How to avoid the biggest time waster of building a website!

OurChurch.Com has been serving Christians since 1996. During this time, we have learned many things. We have learned that in the world of the web, things change as quickly as the hands on a clock. However, during the last 17 years there is something that has not changed at all when building a website. What is this one thing that has stood the test of time?

Creating content always takes much longer than you anticipate.

So what can you do to prevent this from happening? Below are 5 steps you can take to ensure your content will be ready on time.

1. Set goals. Before starting the process of building a new website, your web team must set goals for the website. Among all the goals should be a launch date of the website. To launch your website by this date, all the content will need to be created well in advance to that date.
2. Delegate but not too much. One of the consistent issues I hear clients share with me is that they are waiting for other staff or volunteers to send them content for part of the website. The more people you share the burden with, the easier the load. However, the more people that share the workload, the higher the chances are that someone will be late in getting their work done.
3. Set deadlines and get commitments. A goal without a deadline is simply a dream. Setting deadlines for when content is to be created and delivered, give motivation to get the work done on time. In addition to setting deadlines, get commitments (verbally or in writing) from those creating content. It is amazing that when someone says or writes that they will have something done by a certain date; they are more likely to complete the work on time.
4. Define how the content will be delivered. In addition to defining what content needs to be created, be clear about how the content will be delivered. Will it be created using MS Word or Google Docs? What format and size do the images need to be? How will all the content be gathered? Will it be emailed or be shared using Google Drive or Dropbox. Define all of these prior to giving the assignments of content.
5. Don’t insist on “perfect” content. Many times I hear clients talk about how they are waiting for the perfect picture for the website, or that they are re-writing text for the website because it wasn’t exactly how they thought it should be. Granted, a website’s content should not be poor or filled with grammatical or spelling errors, nor should pictures be of poor quality. However, don’t wait to launch your website because the content isn’t perfect. After you launch the site, you can always go back and modify the content of your site.

What do you think of these steps? Do you have any other suggestions of how to prevent a delay in creating content?

Mark Steinbrueck

President at OurChurch.Com

Mark has served as the President of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, leading the Custom Website and Sales departments with dedication and expertise.

Over the years, he has managed hundreds of custom website, graphic design, and marketing projects for churches, non-profits, businesses, and schools.

Beyond his professional work, Mark is deeply committed to serving his community. He coordinates and packs over 700 meals each week for children through One Community Now’s Pack A Sack for Kids program, volunteers in the Children’s Ministry at Generations Christian Church, and participates in a weekly Bible study.