Does your church website seem rather bland? Is it all work and no play, at least no play button that is?
If your church rarely uses images and videos on your site, you could be driving visitors away. No matter how engaging the textual content might be, you need visual media on your church website.
Sound ridiculous? Think about how you engage with content online. You’re more likely to watch a quick video than consume a long-form blog post with no images.
Keeps Members Caught Up
One of the most important reasons to include media on your church website is to keep members caught up. They can’t attend every week, but your church website is the perfect place to ensure they don’t miss anything. Consider putting up videos of your sermons and special events. You could even consider live streaming, especially for members who are no longer able to attend.
Of course, this isn’t just for your members. Having your sermons online instantly shows potential visitors what their own experience in your church might be like.
People Love Watching Videos
There’s no denying it, people love watching videos. After all, look how much more popular TV is over reading a book. It’s stimulating with both audio and visual elements. Video traffic is expected to account for 80% of Internet traffic by 2019. If your church website is sans video, you won’t be competitive against churches who do add video to their sites.
The human brain is wired to learn best through storytelling. Adding visuals to that, such as videos, helps the brain process data 60,000 times faster than with text alone. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that sites with videos are 50 times more likely to make it to the first page of Google.
Breaks Up Text
Remember when you were a kid and loved books with pictures in them? It wasn’t just about having a pretty picture. In fact, those images helped you better connect with the text. The same holds true with your church’s content. Instead of having a 1,000 word blog post of just text, break it up with a few images. Suddenly, the reader’s eye gets a break from the text and they have an image to tie in with the text.
This makes reading a more enjoyable experience. It’s just like being a kid all over again. If you put in short video clips that expand upon your point, it’s even better. You don’t have to give up on text, but adding media on your church website makes the text easier to absorb.
Showcases More Personality
How often have you heard someone say they weren’t sure how to interpret the tone behind a text message? Something as simple as “have a nice day” could be said with a dozen different tones, all meaning something different. When you add in image and videos, you’re able to put a personality and tone behind your words.
For instance, a blog post might come off as sounding judgmental, but if you upload a related sermon, readers might discover that instead of being judgmental, you’re trying to be helpful. People want to know more about the person behind the text. Having videos and images help to showcase your personality and the personality of your church.
Makes Content More Engaging Overall
Of course, you want your website to be engaging. Think about the difference between a black and white newspaper and a colorful magazine. Both might have similar content, but which one is more engaging? Your church’s site doesn’t have to seem like an outdated black and white newspaper. When you have engaging content like videos, people retain 95% of the message versus just 10% with text.
Adding media on your church website also helps keep them on your site. In fact, people spend 88% more time on a site that has video. If you want to get your message across and keep visitors exploring your church’s site, media isn’t optional – it’s a necessity.
Add videos, social media feeds, podcasts, images and more. A diverse set of media is the ideal way to make your site far more engaging.
Could your church website use a media overall? Contact us today to learn how we can help you create a better church website.
About The Author
