Is This Site Worth It?

Banned 10 years ago

I'm not really in your target audience, but if I were, it would unquestionably hold my attention and I'd be enthusiastic about it. Nothing flashy or off-putting at all.

I think it's really srikingly well-designed and presented, and you've done a great job with that.

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youvana

10 years ago

I would say bring your website into the 21st century, the design is very dated I feel like I've been whooshed back to 1995...give it some html5 and css3 coolness. and maybe try using Wordpress rather than a free html editor.

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Luke Dennison

10 years ago

Originally Posted by youvana

I would say bring your website into the 21st century, the design is very dated I feel like I've been whooshed back to 1995...give it some html5 and css3 coolness. and maybe try using Wordpress rather than a free html editor.

I think the design is perfect for religious websites. Think about target audience guys. Probaby older people, who dont care for bells and whistles.

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aunttee 10 years ago

Originally Posted by Luke Dennison

I think the design is perfect for religious websites. Think about target audience guys. Probaby older people, who dont care for bells and whistles.

Beg pardon. Religious people can be every age, the question is which age group is your target audience?
To the OP: I am in your target audience. I also have 3 websites dedicated to Christianity, and I have authored, ghost authored, and co-authored Christian devotionals, articles, classes, and books. And I'm a Christian speaker.
I do not believe you'll find the answers to your questions here. Instead, go look at some of the sites you really like, the ones you return to and ask yourself what they have - design wise I mean. Take notes on the top 10.
Personally I have gone to clean Wordpress design with no bells and whistles and no ads. Feel free to pm me, I have a heart for ministry too and would love to help you succeed.
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Johnny12345

10 years ago

The design has some problems. It does look dated...

1) The purple gradient background clashes with the blue color of the buttons (and the "gift" image).

2) The text column margins are much too narrow.

A quick fix, to solve BOTH 1 & 2 above, might be to simply make the background solid WHITE. (Change the footer background to solid white, too.)

3) The body font is far too small. It's VERY hard to read on my 15" notebook.

4) The "vision" statement, in the upper right, looks dull. I think you need a nicer font (perhaps a script font).

5) Remove the vertical rule. It looks dated.

If you fix those simple things, I think it will instantly look better (not great, but definitely better).

John

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TheresaS 10 years ago

Hello,
I checked it out. Same feedback - I would do Wordpress as well, look for their free themes and just fill in your information - you might even be able to find a free church website in the free themes.Look all over the web for one you like then go on Fiverr and see if someone can do it for you for five bucks.

As far as your topic - there are lots of websites out there doing really well on these topics - your main focus after getting a pretty good looking site is to get people to come to it.
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youvana

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Johnny12345

The design has some problems. It does look dated...

1) The purple gradient background clashes with the blue color of the buttons (and the "gift" image).

2) The text column margins are much too narrow.

A quick fix, to solve BOTH 1 & 2 above, might be to simply make the background solid WHITE. (Change the footer background to solid white, too.)

3) The body font is far too small. It's VERY hard to read on my 15" notebook.

4) The "vision" statement, in the upper right, looks dull. I think you need a nicer font (perhaps a script font).

5) Remove the vertical rule. It looks dated.

If you fix those simple things, I think it will instantly look better (not great, but definitely better).

John

I think a few people here gave you some good points, especially John above. It doesn't look like you took much on board though, just decided to do your own thing anyway.

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JensSteyaert

10 years ago

I'm sure the information on the site is well worth it for your target audience, but i do feel the site needs some redesign work.

It kinda reminds me of the Plr templates that have been circulating the community a couple of years ago. So a modern redesign is what i would suggest.

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drewfioravanti

10 years ago

While I agree the site's appearance is dated, appearance is secondary to content. If you have content that people want to read, it doesn't matter what the appearance is. Look at Craigslist. That website sucks. But they have content that people want.

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cyberzolo

10 years ago

Definitley a very dated website. But other than that nothing would turn me off when visiting this website.

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Alexa Smith

Banned 10 years ago

Ah, yes ... everyone thinks it's "dated". I knew I liked something about it. I'm instinctively biased: it looks a little like some of my niche sites, which I've made that way deliberately. Customers love the look, the clarity, the lack of gimmicks; marketers - usually not so much.

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jbearnolimits

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

Ah, yes ... everyone thinks it's "dated". I knew I liked something about it. I'm instinctively biased: it looks a little like some of my niche sites, which I've made that way deliberately. Customers love the look, the clarity, the lack of gimmicks; marketers - usually not so much.

