Form View: Diagnostic Website Evaluation

Company/Organization: 26|8
Website Address: http://www.268church.org

Evaluation Prepared By: Matt Stanley, Founder & President of Oasis Interactive

Metric 1 of 3: Usability

Is the overall visual experience soothing and comfortable instead of overwhelming due to excessive content and/or features? Yes
Does the website balance text and images effectively by using both to break up the content and make it easy to read and comprehend? No
The home page has an excessive amount of white space above and below the animated circles which link to sub-sections of the website. Additionally, almost every page of content is too text-heavy, containing almost no photos or artwork. The site would be more interesting and engaging if visual elements (photography, infographics, etc.) were added to complement the text.
Is the text easy to read (scan through easily and understand quickly)? Yes
Is the navigation functional, logical (intuitive) and consistent from one page of the site to the next? No
While the navigation bar is the same on every page, the top-level items are not consistent, creating confusion for website visitors. Some of them (i.e. "Jesus," "Engage," and "Give") can be clicked to go to specific content pages. The others aren't clickable at all, however, or they just reload the active page ("About," "Visit," and "Teachings").

All top-level navigation items should be clickable and go to a new page. If there's no page to link to then that content should be created, or the entire section should be re-tooled as needed.
Can you get to any page on the site in three clicks or less? Yes
Can you find the content you’re looking for easily without having to explore the entire website? Yes
Is all of the important content visible “above the fold?” No
"The fold" is a marketing term that originated in the print industry; specifically newspapers that folded in half. The reality of "the fold" remains very relevant in today's Internet-centric culture, however. Your website should be designed in such a way that you are conscious of how your visitors are interacting with each page and its content.

Where the Calls to Action (CTAs) fall on each page and how you communicate why visitors should "engage" with your fellowship should be determined after considering two primary factors:
1. Your intended/target audience, and
2. How simple or complex your value proposition is.
Statistics have shown that modern website visitors are happy to scroll down the page if the following conditions have been met in regards to the content and design element(s) above the fold:
1. It piques their interest and presents a compelling reason to do so.
2. It's clear that there is more information to be consumed.
The most important page on any website is the home page, because it gets the lion's share of traffic. Visitors to your site will decide to stay and digest additional content or "bounce" (leave entirely without clicking on anything) within 3-5 seconds based on the first impression as experienced on the home page. Most of your website subpages do a better job of this, but your home page contains no compelling, substantive content above the fold. Three circular, clickable links make it obvious which pages you want to draw attention to, but you have to click on them before any text is displayed.

My specific recommendation for making your website more effective is to do the following for each page, starting with the home page:
1. Decide what specific message you want to communicate "above the fold."
2. Develop content that conveys that message in the most concise and compelling way possible.
3. Incorporate strong copy and visuals to tell a story around the message that engages the viewer's emotions.
4. Test each page on a variety of different devices and screen sizes to make sure the most important information is visible above the fold.
For much more thorough information on how the fold can affect conversion as well as fascinating statistics and suggestions related to the subject, I recommend that you read the following blog posts from industry leaders:

http://conversionxl.com/above-the-fold/

https://moz.com/blog/life-above-and-beyond-the-fold

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/page-fold-manifesto/

http://vanseodesign.com/web-design/above-the-fold/

You should also check out how your page renders using the "WhereIsTheFold" tool at the following URL:

http://whereisthefold.com/268church.org
Is contact information, such as a phone number, mailing address, and “send us e-mail” form prominently displayed or easy to find? No
This is one of the biggest and most frequently expressed frustrations consumers have about websites. The more difficult it is to get in touch with the organization through their website, the less likely a prospect is to convert.

I recognize that you are a church, so words like "prospect," "CTA," "USP," and "conversion" may be foreign to you, but the concepts these phrases convey are entirely relevant, and they should be considered when building your new website.

The phone number, office address, and email contact form are all contained on the "Contact Us" page, but that page is not linked to directly on the top level navigation bar. Instead, it's a sub-navigation item under "Visit." The "Contact Us" link is also included in the footer navigation links, but that's buried at the bottom of every page in very small font, and easily overlooked.

