Resources
Thinking about a new website naturally comes with questions – about design, cost, timing, WordPress, ShulCloud, content, support, and what it’s actually like to work together.
Here are answers to some of the questions we hear most often from synagogues considering a new website. And if you don’t see yours here, just ask.
Deciding to redesign your synagogue’s website is a big step. These are some of the questions we hear most often from congregations as they begin thinking about what they need, what they want to improve, and what a new website could do for their community.
Sometimes it’s obvious: your website looks dated, doesn’t work well on mobile devices, or has become difficult for your staff to manage.
Other signs can be less obvious. Members have trouble finding information. Important programs get buried. Prospective members don’t get a clear sense of your community. Staff members avoid making updates because the website is frustrating to use. Or the site simply no longer reflects the synagogue you’ve become.
A new website isn’t just about getting a more modern design. It’s an opportunity to rethink how your synagogue communicates online and create a better experience for your members, prospective members, visitors, and staff.
Absolutely — and your members probably aren’t the only people using it.
Prospective members, families researching religious schools or preschools, newcomers to the area, people looking for services, event attendees, and others may encounter your synagogue for the first time through your website.
And good design isn’t only about how a website looks. It makes information easier to find, helps visitors understand what’s important, and creates a more intuitive experience for everyone who uses it — including your existing members.
Your website can’t create a welcoming synagogue community — but it can do a much better job of showing people the community you already have.
Someone considering your synagogue may spend considerable time exploring your website before ever attending a service or walking through your doors. Your photography, messaging, programs, clergy information, navigation, and overall design all help communicate who you are and what it might feel like to be part of your community.
We design with those prospective members in mind while making sure the website continues to serve the people who already call your synagogue home.
A template starts with a predetermined design and asks you to fit your synagogue into it.
We take the opposite approach.
We start by learning about your congregation — your personality, audiences, priorities, programs, content, and goals — and then design the website around what we learn.
That gives us the freedom to create the right navigation, content structure, visual identity, page layouts, calls to action, and overall experience for your community. The result is a website that feels distinctly like your synagogue, rather than your synagogue’s content placed into someone else’s design.
That depends on your needs.
Many synagogues provide much of their own content because their staff knows their congregation, programs, clergy, history, and community best. But we won’t simply ask you to “send us the content” and leave you to figure everything out on your own.
As we plan your website, we’ll help determine what content is needed, how it should be organized, where existing content can be improved or consolidated, and where something new may need to be written.
The goal is to make the content process manageable while ensuring that the finished website communicates clearly and sounds like your synagogue.
Yes. In most redesign projects, there’s valuable content on the existing website that should carry over to the new one.
But we don’t recommend simply moving everything page-for-page. A website redesign is a great opportunity to evaluate what you have, eliminate outdated or unnecessary material, combine content where appropriate, and organize everything more effectively.
We’ll work with you to determine what should be migrated, what should be revised, and what you may no longer need so the new website starts with a cleaner, more useful content structure.
Absolutely.
If your synagogue already has an established logo, colors, typography, or other brand standards, we can use them as the foundation for the new website and create a design that feels consistent with your existing identity.
And if your branding is less formal — or has evolved over the years without a defined set of standards — we can help establish a cohesive visual direction for the website using the elements you already have.
The goal isn’t to change your synagogue’s identity simply for the sake of creating something new. It’s to present that identity online in a way that feels polished, current, and authentically yours.
Behind every great website is technology that should make things easier — not more complicated. Here are some of the questions we hear about WordPress, ShulCloud, integrations, website management, and the design process.
WordPress gives us the best of both worlds: tremendous flexibility for designing and developing a custom website, along with an intuitive content management system that synagogue staff can use for everyday updates.
We can build around the specific needs of your congregation rather than being limited by a proprietary website platform or predetermined template. And as your synagogue evolves, WordPress gives us the flexibility to expand or adapt your website along with it.
Most importantly, your staff doesn’t need to know how to code. We customize the editing experience to make managing the parts of your website you use most often as straightforward as possible.
Absolutely. Many of the synagogues we work with use WordPress for their public-facing website while continuing to rely on ShulCloud for member accounts, registrations, donations, payments, and other database-driven functionality.
We’ll help determine what belongs on your WordPress website, what should remain in ShulCloud, and how visitors should move between the two as naturally as possible.
This approach lets each platform do what it does best: WordPress provides the flexibility to create a custom, engaging public website, while ShulCloud continues to handle the synagogue management functionality your staff and members rely on.
In most cases, yes.
Synagogues often rely on a variety of third-party platforms for email marketing, calendars, livestreaming, donations, event registration, forms, video, social media, and other needs.
During the planning process, we’ll identify the systems you’re already using and determine the best way for them to work with your new website. Sometimes that means a direct integration; other times it may mean embedding content or creating a seamless pathway between systems.
We’ll recommend the approach that makes the most sense for your staff and the people using your website rather than adding technology simply for technology’s sake.
Yes. That’s one of our priorities.
Your staff shouldn’t need to contact a web developer every time you want to update a page, change a photo, add a program, post an announcement, or make another routine change.
We customize WordPress so the areas your staff updates regularly are easy to manage, without requiring HTML or other technical knowledge.
We’ll also train your team before launch so you’re comfortable managing the new website. And if you ever need help afterward, we’re here.
Absolutely.