I personally thought it could use some sprucing up myself. I haven't really kept up with the times myself though. I remember learning about how to make an effective website and advertisement years ago. I was taught that if you have great content that catches someone's attention and it is properly formatted then you could do without the fancy bells and whistles and still be fine.

Of course that was years ago. I noticed Johnny12345 said the background color should be changed and the margins need to be adjusted. I think he may be right...I also agree on the size of the font.

I am not sure about using a white background though. I can adjust the margin and font easy enough...but I have never been good with color. If anyone can give me an idea of type of color or background to use I would be thankful.

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Alexa Smith

Banned 10 years ago

Originally Posted by jbearnolimits

I personally thought it could use some sprucing up myself. I haven't really kept up with the times myself though. I remember learning about how to make an effective website and advertisement years ago.

Call me a skepchick, but I think the people who "determine" what's "effective" aren't people who've done any testing. They're people selling bells and whistles and gadgets and gizmos and nonsense. They just "announce" it. And everyone believes them, though a lot of it's completely untrue.

People see Frank Kern using a squeeze page with a highly colored, pictorial background and they all think "That must work well because Frank Kern and other gurus are all using it and they must test everything, so I'll use it". In fact, every single person I know who has split-tested one of those against the same page with a plain white background has found that the plain white one converts significantly better. And there are several threads here in which people say they've done and found the same. But still, the "established wisdom" is that the colorful, gimmicky one "must be best" because "it's what all the gurus use". You copy "what the gurus do" at your own peril. I think old-fashioned, and plain and simple are very good news. For marketing and for your website, too.

Originally Posted by jbearnolimits

I was taught that if you have great content that catches someone's attention and it is properly formatted then you could do without the fancy bells and whistles and still be fine.

I think this is, if anything, an understatement: I think it's a mistake to use most of the bells and whistles. And I think split-testing, for the tiny minority of people who actually do it, actually tends to show that, too.

Originally Posted by jbearnolimits

I noticed Johnny12345 said the background color should be changed and the margins need to be adjusted.

I did wonder about the margins next to the print being too small, yes. It's a tiny point, and I don't think it will affect anyone's willingness to stay on the site, or interact with it, but it wouldn't hurt to widen the margins a little.

I didn't think about the font-size. In these days of people using ever smaller devices, that may be a very good and valid point.

This is a very useful site for checking how your pages appear in various different types of browsers: http://browsershots.org

Originally Posted by jbearnolimits

If anyone can give me an idea of type of color or background to use I would be thankful.

I think you've done just fine, with that.

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Taniwha

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

Ah, yes ... everyone thinks it's "dated". I knew I liked something about it. I'm instinctively biased: it looks a little like some of my niche sites, which I've made that way deliberately. Customers love the look, the clarity, the lack of gimmicks; marketers - usually not so much.

I actually tend to agree with this.

My conversions shot through the roof when I opted for minimalist designs for my range of sites. Yes, modern sites with all the unneeded functionality may look nice, but you have to ask yourself: is it doing the intended job? am I getting opt-ins from a targeted audience? and most importantly, are the subscribers/readers converting into sales?

Additional feedback to the OP? Well, I'm definitely not your target market, so I'll leave it at that.

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Johnny12345

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

Ah, yes ... everyone thinks it's "dated". I knew I liked something about it. I'm instinctively biased: it looks a little like some of my niche sites, which I've made that way deliberately. Customers love the look, the clarity, the lack of gimmicks; marketers - usually not so much.

In other words, because your poor tech and design skills limit you to building sites that are amateurish, you suggest that others build amateurish sites, too?

I'm all for clean, simple design; I don't tend to like sites that are overly fancy or cluttered. But amateurish design and poor presentation affect the perceived value of whatever is being offered.

(Looks count. That's why they tell people to dress nice for a job interview. A suit and tie makes for a more professional impression than cut-offs and flip-flops.)

John

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Alexa Smith

Banned 10 years ago

Originally Posted by Johnny12345

In other words, because your poor tech and design skills limit you to building sites that are amateurish, you suggest that others build amateurish sites, too?

No. Not in other words, and not in those words either, John.

I didn't say that. Nor did I say anything like that.

(For the record, I employ three full-time VA's one of whom previously worked as a professional website designer. I have almost unlimited website design skills at my business's disposal. Which is why I certainly wouldn't have said anything like that at all!