I recommend making the phone number much more prominent (in the header area), and adding a link to the "Contact Us" page directly on the top-level navigation bar.
Can you use the website without having to install any plugins or ActiveX controls? Yes
Are all of the site’s hyperlinks clear and obvious? No
Some links on the site are quite obvious because the font is in a different color or underlined (email hyperlinks on "What To Expect" and links under "Find Out More..." on the "Location | Time: page). Other links aren't obvious at all, however (all links in footer navigation bar). Every hyperlink on the website should be clear and consistent, regardless of which page it appears on.
Is the website devoid of an initial Flash or splash page? No
A "splash" page has been put up at the initial domain, and shows before the website itself loads. While I can appreciate the fact that this makes its content very prominent, I don't think that's the most effective way to handle notifying visitors of important news/info. A better solution would be to have a "breaking news" section on the home page that highlights that kind of information. Every extra click you make someone complete reduces the likelihood that they will stay on the website to spend time reading its content and eventually connect with your fellowship.
Are multimedia elements (such as music, animation and/or video, if any) implemented in an unobtrusive manner that allows visitors control over how/if they are displayed? Yes / Not Applicable
Do all external website links and/or PDF documents (if any) open in a new window instead of the active one? Yes / Not Applicable
Does the site work properly and look good in Google Chrome? Yes
Does the site work properly and look good in Mozilla Firefox? Yes
Does the site work properly and look good in Internet Explorer/Edge? Yes
Does the site render properly on mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets? No
I tested your website on a variety of devices and screen sizes, and the experience on anything smaller than a desktop or laptop PC was pretty frustrating. The theme is not responsive, so the website content and design do not automatically adapt to the screen size of the device in use. This is a real nuisance.

Click on the following link to view the diagnostic results from Google's Webmaster Tools for 268church.org: Mobile-Friendly Test

As mobile device technology has improved in quality and decreased in price, the number of people who use smartphones and tablets as their primary web surfing device has skyrocketed. Increasingly tech-savvy Internet users have little or no patience for sites that don't look great on small screens. View the following links for the most current statistics on smartphone usage for web search:
- W3Counter.com: Browser & Platform Market Share (April 2017)
- StatCounters.com: Desktop vs Mobile vs Tablet Market Share Worldwide (April 2016 to April 2017)
The engineers at Google have always written their search algorithm based on the prime directive of pairing the most accurate content with each web search. Over time that algorithm has evolved exponentially past just delivering accurate results to its users, however. The search engine now factors in much more criteria including social media activity, link and domain authority, page load speed, and - you guessed it - responsive design.

Websites that don't render properly on mobile devices are penalized in their database and search results. From Google's perspective, if mobile search is on the rise and desktop search is declining, then Internet users place a high value on responsive design so they rank sites accordingly.

The fact that Google places such a high priority on responsive web design is reason enough to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. There are several other advantages worth considering, however, and the following articles provide additional detail on this subject:
- HubSpot.com: 6 Undeniable Reasons Why Your Website Should Be Responsive
- SearchEngineWatch.com: 3 Reasons Why Responsive Web Design is the Best Option For Your Mobile SEO Strategy
- HuffingtonPost.com: How Important Is Responsive Design?
Your website needs to be rebuilt on a responsive framework so you have only one code base to maintain which will render beautifully on every screen size, not just desktops.
Does the website load quickly? No
This question is very technical, and must be answered objectively based on diagnostic data. While your site isn't terribly slow, there is definitely room for improvement. Website coding techniques and server-side hosting technologies can be easily leveraged to make your website load much more quickly than it is now.

Every site we build is engineered to load as quickly as possible so your search engine rankings aren't negatively impacted and your visitors have a great experience no matter what kind of device or Internet access speed they are using.

Refer to the Supporting Documentation below for some speed/performance reports on your existing website.

Usability Summary

Total Points: 19 | Points Earned: 10 | Equivalent Score: 53 | Usability Grade: F

Summary Comments:

There are a few things that need some work on your website, as identified above. A complete redesign with WordPress using a responsive theme, good content, and performance-driven SEO goals would greatly improve the effectiveness of 268church.org, especially considering your long-term goals.

