How To Build A Church Website With WordPress

Just as a church makes an effort to meet people in the community to engage with them, they also must be present online and engage over digital media with the community, who are increasingly spending their most precious hours and attention online. The first step to do so is to build and manage a website that is:

  • Smartly planned
  • Well designed
  • Easy to maintain
  • Allows visitors to access it from any device

A WordPress website meets all the above criteria and more and is in fact the preferred website building solution for millions of websites. Yes, millions! The trust and support enjoyed by WordPress is unparalleled and I recommend it wholeheartedly for any church that is considering overhauling their website or building a new one. A WordPress site can cut down the time required for the website to be completed, keep the size  of the team low and allow you to manage content on your website in a manner as simple as writing email!

Sounds great – where do I begin?

Well, if you too have decided to work with WordPress, good move! You could now head directly to Easy Church Tech or read the below to get into the “nuts and bolts”:

  • Domain Name
  • Hosting
  • WordPress Installation

If that sounds a bit overwhelming, don’t fret as we will demystify it all very soon and you could be on your way to seeing your website going live in a few hours to a day!

Domain Name

What’s in a name, they say? Well, if you’re on the internet, a lot is at stake. People love shorter names (not just because they are easier to type) that make it simple to understand what the business is all about and are easy to remember. As a church, you might have to have a slightly longer name, but don’t worry – keep it as simple as you can and you should be good! It might be worthwhile to note that while .com domain names are most popular, there is now a .church extension which might help you shorten your website URL i.e. domain name. Just like the .com, .church too is available at most popular registrars like Google Domains, Namecheap & Godaddy.

Hosting

Hosting is the space required to store your website’s contents (eg. articles, pictures, videos and the code that keeps the website running) on the internet. There are several reliable companies that provide Hosting services for as low as 3$ per month (some of them even throw in a free domain name!) which includes technical support as well. Getting hosting and ‘connecting’ your website to it is essential. Pro tip: Registering your domain name & purchasing hosting from the same company will make things easier for you!

WordPress Installation

Several hosting companies make it easier to install WordPress in a single-click within their own system (also called control panel or cpanel). What this means for you is that you do not have to be a coding ninja and tame databases and code to be able to install WordPress. The hosting company’s system will do it for you in a process less than a couple of minutes and provide you with a username and password to manage your church website.

Reviews Of Awesome Apps For Your Virtual Reality Headset

virtual-reality-apps

Having the Oculus Rift as your virtual reality headset is awesome. However, it might not be affordable always. Does that mean you cannot experience the pleasures of a VR? Not at all. If you drop in at vrprovision.com you would be delighted to find several VR headsets that fit your budget.

This is 2016, the age of technology and such technologies enable apps that can be easily found and are best for virtual reality purposes. Mind you, using apps will only show you the potential of what VR can actually be. Its because the concept of VR is still in its infancy and the apps only use the most basic necessities and features present in the Smartphone.

There are various kinds of applications that are developed by top companies in order to initiate the interest of a user in VR. The page will list out five of the best VR headset apps that are free and available for both android and iOS.

The Best Apps of Virtual Reality Headset

1. Google Cardboard Headset

This is one of the most popular apps developed by Google that’s completely free for Android and iOS. Over here, you can see the entire wrap of the world through Google Earth ending over the Arctic. Best features include:

· Inexpensive

· Enables user to watch movies

· Equipped with VR front camera functions

2. NYT VR

The NYT VR is an app that is developed by the New York Times where virtual reality is given a go for the purpose of more news exploration and communication. Exploring this app will take you to the world in and beyond of the planets, underneath the ocean and through the centers where the New York Times cover a story like the World trade center.

The best features include:

· Updated and daily news from around the corners of this world

· Frequent updates and great video quality

3. InCell VR: Game about cells and Viruses

This app uses the concept of Virtual Reality to portray the educational information of human cells in the manner of a game. The effect of InCell will make you feel like you are flying through human cells as they are recreated.

The best features include:

· Interesting and fun

· Colorful and educative

4. RYOT VR

RYOT is a film production firm that impressed the Huffington Post so much that they bought RYOT in the year of 2015. This app focuses on the production of series of documentaries while depicting the various issues of this world such as riots, refugees, natural calamities, etc.

The best features include:

· Highly educational

· Emphasis and awareness on various serious day to day topics

5. Jaunt VR

The Jaunt VR is the combination of entertainment but through serious issues of the world. It portrays short films, live performances by stars like Paul McCartney and Jack White. At the same time, news from Syria through ABC News is reported.

The best features of Jaunt include:

· Packed with fun videos and sources of entertainment

· Focuses on the reporting of immediate and ongoing serious news of the world

Therefore, go ahead and try the various awesome apps for your Virtual Reality Headset. These while portraying serious issues are interesting and absolutely fun. You need not worry about having the HTC Drive anymore since just a Smartphone will do.

How Your Website’s Design Matters

Importance of good web design

Almost every business or individual working in today’s market has a website. Sadly, countless websites are poorly designed or come straight from a WordPress template; this is not going to bail you stand out or excel.

Good website design is a must in today’s profoundly visual market. The way your site looks tells users whether they want to interact or work with you in just a fraction of a second. One glance can transform someone into a customer, or force that person to click away. For instance, after visiting http://www.InfiltrateMedia.co.za I was 100% sure that this is the right company for me. They have excellent visual appearance that immediately attracts customers’ attention.

The design and placement of elements on your website will take hours, weeks or even months, however whether it works or not will be chosen in an instant. That first impression from another user will determine if and how he or she continues to interact with your site, brand or business. A visually pleasing design scheme will help that first glance last more and retain users.

The visuals that will grab the most attention the quickest include a high image or illustration, sharp contrast or something unusual on the screen, and a phrase or wording that is memorable.You can use eye tracking studies and information to help you plan a wireframe that users will be drawn to.

What are strong visuals?

Strong visuals and a clean, organized design loan legitimacy to a website. These elements can also help establish trust in your brand, which is especially important if your website is trying to change over a sale. A user will equate the experience he or she has on your website with the experience they are liable to have with you in person.

A more chaotic design or haphazard look to your website can inform visitors that you couldn’t care less concerning or have faith in your business. It can cause a user to pause before making an interaction or force them to shy away from your company altogether.

Users will make a million different assumptions about your company or brand based solely on the website design. It’s your business to check that the site sends out the message you want individuals to get about your business.

If you are unsure about how to continue with a website design, the best advice is to stick to the basics. Procure a professional who has a good understanding of you and your business.

Importance of hierarchy

Good website design starts with hierarchy. A defined hierarchy is important from a business perspective because it prioritizes information for the busy user. If someone has a constrained amount of time to interact with your site, you should aesthetically define what’s important so your message can be communicated at a glance. For instance, if you look for Web Design Johannesburg based company, it will be a relatively easy task because there are so many excellent examples of fantastically designed websites.

A website is your public branding portal.

Anyone in the world can learn about a company, individual or task with a simple online search. Your website creates an image of who you are and what you want the international group to think about you, your item or service. On your website, you control the message.

A good website conveys this information in an obvious way. It is also how you recount your brand story. While you can’t control all of the information out there, your website should contain information that shows users the sort of brand you are. Images and content should meet up in a way that reflects the state of mind and tone of your company.

Each user may have a different idea of how your website’s design matters because it is partially subjective using so as to depend on each person’s preferences, yet basic design principles and thinking about usability and website goals, you can create a site that looks good and works well for users.