We don’t disappear for several months and then surprise you with a finished website.
Design is a collaborative part of our process. After getting to know your synagogue and establishing the goals and structure for the new site, we’ll develop a visual direction for you to review. You’ll have an opportunity to provide feedback and make refinements before we move into full development.
That way, everyone is comfortable with the direction of the website before we begin building it.
Yes. We can host and manage your WordPress website for you, which means you don’t need to find or coordinate with a separate hosting provider.
We’ll handle the technical details involved in setting up the hosting environment and launching your new website, as well as the ongoing server-level infrastructure needed to keep the site online.
If you already have hosting or have specific technical requirements, we can discuss those as part of the planning process and determine the best approach for your project.
Every synagogue website project is different, but there shouldn’t be surprises about how the process works. We’ll establish a clear scope, cost, and project schedule before we begin — and keep you informed along the way.
Because every synagogue and every website is different, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all price.
The cost of your project will depend on factors such as the size and complexity of the website, the functionality you need, integrations with other systems, content requirements, and any special features or technical considerations.
Once we’ve learned about your synagogue, your current website, and what you’d like the new site to accomplish, we’ll define the scope of the project and provide a clear proposal outlining the work and cost.
That way, you’ll know what you’re investing in before the project begins.
Yes, there are some normal ongoing expenses associated with operating a website.
These may include website hosting, domain registration, premium software or third-party services, and any ongoing support or maintenance services you choose.
We’ll identify the anticipated ongoing costs associated with your website before the project begins so you understand what to expect after launch.
Our goal is simple: no surprise expenses and no wondering what you’re paying for.
Most of our synagogue website projects take approximately three months from the beginning of the project through launch.
The exact timeline depends on the size and complexity of the website, the functionality involved, and how quickly we’re able to move through content, design feedback, website review, and approvals.
At the beginning of the project, we’ll establish a schedule with key milestones so you know what’s happening, what comes next, and when we’ll need something from your team.
The biggest variables are usually content, scheduling, feedback, and changes to the project after work has begun.
Gathering copy and photography can sometimes take longer than expected, particularly when information needs to come from multiple staff members, clergy, committees, or departments. Scheduling meetings and gathering consolidated feedback can also affect how quickly we move from one phase to the next.
And sometimes new ideas or requirements emerge during the project. That’s completely normal. We’ll talk through any changes with you, explain how they may affect the schedule, and determine the best way to move forward.
We’ll do our part to keep the project moving and make it clear what we need from your team at each stage. When we both keep the momentum going, we’re much more likely to stay on schedule.
Choosing someone to build your website isn’t only about design and technology. You’re also choosing a team you’ll work closely with throughout the project — and hopefully for years afterward.
Here’s what you can expect when you work with us.
Collaborative, straightforward, and personal.
We bring years of experience designing synagogue websites, but we start by listening. We want to understand your congregation, your goals, your challenges, and what you want your new website to accomplish before we start recommending solutions.
Throughout the project, we’ll communicate clearly, explain our recommendations, keep you informed about what’s happening, and make sure you know what we need from you.
We know websites. You know your synagogue. The best results come from bringing those two perspectives together.
Yes. We’ve worked with synagogues of different sizes, denominations, styles, and traditions across the country.
Some have large professional staffs and extensive programming. Others are smaller communities where a handful of staff members or volunteers wear many hats. Some have complex websites with hundreds of pages and integrations; others need something much simpler.
We don’t believe there’s one kind of website that works for every synagogue. We take the time to understand your particular community and build around what you need.
We’re based in Raleigh, North Carolina, but we work with synagogues and Jewish organizations across the country.
Our clients may be located hundreds or thousands of miles away, but we pride ourselves on providing the same personal, responsive service you’d expect from someone right around the corner.
Yes. We work with synagogues across the country, and our entire process works very well remotely.
Video meetings, screen sharing, email, and other collaborative tools allow us to work closely with your team regardless of where your congregation is located.
What matters isn’t being in the same city. It’s being accessible, communicating well, and taking the time to understand your community.
You’ll work directly with the people responsible for creating your website.
We’re intentionally a small company, which allows us to provide the kind of personal attention that can be difficult to find at a larger agency. You won’t be passed from a salesperson to an account manager to a project manager who has never spoken with you before.
We’ll get to know your synagogue, stay closely involved throughout the project, and be available when you have questions or need guidance.
That continuity helps us build better websites — and better long-term relationships with our clients.
We don’t disappear once your website goes live.
We’ll make sure your team knows how to manage the website and is comfortable with the tools you’ll use regularly. After launch, we remain available to answer questions, troubleshoot problems, make changes, and help as new needs arise.
Websites evolve, just like synagogues do. Programs change, staff members come and go, technology changes, and new ideas emerge. We want you to know that when you need help, you have someone you can call who already knows your website and understands your organization.
Many of our client relationships continue long after the original website project is complete — and that’s exactly how we like it.
Pretty much.
Shabbat, bimah, kiddush, b’nai mitzvah, High Holy Days, religious school, Sisterhood, Brotherhood, committees upon committees — you won’t have to spend half the project explaining synagogue life to us.
We’ve been working with synagogues since 2007, and synagogue life has been part of our own lives for much longer than that. We understand the terminology, the rhythms of the Jewish calendar, and many of the unique communication challenges congregations face.
It’s one less thing you’ll need to teach your web designer.
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