Church Website Design Q&A with Lee Insko of Details Communications

Lee Insko, vice president of Details Communications, is the next Q&A respondent in the Building Rockin’ Cool Church Websites series. I’ve had several phone conversations with Lee and always enjoy his perspective on branding and church marketing/communications.

Here’s his answers:

What’s your company’s mission?

Details mantra is “Your message, made clear.” We are an A-Z creative/marketing agency dedicated to helping churches and Christian organizations communicate clearly, effectively and creatively so that their unique message is heard.

Can you give me some background on how you started doing church web sites?

During the explosion of Web use in the mid-to-late 1990s, Details saw the opportunity for churches to expand their influence and strengthen their communications strategies through a Web site. At that point, Details had already been working with churches for several years in their print media development, so expanding to the Web was a natural decision. Through the experience of designing numerous church sites, Details created the E-Zekiel content management solution for churches to easily create dynamic Web sites. Now separately owned and developed by Axletree Media, E-Zekiel is now widely used by churches and ministries across the world as a back-end Web solution. Today, Details provides custom designs for the E-Zekiel interface for numerous churches and ministries.

What products and services do you specialize in?

We specialize in branding and identity development for churches, para-church ministries, and Christian colleges/seminaries. This includes the creative development of identity campaigns, outreach projects, stewardship initiatives, and more.

What are the basic steps to designing a church site?

The specific steps vary from church to church, depending on the project. For most of our sites, we have defined a process that involves discovery, design, programming, and implementation so that when the site is launched, it is a true reflection of the church’s unique culture and mission. Our process includes a timeline with deadlines for our staff and the church to meet in order to have a timely site launch.

Realistically, how much should a church expect to pay for a top-quality Web site?

There are numerous variables in determining what a church’s investment should be in their Web presence, including the scope of the project (both creative and technical); the number of ministries at the church desiring unique designs; the expectations of Web use within the church and local community, and more.

What church web sites have you done?

Here are a few examples:

www.mountainlakechurch.com

www.c3orlando.com

www.hnw.org

www.biltmorebaptist.org

www.mpfbc.org

What advice do you have for smaller churches who may not have the resources to pay for a full-fledge site design?

The important thing is for the church to 1. establish a Web presence with current content and relevant resources and 2. educate the congregation about the importance and power of a Web site so that they can begin to budget for Web and communication resources on an ongoing basis.

What purpose should Web sites accomplish for churches?

The church Web site is the front door and first impression that many people now have of the church. This is where the first church visit takes place and people decide about making a visit to the physical church. For some churches, it will be primarily a resource for guests because they do not make many online resources available for members or give members any incentive for visiting the site. The key is to find a good balance between guest and member content to keep the site rich and content interactive.

What trends (for good or bad) do you see in church web site design?

The very positive trend that I see is in simplifying content and navigation so that the information is clear and removes any guesswork. Churches that remove the noise and confusion from their sites are the ones that are separating themselves from the average church Web site that is cluttered with content.

What one (or more) Internet technology do you wish more churches would take advantage of?

I find it surprising that most churches are not utilizing e-mail communications to the fullest potential. Sure, it is not the newest technology, but most churches are not giving their members and regular attenders the e-mail correspondence that people have come to expect and are already receiving with their daily newspaper, weather forecast, stock report, favorite team, and more. In addition to the savings in printing and postage, it gives an immediate way to reach people.

How should a church evaluate a prospective web site design firm or designer?

I would ask about the firm’s creative and technical process, their history and experience with similar size churches and projects like yours, some names of client references, and options beyond the Web development.

[Thanks, Lee, keep rockin’ for churches and the Kingdom!]

See all the Q&As in the Building Rockin’ Church Websites here.

December 10, 2006 · Filed Under Q&As, Rockin' Web Sites, Web Site Design