)

.

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RichBeck

10 years ago

jbearnolimits,

Based on your target audience....

I would buy Steve Krug's book.....

Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense...

Go through the book and see if you can make improvements.....

Then, work on your content......

Last, look at making it "modern" looking.

All The Best,

Rich Beck BCIP, MCSD, MCIS

"For nothing is impossible with God." - Luke 1:37

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D3t0x

10 years ago

I agree with all their comments above, it looks dated. I recommend you switch to WordPress. Spruce up the design with a theme that fits both young and old (well, if that's your audience). Another thing... maybe you could narrow down your niche further. It's too general, or maybe you should add your mission and vision so even if it's general the mission-vision can help you and the audience focus. Have you tried visiting websites of other Christian churches? I suggest you look at Willow Creek Church and In Touch Ministries. Those are general Christian church or ministry websites too.

One more thing... about your social sharing buttons. I think you should have that on the individual articles and sermons so anyone who visits and likes any of those can share what they like about it. Again, that could be solved with a WordPress plugin.

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Gengis

10 years ago

The site looks dull and dated.. Go to some of the leaders in your niche's websites and see what they're doing and model them.. That's what works.

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oceanblue81

10 years ago

I appreciate the simplicity of your website. Good job.

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Justin Otstott

10 years ago

As many others mentioned, your design is very outdated. You can create a website that's both simplistic and modern.

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youvana

10 years ago

It's not all about the content, (although obviously that needs to be good) today we need to consider sites that dynamically re-size for tablets and mobile phones and if we neglect this growing market then we are being foolish. The site designs of yesteryear will not do you any favors and people really do need to move with the times. I'm all for minimalism but that can be easily achieved with html5 and CSS3 and in my opinion Wordpress is a prerequisite.

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Johnny12345

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

I didn't say that. Nor did I say anything like that.

Yes, you sort of did.

John

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Kareem Davids 10 years ago

It sure looks kind of dated.

But what I like about it, is that it fits your religious niche and I don't necessarily think that people interested in this are really expecting some fancy kind of site. It's all about great content.

There's also no danger of information overload.

Just my two cents..
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drewfioravanti

10 years ago

There's a big difference between "fancy with bells and whisltes" and a nicely designed site that doesn't look dated.

And, a well designed minimalist site, is very different than what we have here.

The design elements are dated. 10 years or so.

Does this mean anything in terms of revenue for this particular web property? Maybe, maybe not.

But, the fact remains that it uses dated design elements. That cannot even be argued. The effectiveness, well...

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jbearnolimits

10 years ago

Ok, I made some changes to my site and want your thoughts on it now. here is the link again. An Online Church Ministry - Growing Christians - Reaching The Lost

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drewfioravanti

10 years ago

Now it's worse. You should never have changed it. You're obviously not a designer. Nor a programmer, from the looks of it.

And here's a tip: Let your customers dictate what you do, not a bunch of people spewing rehashed crap on a forum. They're not your market. And, therefore, don't matter. Especially their opinion.

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Alexa Smith Banned 10 years ago

Originally Posted by drewfioravanti

Now it's worse. You should never have changed it.

I have to say that I agree with this.

I liked it a lot, before, and thought it was very suitable for its purpose, and probably without putting people off. Now, when I look at it, I immediately see several things that I instinctively dislike: the black background; the flashy "autochange pictures" in the header; the slow loading-time; and so on. Sorry.
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EPoltrack77

10 years ago

Make little changes yourself and see. Optimize it! Only you can really make the decision on what needs to be done based on you viewing your tracking and analytics. We can give you recommendations. Remember the phrase "build it and they will come" does not exist with online marketing. Your going to have to come up with a marketing strategy which will be one of the most important parts you can invest in both yourself and your business.

You'll do it!

Your site looks very warm and welcoming to me!

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Mike Hill

10 years ago

Originally Posted by jbearnolimits

I have a huge vision for an online ministry. There is a lot I want to do with my website but right now I need honest feedback. Is my site worth people spending their time on? I know the information is worth it...I just don't know if the site is pleasing enough for people to stay long enough and take it all in.

So I would like to ask if you have any thoughts on what is good or bad about my site and what would hold your attention on it if it doesn't already?

Here is the site: An Online Church Ministry - Growing Christians - Reaching The Lost

You should never have changed your site. It looked far better, actually 100 times better the way you had it before.

