Calvary Hanford

[genepensiero]

hey everybody.

would love any thoughts, critique or input on our current site design:

calvaryhanford.com

we use wordpress as a CMS.

outside evaluation is important!

thanks.

[churchtech007]

I'm not a big fan of the orange unless it's the color in your logo or something, maybe just a personal preference though.
I like the list on the side, would be nice if you could condense it some, it's a lot of content. Maybe just put the "essentials" on the side and put the rest up top.
And since you asked , the church at the bottom is pretty cheesy. The rest of the site looks pretty current and up to date and that takes me back to 2002 when I designed my first site. ( ahhhh, good times)

Hope that helps

[genepensiero]

churchtech007 -
thanks for the feedback!

[mickmel]

A few random thoughts:

1 -- I didn't see a single person on the site. Lots of great graphics, but no smiling faces. Feels kind of cold.

2 --Why isn't any of your Twitter info on the "contact us" page?

3 -- Does the church not have a Facebook Page or Google+ Page?

4 -- Embed a real Google Map on the "when and where" page instead of a screenshot; much easier for us Android folks to star it and have it handy in the car.

5 -- I have no idea what to expect from your worship service. Traditional? More contemporary? Should I wear a suit or jeans?

(I just found the answer, but it was tucked away under the very subtle "?" icon in the corner)

Hope that helps.

[genepensiero]

--
great feedback guys. thanks for giving me stuff to think about.

[rjwalker]

I liked the overall look and feel. As an older person with older eyesight, I especially appreciated the type size and clean layout!

OYOH: The changing text display when cursoring over "When and Where" and "Serve at Calvary" and some others bugged me, especially when held just to left causing rapid flickering.

Why no side bar navigation menu on the "Serve @ Calvary" page?

Why no link to the Home page on the other pages?

And FWIW (and it is worth at least as much as you have paid for these comments <G>): my view on web site construction is based on my understanding that new visitors will spend only a few seconds at a "new site" looking for whether the organization will meet their needs.

I believe the home page should immediately show (in general terms) what the needs the organization meets -- if you grab the visitor's attention, then (and only then) will they drill down for addition info. Otherwise, they're often off to the next site their search turned up.

And web statistics tend to show that most people don't scroll down a page unless they are really motivated to. On the "When and Where" page I'd move the service times up on the page.

And remember the old marketing slogan: "Features tell, benefits sell." E.g., don't say "we've got a great community." Say something like: "Our community is active in growing food for the local food bank, religious missions to X and medical missions to Y...."

Or: "we seek a worship that is simple" = Feature - doesn't tell me anything
"a worship that is pure" = feature - same as above
"a worship that glorifies Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth" = OK, yes now you're telling me something*

(Apologies to any who take offense at the idea that we are engaged in marketing on behalf of our churches and/or our God. I think that is exactly what we are doing.... Your mileage may vary.)

(Psss, BTW, if I never see the words "God's amazing plan..." God's awesome plan..." it will be too soon.)

= = =
*BTW - semi-heterodoxy soapbox: That line suggests (hints) that you folks are a Jesus-centric church, not a God the father-centric church.

When I was looking for a new church a few years ago, a starting criteria was one with a contemporary service. I'd ask if the worship team ever did "The Heart Of Worship" with the line "It's all about You, Jesus." (Ironically, I ended up at a church with a pretty traditional service because of the demonstrated commitment of the congregation to bringing about God's heaven here on earth and the theology of learning, thoughtfulness and of question asking.)

A "yes" answer to "The Heart Of Worship" would steer me to the door. Personally, I read John 14:6 as Jesus telling us He was all about God: "no one comes to the Father but through me."

Again, your mileage may vary....