Posted on September 25, 2018Think of your homepage as akin to the cover of a book. Much like how an appealing cover entices a reader to start reading, your homepage serves to encourage website visitors to dive in for more information.
Events on your homepage act as a notification – hey! check out this great program. The goal is to get your readers to take action by clicking into the website to learn more. Don’t give away all details on the homepage. It takes up too much space and clutters the homepage with excessive and unnecessary information.
Promoting events is a big deal and many synagogues support them by creating individual flyers. These flyers often feature bright text and engaging images. As individual hand-outs, something for members to take home with them after services, these flyers are fine. But, the trouble begins when they are added to a synagogue’s homepage in mass. This tendency to reduce the size of these flyers, convert them into images and add them to the homepage is something that we’d like to see synagogues abandon. Learn more about why event flyers and synagogue homepages don’t mix.
If you are feeling stuck, reach out to your website designer (or us) for help in determining the best place for events. It’s important to have consistency – both for your visitors and for the overall aesthetic of your website.
This ensures a nice contrast between the title and event details.
Please don’t add a thumbnail size flyer in support of the event. You can use an image from the original flyer, but be wary of graphics that are totally off-brand and different from the fonts and colors used on your website. Ideally, all marketing materials (including your website, printed flyers, emails, etc.) should be designed around a compatible look and a similar theme.
It’s ok to include the event date, time and location, but resist the urge to go further. Be selective and concise with the event information you choose to share on your homepage. Adding tons of details takes up too much room and is not necessary.
Use text that directly speaks to the reader. Words like “Join Us,” “Discover,” or “Participate” are much stronger than “click here for more info.” Another option is to use the title text as a link.
Resist the temptation to take a shortcut by linking to a full-size version of the flyer! Instead, transfer flyer info a web page or calendar event. Now is the time for details that go beyond the basics of event time and location- things like contact information, the day’s schedule, info on the speaker, and so on.
This is no longer a luxury or a nice, wishlist item. It’s a must for every synagogue. If your website designer is telling you that they don’t have such a feature, or it will cost a lot of money to add, you may want to think about a new website.
Work with your website developer or designer to directly feed events to your homepage. An automated set up pushes the event title, the date/time, and image to a designated spot on your homepage. Events always link to the main calendar. Best of all, calendar events are sent to your homepage and to your website calendar at the same time – a welcome time-saving set-up.
Our simple strategy is based on industry best practices and ensures that your synagogue’s website meets modern-day web standards. It also makes for a more professional homepage and helps with SEO – an all-around win.
We are here to answer any questions you may have about Addicott Web, our services, or how we can design and build an affordable new website for your synagogue. Let’s talk.
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Hirsch has been working professionally with websites since 2001, working exclusively in, and focusing on, the Jewish community. Hirsch offers a wide range of website knowledge to his synagogue web design clients from his years of experience working in the Jewish community. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
