Church/Charity Web Site Building

Web Hosting
&
Design Services

Church/Charity

We decided to market our web-site builder through Heavenly Hosts ...why not follow the link to see what they are offering?

EasyPageCMS Web-Site Builder

Websites that have to be maintained by your website designer are now not the most preferred method of website management. The days of "wait then pay" for your webmaster to make a change can be over.

We now have a very simple CMS that we call "EasyPageCMS" which enables you to have control over your website without needing to understand all the technical details .

Easy to use and takes a minimum period of time to learn. If you can use a text editor and have an internet connection, you can use this software.
Once your website has been created you can change, add and delete text and image content within any page.
You can add new pages (typically up to 10)
Simple Visitor statistics.
And remember it is easy to learn and use.

Benefits to you

No waiting for someone else to make the change that you want to do now.
No costs associated with the maintenance of your website.
Easy to learn. It is so easy that your site administrator could be making changes within minutes of being given login instructions. Most of the advanced features of the system can be learned in an average of less than 2-3 hours.
Add more web pages and products to your web site in minutes. Your website menu can be easily updated to link to your new page within seconds.
You can "play" with a page before showing it to the outside world!

Building your own web-site is plainly the cheapest option and we aim to steadily improve our "how to" section on this within our training pages. See for example "Design tips" and the Webcredible guidlines. Please also read some articles on accessability, you can find some listed in our training pages or read one one by Rob Davies (who is registered blind).

But please take heed of this warning:

Having a bad website might reflect badly on you. A bad website may reinforce the stereotype idea perhaps that your church or charity is out of touch and irrelevant. A church or charity website is an on-going commitment, not a one off project to enable you to tick a box saying 'website done'.

There are three possible ways to make your church website:

1. Get a volunteer (or volunteers) to set it up and run it
2. Use an online system
3. Pay for a web designer/agency to create your website

All are perfectly valid solutions but each have their advantages/disadvantages.....

Advantages

Disadvantages

Comment

Volunteers

Cheapest option. If the person is committed and knows what they are doing and possesses the relevant technical and design skills you may well have a very good option.

Many know how to make a website but only few know how to do it well or how to do it in a way that someone else can easily follow in the future.

No technical support if the person becomes unavailable or leaves the church/charity.

What have they done before? Ask to see examples. If you don't know much about web sites get the opinion of a few people who do.

Online System

Someone non-technical can run the website with little or no training. Content can be added as easily as using a word processor.

For the most part you can ignore the technical .

Usually easy to change the look of your site without losing the content.

Most systems only offer a few templates which may or may not be configurable.

Watch out for hidden extras... especially on support calls.

Visit the sites made by existing users and see what you think. Use the contact page to ask them what they really think of the system!

Custom Design (Agency)

If you have a vision for a website that has a high specification and functions that are particular to your church then this may be the only route open to you.

Can be expensive. Shop around and ask to see reference sites

Don't forget you will have to pay for changes and updates.

Remember you may wish to redesign your site in 3-4 years time so calculate how much it would cost for that period.

You are likely to get better results than using volunteers but it may not find it as flexible or cost effective as the "Online" option.

Ask about e:mail/hosting options etc

Get references!!!

Other Design & Hosting Services

We've listed some companies that offer design and or hosting services to the right. "The Way" also offer such services. You can also find a "DIY" but assisted online service through Xalt. There are also new services provided by ChurchEdit.

Then finally.....

Tell us about your site and get yourself known by submitting to search engines and portals, and why not add a free Christian Counter?

Church Website Design: Don't forget.....

—Explanations of the Christian faith...

Many of the people who look at church websites are not Christians, and perhaps not even churchgoers. If you are going to include a ‘what is a Christian’ or ‘What we believe’ web page then make sure it is understandable to someone who doesn’t normally go to church.

To get some ideas look at what other churches have on their websites. Once you have written your material why not try it out with some friends ...perhaps one who has no church background...see if they understand it!

Church/Charity Online Noticeboards

Church123.com
Provide free hints and tips pages that can help churches plan effective websites plus an easy and comprehensive package to enable a church to run an easy-to-update website.
Tel:020 8949 6005

ArkWebs
- FREE Christian Web Hosting on A Christian Server...
A Christian Server (US based) for a Christian Community, bringing you FREE Christian Web Hosting and a Christian interactive community via Christian Message Boards, Christian Chat, etc......

Church Web Designs

Affordable Christian Web Design services for Churches and Ministries
info@christian-web-design.com
Website design and hosting for Christian organisations, individuals, charities or businesses

Church Site Design Tool
Assess and develop your church website design. Online guidance.

ChurchInsight
tel:+44 (1223) 352759
Online software for church websites. The ChurchInsight system is developed and supplied by Endis Ltd, a software solutions provider specialising in web application development.

Evangelical Alliance Church Web-Tips
Read 70+ essential tips and do a self assessment questionnaire and transform your church website to reach the community.

Internet Evangelism in the 21st Century
Information blog

The Church Website Design Project
PO Box 54, Swaffham, Norfolk. PE37 9AJ
enquiries@churchwebsitedesign.org.uk
tel:0845 053 1175
We provide support, advice and encouragement for clergy and church members who are seeking to develop their online presence.

UK Churches
A website design company that provides churches and ministries with high quality design and easy to manage websites, at affordable prices. Supporting and empowering Churches, Christian Organisations, and Ministries to use the Internet to bring the message of God to every man.

Web4Christ
Web4Christ specializes in, and has a broad experience in creating websites for churches and other Christian organisations. Get in touch now to find out how we can help you to make the most of a church website!

Worldwide Web Design
22 Manvers Road, Eastbourne,East Sussex, BN20 8HJ
tel:0800-2248-496
Services include: Website design, Web hosting, E-Commerce, Search engine optimisation.

Your Church on the Web
info@yourchurchontheweb.com
World class church website design produced within local church budgets. Update your church website without having to pay a website designer.

Please note that the views expressed by other sites that we link to are not necessarily the same as our own. Whilst we try to check links it is impossible for us to check every page on every site, and, even if we did they could easily change. If you therefore find that we have a link to a page that you do not think is suitable in any way please let us know so that we can take any necessary action. Thank you.