Questions You Should Be Asking About Your Church Website and Blog

Has it been a while since your parish really discerned its online presence?

Is your website, blog, and/or social media account outdated or languishing in disuse?

Do your parishioners struggle to connect with your Catholic church via your digital platforms?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes — or even a hesitant “Maybe?” — it might be time to reexamine how your parish presents itself online. It’s crucial for any organization to be able to connect virtually with its community, and this has never been truer for churches. 

How can you make sure your parish isn’t being left in the digital dust? Here are some questions to ask yourself if you think it might be time for an online refresh and when you decide it's time for a new or updated website for your parish our in-house team of website designers are ready to help! Learn about WeConnect, our powerful and easy-to-use website builder here and get more information about how we can design you an incredible new parish website here! 

7 Questions to Ask For a Better Parish Website & Blog 

1. How many unique visits does your website see in a day, a week or a month?
How has that number changed over time, and how does it compare to the number of people registered to your parish?

2. How do your parishioners access information they want, and how do they connect with the outside world?
If your typical parishioner was going to see a movie, how would they find out the showtimes? Would they pull out their smartphone and open an app, would they consult the newspaper, or would they call the theater? If they were going to get in touch with a friend, how would they do that? Would they send a text or a Facebook message? An email? Would they call them?

3. What does the demographic make-up of your parish look like?

Think about statistics like median age and income. How many of your parishioners have access to the internet at home? How many utilize mobile devices like smartphones? How many have a Facebook account?

4. Who is your website for?
Is it primarily to connect your parishioners with information and resources, or is it also to introduce newcomers and visitors to your mission statement and programming? Are you hoping to grow parish membership by revamping your online presence?

If your parish has a blog or social media account, identify four or five simple goals that can help to “brand” these platforms and to dictate the messaging shared through them. Are they meant to be a hub of information? A snapshot of parish life, a place where the story of the parish is told? A tool of evangelization? A mechanism for the dissemination of news?

5. How are you managing your social media?
Are you utilizing an app like Hootsuite , Sprout or Buffer to help make the most of your time and your posts? Do you have access to excellent Catholic parish social media tools like WeCreate and its monthly social media content library found inside? Are you up to date on parish social media best practices?

6. What are the needs, expectations and wants of your parishioners?
Consider using a service like SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics to gauge the kind of digital engagement your members would benefit from. Ask questions about their online habits, their information consumption, and their social networking.

7. What would a stranger’s impression of your parish be if they viewed your webpage, blog and/or social media accounts?
What do you want it to be? Are you projecting an image that is vibrant, engaged, and innovative? They say dress for the job you want — have the online presence of the parish you want to be! We dive deeper into what different types of visitors might be looking for on your parish website and how to capture their attention in our article: "Identify Your Parish’s Web Audience and Give Them What They Want."

Dive deeper into world of parish websites by checking out LPi's  "Web and Social Media" section of our weekly blog or head over to our free, comprehensive guide to creating and maintaining a parish website.

Updated on 10-24-2024