Supporting Documentation:
https://theweboasis.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/6/GTmetrix-report-268church.org-20170522T142605-S4Jxo7fn-full-1.pdf, https://theweboasis.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/6/WebPageTest.com-Test-Result-268church.org-170522_3E_1GNS-1.pdf, https://theweboasis.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/6/PageSpeed-Insights-268church.org-MOBILE-2017-05-22-1.pdf, https://theweboasis.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/6/PageSpeed-Insights-268church.org-DESKTOP-2017-05-22-1.pdf, https://theweboasis.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/6/Pingdom-Website-Speed-Test-268church.org-2017-05-22-1.pdf

Metric 2 of 3: Professionalism

Is the website modern instead of looking outdated? No
The website would benefit greatly from a redesign that takes advantage of more modern techniques and vibrant visuals
Does the combination of colors in use on the site look attractive? Yes
Does the website prominently display a professionally designed company logo and is it linked to the website home page? Yes
Do the colors in use on the site complement the logo and reinforce the corporate brand (if it contains one)? Yes / Not Applicable
Does the site contain only professional-looking pictures and graphics instead of clipart or amateur animation (if it's not a text-only site)? Yes / Not Applicable
Is the photography and artwork on the website crisp and clean instead of blurry or pixelated (if it's not a text-only site)? Yes / Not Applicable
Do all of the website pages contain polished, finished content instead of blank pages or those that are “under construction?” Yes
Does the website contain professional, well-written text that is free of typos and grammatical errors? Yes
Does the site contain only working links and/or functionality? No
The "Location | Time" page (under Visit in the navigation bar) has a link to "Vision" under the "Find Out More..." headline which is broken. That link shoudld be changed to point to the new URL.
Do all site features seem to serve a business purpose? Yes
Is the website devoid of antiquated and problematic technology such as frames? Yes

Professionalism Summary

Total Points: 11 | Points Earned: 9 | Equivalent Score: 82 | Professionalism Grade: B-

Summary Comments:

The website is very professional, and with a redesign that takes the above referenced issues into consideration it would easily score an A+.

Supporting Documentation:

Metric 3 of 3: Marketing Effectiveness & Integration

Does the website content (text, photos, artwork, and multimedia elements) engage you on a personal level and create a sense of warmth, safety and comfort? Does it sell using emotion (personal benefits) instead of just facts (features)? No
Your website contains lots of good theological content as well as a decent articulation of the Messianic movement in general. What it lacks is clear storytelling that captures your heart for the lost and your brothers and sisters in Christ. After spending several hours with you during our meetings I had a clear sense of your vision, purpose, and distinctive characterists as part of the body of Christ. Very little of that comes through on your website, however. When you redesign the site you shoudld start with the four main things you want the website to accomplish and build the scope of work (content pages, functionality, design) around it. Your home page should contain real content that keeps your visitors engage beyond the initial 3-5 second attention span of most people so they stay on the site and eventually "convert." Your site should provoke an emotional response and compel them to take some kind of action.
Does the website content make a compelling case for doing business with them by explaining what sets them apart from their competitors? Is the unique selling position (USP) clear and compelling? No
You are a church, not a business, but you still have a USP and that could be much more clearly expressed through the website. Find a way to concisely and persuasively explain what that is on the site, and your visitors will recognize that it matters are respond accordingly.
Does the site contain fresh content (material that has been added in the last 12 months or less)? Yes
Does the text motivate you to buy through a clear and persuasive call-to-action (CTA)? No
As far as I can tell, the "Engage" link on your site navigation bar is your CTA. I think a large part of the reason why I know that is because we have spent so much time together discussing it, however. That link doesn't stand out as much as it probably should, so when you redesign the site you should find a way to make it stand out from the other website content and features.
Does the website have unique and search engine-friendly URLs? Yes
Does the website have a sitemap? Yes
Does the website have keyword-rich title tags? No
The website text was obviously written without Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind. In our meetings, SEO was repeatedly referenced as a very high priority, however. When you invest the money and time into rebuilding the website you should ensure that every aspect of every page (content, meta tags, images, markup, etc.) is engineered with both Google's search algorithm and human beings in mind. Writing good pages that are both search engine-optimized and useful for normal people is a great challenge, but not impossible. Making this investment is a important and it should yield a high ROI.
Does the website have valuable, keyword-optimized content? No
Good (effective) SEO is a comprehensive process that involves much more than just title tags and on-page content. Many different disciplines and techniques converge on a well-performing page to attain high rankings. The redesigned site should be built with these things in mind.
Can the website be found in search engines by using their business name? Yes
Does the site use an e-newsletter or alternate opt-in tool (i.e. e-book, white paper, research report, etc.) to engage each visitor as a prospective client? No
While you are not a for-profit, retail business, your target audience is still a consumer in search of something specific that only you can provide. Whether it's a free podcast they can subscribe to, a newsletter they can opt into, or streaming video courses they can watch, you should offer some item(s) of value that helps you capture information about the people who are visiting your website. That contact information can be used to follow-up with them and help you accomplish the objectives of your website. Your site has an archive of sermons people can listen to, but I think you could be much more proactive in engaging your visitors to make the website more relevant to them.
Does the website contain a form to request a quote or ask for more information? Yes
Does the site contain video content to capture visitor attention and interest? No
Effective video is an extremely valuable form of media that has been proven to accomplish the following:
- Increase visitor engagement
- Shorten the sales cycle and increase conversion rates
- Improve search engine ranking performance
- Boost the visibility and effectiveness of your social media presence and increase the frequency with which visitors share your content with others on their social networks
There is a lot of solid data that shows how effective video is in regards to boosting revenue. It is a medium that cannot be ignored or neglected because it accounts for an increasingly large percentage of content being consumed online. Read the following articles for some eye-opening statistics about online video and it's role in our increasingly Internet-centric culture:
- 31 Video Marketing Statistics to Inform Your Strategy [Infographic]
- 37 Visual Content Marketing Statistics You Should Know in 2016
- Why online video is the future of content marketing
- The Top 10 Stats from 2015 that Show the Importance of Video Marketing
Good videos aren't just fluffy sales pieces that pat oneself on one's back; they instead add value and convey valuable information to your website audience.

