call to action buttons such as Submit a Prayer Request and Online Giving.

2. Provide Media Resources.

The biggest element in your church website that will facilitate and encourage regular visits would be the media section. Your media section must contain sermon audio and video archive as well as photo gallery.

This particular section can draw both church members and potential members. Either way, it is a platform to plant seeds of the Word of God, so make sure that your media section is constantly updated with recentpreachings.

3. Encourage Interaction.

In this day and age of social media, websites aren't just all about the website owners anymore. It's all about building community and facilitating and allowing communication between the website owner and the visitors.

This does not mean to say that you must absolutely create a Facebook  or Myspace type of application on your website (although depending on a church's budget, this is doable and there are some churches who have integrated a community application on their website).

There are ways that you can allow interaction such as a blog and integrating a commenting feature. Web users appreciate when they know that you are open and willing to hear them out. They like to be heard, they like to post their thoughts and opinions about a certain issue, or just simply ask questions!

Polls are also another good avenue for interaction.

4. Offer Giveaways.

Now this isn't really a common practice in church websites from what I have seen. But businesses use this a marketing tactic to drive traffic to their websites.  See, people love freebies and discounts!  I can almost guarantee you that if you have a giveaway every now and then, it will increase your traffic.

Your freebie doesn't have to be a brand new car or a cruise to the Bahamas. It can be as simple as a $25 card to Walmart or a gas card or a shirt! Anything that people will be able to use.

How exactly do you conduct this? There are hundreds of ways! It's up to you to be creative!

For example: You want to get your visitor's feedbacks on a Sunday preaching video you have posted online. You can use this to ask them questions, get their thoughts, and in return reward a winner with an incentive for taking the time to answer the questions or post comments. This is fun and affordable way of encouraging regular visits!

To be continued...