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Steve B

10 years ago

Originally Posted by jbearnolimits

I need honest feedback.

Jbearnolimits,

This is not a criticism of your site . . . it's a personal observation that I'm making reflecting my own bias . . . in hopes that maybe you would consider a different point of view.

Your site is dark. The background is dark. Your header is dark (stormy). Your first two slider images are dark and the third one of the bible is mostly black. Your forum is very dark.

People who are coming to religion and the ministry for answers are looking for "light."

God is light. Truth is light. People are seeking light and a change from their dark lives and problems.

Dark is depressing. Your message is about finding the light.

If it were my site, I would make it light, inviting, sunny, happy, hopeful, positive, cheery.

Do you get what I'm saying? Again, just my opinion . . .

Steve

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Tim_Carter

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Steve B

Jbearnolimits,

This is not a criticism of your site . . . it's a personal observation that I'm making reflecting my own bias . . . in hopes that maybe you would consider a different point of view.

Your site is dark. The background is dark. Your header is dark (stormy). Your first two slider images are dark and the third one of the bible is mostly black. Your forum is very dark.

People who are coming to religion and the ministry for answers are looking for "light."

God is light. Truth is light. People are seeking light and a change from their dark lives and problems.

Dark is depressing. Your message is about finding the light.

If it were my site, I would make it light, inviting, sunny, happy, hopeful, positive, cheery.

Do you get what I'm saying? Again, just my opinion . . .

Steve

I have to agree with this. Plus the huge header is slowing it down. Fix those two things and I think it is good to go. Simple is fine for a site of this type.

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jbearnolimits

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Steve B

Jbearnolimits,

This is not a criticism of your site . . . it's a personal observation that I'm making reflecting my own bias . . . in hopes that maybe you would consider a different point of view.

Your site is dark. The background is dark. Your header is dark (stormy). Your first two slider images are dark and the third one of the bible is mostly black. Your forum is very dark.

People who are coming to religion and the ministry for answers are looking for "light."

God is light. Truth is light. People are seeking light and a change from their dark lives and problems.

Dark is depressing. Your message is about finding the light.

If it were my site, I would make it light, inviting, sunny, happy, hopeful, positive, cheery.

Do you get what I'm saying? Again, just my opinion . . .

Steve

Thank you very much! I must agree with others here that I am not the best (by a long shot) at design. This is very helpful though. I think I will try to look at it like this and see what I can come up with.

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BizQ

10 years ago

The design will work well for your target audience. It doesn't need to be slick and fancy. It needs to be simple and "trustworthy". If this was a tee shirt shop or something then my answer might be different. But the design will work well.

As for some other aspects of your site, I will keep those comments to myself but you did lose that trustworthy factor on one of your pages. I am in your target audience by the way.

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jbearnolimits

10 years ago

Originally Posted by BizQ

The design will work well for your target audience. It doesn't need to be slick and fancy. It needs to be simple and "trustworthy". If this was a tee shirt shop or something then my answer might be different. But the design will work well.

As for some other aspects of your site, I will keep those comments to myself but you did lose that trustworthy factor on one of your pages. I am in your target audience by the way.

I am curious as to the loss of trust. I am about to send you a PM and would like to speak with you about it.

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Jordan Stark

10 years ago

You need to make it mobile and yes, it is a bit dated if you are looking to attract any demographic other than the 50+ crowd. You also need to make it mobile compatible and responsive. I recommend using wordpress and improving your skills or paying someone that knows what they are doing. Good effort but you are going to have to do more than pray for a site like that to convert. I suggest seeking professional web designers and hiring a marketing team.

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Ghoster

10 years ago

The design is very dated, as others have noted.

Your tagline, "Reaching the lost through teaching the saved how to be the church" is a bit awkward. Read it out loud.

Also...honor god through giving (to your site)? Not sure that's what I would lead with.

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DavidTile

10 years ago

Still looking dated as of today. I'd also say that your color palette is too dark -- especially for a religious web site. Go for bright colors, sunshine, trees blooming flowers, etc.

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youvana

10 years ago

It's easy to make assumptions,just because someone is older does not mean that they know diddly squat, and I don't think that anyone here was recommending bells and whistles just a clean minimalist design. Those people who want to get left behind with poor outdated designs that do not cater for emerging mobile platforms, just go ahead. You remember what happened to the dinosaurs don't you?

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