The following is a list of the specific kinds of video content that I think would help make your website more interesting and effective as a marketing tool:
- Intro/welcome/overview video that greets visitors, communicates your USP, and contains a CTA
- Testimonies from members of your congregation who have experienced life-transforming community through your church
- Testimonial videos from people who have converted from false religions (i.e. Mormonism, Islam, etc.) to Christianity
- Teaching series/courses
Does the site capitalize on social media to promote the business and its brand? No
Does the site capitalize on social media to promote the business and its brand?
Social media has transformed the Internet from a glorified online library to a fully interactive, digital community through which all members of society can interact, be entertained, give feedback, and share their unique voice with the world. There isn't a company or organization on the planet that can afford to ignore our culture's interest in and demand for social media engagement. You should be leveraging social media to attract people to your church, support existing members, and share your message. Organizations who are not utilizing social media networks as part of their overall marketing strategy are perceived in our culture as out of touch and irrelevant.

You have an active Facebook page with the new logo, regularly updated content and several 5 star reviews, but you aren't linking to it on your website. You have a 26|8 branded Twitter page, but it has the old logo and no recent activity, and it isn't linked to from your website either.

Social media platforms offer an unparalleled mechanism for getting the biggest bang for your marketing buck, and you should be using every one of them that's appropriate.
Are there links to their social media pages and a "like/share this content" feature?
Does their website have "Review Us" links to social media networks like Google+, Yelp, and Facebook?
Does the website make use of analytics? Yes
Was the website built using a Content Management System (CMS)? Yes

Marketing Effectiveness & Integration Summary

Total Points: 17 | Points Earned: 7 | Equivalent Score: 41 | Marketing Grade: F

Summary Comments:

This third metric is without question the most difficult to do well because many small and even medium sized organizations just don't make it a priority. There IS no "marketing budget" because there is no marketing plan. Marketing is just as important as all the other aspects of running a business, yet it rarely if ever gets the time and attention it deserves compared with everything else. As I said during our meetings, it is impossible to hit a target you cannot see. If you have not specificially defined what your "target" is by defining what success looks like through the lens of your website then you will never experience the kind of results you want.

The following article from Forbes.com provides excellent insight into why a marketing budget is critical, and it also provides practical advice for deciding how to set it:
Marketing Budget For Small Businesses

Supporting Documentation:

OVERALL Website Summary

In the comment fields of this report I've provided feedback and specific advice on how to improve your website. I have also referenced many third-party articles that should help you improve the areas that need work.

Supporting Documentation: