Writing Text for Church Websites
If you invite search engines to index your site (and why wouldn't you?), any page that is indexed is a potential entry point for a visitor. But it is accepted and understood that your site will have a structure, and that there will be preferred entry points (the home page, the 'top' pages of the main sections) which will set the context for a visitor to the site.
Get your key messages across clearly and concisely. Don't write long sentences. Avoid jargon if at all possible. (Do you know when you're using jargon? If in doubt, ask a new Christian.) Sub-edit ruthlessly, or get someone else to do it for you. Always have your audience in mind.
Break up text with appropriate images, avoid long paragraphs, and if you do have to write more than a few words, use typographic devices such as bold text to help people pick out key points.
In longer pages (not your entry points), list devices like sets of bullet points and boxed text can also help to break things up and make them more readable on screen.
Last updated: May 2008