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Riddle Brothers Unveil a New Christian / Church Web Site with WordPress Integration
Josh and I were approached a few weeks ago about the possibility of creating a church Web site that could be easily updated by the pastor and staff members. Having no knowledge of HTML or Web coding whatsoever, it was important that the church’s Web site feature an easy-to-use content management system that could enable church members to edit text and post new photographs on the Web site. The church (Living Hope Grace Brethren Church in Saxton, Pennsylvania) had no budget for a Web site project, so we made the decision to do this project free-of-charge as a gesture of good will towards a non-profit organization.
Design, Layout and Structure
The Web site for the church was unveiled yesterday at http://www.LivingHopeGBC.com. The church is located in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, so it was important that the site’s design reflect a rustic theme with rural and forestry imagery. The site’s main purpose is to provide information to those in the area looking for a new church to join, so basic information about the church is indicated throughout the site, as well as a standard contact form.
Here are some screen shots:
Easily Editable Through WordPress
We chose WordPress as the content management system as it is a great free third-party tool that is easily integrated with our custom developed code. Using the All in One Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Pack (http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/) allowed us to increase the church’s site visibility through various search engines, while the Yoast’s Enhanced WP Contact Form (http://yoast.com/code/enhanced-wp-contactform/) let us easily integrate and customize the contact form.
The sidebars within the site automatically list any pages created within each section in order to create a dynamic navigational system. Also, a WordPress “widget” was placed on the home page for the calendar of events allowing the church staff to indicate their upcoming social activities. For flexibility we also provided the ability to place other widgets throughout the site’s sidebars in case there is a future need for other special announcements.
As with all of our Web site projects, special attention was given to SEO and site accessibility, resulting in a completely W3C and Section 508 site compliant with the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines (http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.livinghopegbc.com&charset=(detect+automatically)&doctype=Inline&group=0).
Here are some screen shots of the WordPress content management interface:
Do You Need Something Similar?
Are you in need of a similar Web site project? Contact us today and we can discuss building a customized Web site integrated with WordPress for your business or organization.
In addition, please feel free to leave your comments and feedback below.
Tags: christian website, church Web site, content management, non-profit, wordpress
About the Author
Aaron has eight-plus years experience in the graphic and Web design field resulting in dozens of awards and accolades. He has worked with freelance clients and marketing firms all across the country to create a variety of material ranging from Web sites to cartoon characters. Aaron received a Bachelor of Visual and Performing Arts degree with a graphic design major in 2002 from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). In his spare time he enjoys cartooning, the outdoors and spending time with his wife, daughters and dozens of rabbits.
October 26th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
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