Criteria used to review
church websites

Site Necessities:

• Does it have the congregation’s name, address, contact information?
• Is there an email link to someone at the church in addition to the webmaster – an email link that works and is answered?
• Is the service schedule prominently displayed and easy to understand?
• Is there a mission, vision, or belief statement -- including a link to an official denominational page if affiliated?
• Is there an indication of when the site was last updated?
• Does the site have a way to report errors/ask questions/provide feedback?
• Is it obvious who is responsible for the site and is there a way to contact the web committee or team?

Purpose – Audience

• Who is the audience? Is there a balance between the site addressing the needs of the visitor and the member
• Is there an overuse of religious or denominationally-specific jargon?
• Does the site look distinctive and yet remain appropriate to the audience and the congregation’s mission?

Style

• Does the home page load quickly?
• Is the home page welcoming and inviting?
• Are the pages interesting and intriguing to the visitor?
• Is there a consistent use of font, colors, layout?
• Does the site maintain a standard link protocol, with a different color to set it apart from the text and are the links underlined?
• Does the site use frames, and if so are they used in a way that does not detract from, but enhances the site’s content?

Content:

• Does the site provide useful, substantive content about the congregation and its programs?
• Does the text describe the uniqueness of the congregation?
• Does the text appear interesting – with text pages not too long, broken into short paragraphs with headings, bullets, and a enough white space?
• On long sections of text, are there "up" buttons?
• Are there spelling and grammar errors?
• Is the content up to date?
• Is there a search feature?
• Are there broken links?
• Are there often updated features which make it worthwhile to come back for? Is it clear when these features are updated?
• Does the page have copyright information, if necessary?
• Are there links to Facebook, Twitter and other social media efforts of the congregation?

Design:

• Is the page fast loading?
• Does it look good in different browsers, different font and screen sizes?
• Is the page designed for a screen resolution of 480x640?
• Is the page designed for easy printing?
• Is there a clean or cluttered look to the site?
• Is there enough contrast between the text and the background?
• Do the most important items on the homepage catch your attention first?
• Are there blinking, scrolling, animated, or flashing items? Do they enhance or detract from the page’s content?
• Is there a good balance between text and images?
• Does the site contain sound or video, and if so does it enhance the site?
• Does the site use the latest technologies, and if so do they add to or detract from the site?

Navigation:

• Is the site logical, intuitive and easy to navigate?
• Is there a consistent navigation scheme repeated on each page?
• Does the home page offer several ways to get around the site?
• Does the opening page pull visitors in with interesting material?
• Are there dead-end pages – where the only way to get back to a previous section is to use the browser’s "back" button?
• Are there pages "under construction?"
• Are there too many shallow pages – without enough text to stand alone?
• If using graphic navigation buttons, are there text alternatives provided as well?
• Is there a search feature and/or a site map?

Advertising/icons/hyperlink lists:

• Are there ads, and if so are these advertising banners tasteful and nonobtrusive?
• Are there logo icons as links to other sites, and are these nonobtrusive?
• Are the ads/logo icons labeled as links to someone else’s site?
• Do the hyperlinks open up a new window or pop-up windows?

Graphics:

• Are there too many graphics
• Are the size of images specified?
• Are there alt tags for the images?
• Are thumbnails provided for large images, and warnings about the size of very large images?

Ministry & Mission:

• Does the web site enhance the ministry of the church or just advertise it?
• Does it assume that only believers/or only unbelievers will visit the site?
• Are there evangelistic features on the site?
• Are there tools (newsletters, calendar of events, contact names, prayer request section) for the members?
• Are there features (area map, driving directions, photo of the church, building map, frequently asked questions, nursery contacts) for potential visitors?
• Are there unique ways for the membership to stay in touch (email addresses of missionaries, email or web based versions of the newsletter, church school schedule, chat rooms, bulletin boards)?
• Are there sections of the site that are just for (or even done by) the children and youth?
• Are there sections of the site targeted to other distinctive groups in the congregation?
• Are the ministries and support groups of the congregation listed with descriptions and contact information?
• Are the hyperlinks to external sites helpful, annotated and consistent with the vision/mission of the congregation?

Are there links to other helpful organizations such as local town resources, denominational sites, theological or biblical sites, parachurch or resource sites, or web browsing assistance sites?

Check out our Mosque website evaluation criteria page.