I've been putting in hours on this tool over the past few weeks.As a part of this project, I've visited a. lot. of church websites. Unless I can figure out how to automate this process, I'll be getting around to all 1,200. Maybe yours is next π I've noticed: many, if not most, of the websites I've visited are relatively empty. There is usually a homepage with less than 25 words of basic info, a single sentence or graphic for an upcoming special event, and a Contact page. I don't fault anyone for this. It's challenging to come up with a full website's worth of content on the spot. And once your site is live, it's tough to find time to go back and make additions. If you're looking to beef up your website to give potential visitors a better idea of who you are, here's a full sitemap that won't take more than an afternoon to put together. Above the website header: Create an announcement bar that highlights whatever is most time-sensitive. This is just a simple 75-pixel colored bar with a single line of text. (Ex: Christmas Eve Worship at 7 p.m. | Click for details) β Home
β About
β Worship & Study
β Events
β Contact
β 404 β Privacy/Terms β In the website footer: Call-to-action (usually: Sign up for emails/SMS) β In case you're going to use AI to help you along, paste this prompt before the content above:
"I'm writing content for my church's website. Here is the sitemap, along with a description of each of my desired sections. Before generating website copy, ask me 10 clarifying questions that will enable you to write accurate content with the correct tone, community context, and theological backing."
Any other sections on your current website that I should add to this structure? Let me know! Until next week, |
I offer digital marketing education written with ministry in mind. Subscribe to my free, weekly newsletter to learn something new every Friday.
This is one of those things that feels illegal to know. Today I want to take a minute to highlight a resource I use regularly in my work that, somehow, I've never shared with you. π§ Keep reading for 3 applications you can use this week. Click to go to Answerthepublic.com This website crawls both search engines and, nowadays, AI models to display what people are looking for related to any given topic. It's super interesting and super free. (The advanced plan is paid but I've never found it...
If I know anything about you... ...you're coming leadership conference in a little over a week. πππ Pin this email to the top of your inbox so it's handy when you're ready to jot down your goals over a little Chicago cocktail. πππ Not coming to Leadership Conference? We'll miss you! I think you'll still like this, though, so keep reading... Back in 2023, I was impressed by the number of actionable tools and tactics shared in just the five breakouts I attended at Leadership Conference. That's...
You don't have a system if it's not written down. Let's start 2026 strong with a clear direction and system for communicating online and in print! Take 45 minutes to sit down with my new Brand Direction template. This is NOT just a brand guide: there may be some sections you aren't expecting π I created a one-page template for you to use as you refresh your approach in the new year. It's similar to my old brand guide with a few new (and critical) sections added. Click here to make a copy on...