ChurchWebsiteOfTheYear.com will evaluate church websites in four major categories: content, design, church ministry and overall “Website of the Year.” 

A winner will be selected in every category for every country (where we receive a nomination) and every state in the United States.  We will also award the top 25 church websites in every U.S. state. 

All Winners will be named annually in January.

REMEMBER TO VOTE!  Your vote counts!  Help us pick the winners for every state by voting for your favorite church website.  Just send us an email with the church website address in the subject line.  Vote as many times as you want!  Voting ends December 10, 2011.  It's FREE and it could help your church win an award!!!

Vote@ChurchWebsiteOfTheYear.com

Category Option #1 – Content
A Great Church Site Shares Meaningful and Useful Content that Educates, Informs, and Entertains.
The title of a site should be appropriate to its purpose.
A site’s content should be easy to read and understand by its intended audience.
There should be enough information to make visiting the site worthwhile.
If there are large amounts of information on the site, some kind of search function should be provided. There should be at least an outline of topics covered, allowing the users to find topics and move among them easily.
Spelling and grammar always should be correct.
The information should be current and accurate, and if the topic of the site is one that changes, it should be updated regularly. A “last updated” date is a plus.
Links to more information on the topic should be provided.
Graphics on the site should be relevant and appropriate to the content.
The subject matter should be relevant to and appropriate for the intended audience.
The viewpoint presented should be comprehensible to the intended audience.
The skills required to use the site’s features and structure should be appropriate
A site’s purpose should be clear and its content should reflect its purpose, be it to entertain, persuade, educate, or sell appropriately challenging for its intended audience.

Category Option #2 – Design
A Great Church Site Has Personality and Strength of Character.
The information on the site should be easy to find and easy to use.
The site design should be appealing to its intended audience.
The site should catch our eye…a good first impression
The text should be easy to read, and not cluttered with distracting graphics, fonts, and backgrounds.
Users should be able to get around the site easily.
Pages consisting mainly of links should be well-organized and appealing to young people, and the collected links should be well-chosen and useful to children exploring the subject.
The site’s design should be appropriate for the intended audience.
The page should load in a reasonable amount of time.
The page should be consistently available and load without problems; stability is important.
Required “plug-ins” or other helper applications should be clearly identified.
The design elements and features on the site, such as searchable databases, animations, graphics, sound files, introductory and transitional pages, etc., should enhance and not hinder the accessibility and enjoyment of the site.
The interactive features should be explained clearly.

Category Option #3 – Church Ministries
A Great Church Site Advertises Great Ministries that can Strengthen Areas of Interest, Enrich the Lives of Others and Encourage People to have Fun in a Christian Environment…

What we are looking for is quality information about the following in your website…

Public Worship Ministries
Personal Care Ministries
Music Ministries
Ministries and Programs for Seniors
Ministries and Programs for Adults
Ministries and Programs for Singles
Ministries and Programs for College Students
Ministries and Programs for Youth
Ministries and Programs for Children
Evangelism and Outreach Ministries
Additional Creative Ministries and Programs

Category Option #4 – Website of the Year
The Church Website of the Year Educates, Informs and Entertains, has Personality and Strength of Character, and Enriches the Lives of Others.  When you apply for Website of the Year, your church website will be evaluated in three major categories: content, design and church ministry.

Content
The title of a site should be appropriate to its purpose.
A site’s content should be easy to read and understand by its intended audience.
There should be enough information to make visiting the site worthwhile.
If there are large amounts of information on the site, some kind of search function should be provided. There should be at least an outline of topics covered, allowing the users to find topics and move among them easily.
Spelling and grammar always should be correct.
The information should be current and accurate, and if the topic of the site is one that changes, it should be updated regularly. A “last updated” date is a plus.
Links to more information on the topic should be provided.
Graphics on the site should be relevant and appropriate to the content.
The subject matter should be relevant to and appropriate for the intended audience.
The viewpoint presented should be comprehensible to the intended audience.
The skills required to use the site’s features and structure should be appropriate
A site’s purpose should be clear and its content should reflect its purpose, be it to entertain, persuade, educate, or sell appropriately challenging for its intended audience.
Design
The information on the site should be easy to find and easy to use.
The site design should be appealing to its intended audience.
The site should catch our eye…a good first impression
The text should be easy to read, and not cluttered with distracting graphics, fonts, and backgrounds.
Users should be able to get around the site easily.
Pages consisting mainly of links should be well-organized and appealing to young people, and the collected links should be well-chosen and useful to children exploring the subject.
The site’s design should be appropriate for the intended audience.
The page should load in a reasonable amount of time.
The page should be consistently available and load without problems; stability is important.
Required “plug-ins” or other helper applications should be clearly identified.
The design elements and features on the site, such as searchable databases, animations, graphics, sound files, introductory and transitional pages, etc., should enhance and not hinder the accessibility and enjoyment of the site.
The interactive features should be explained clearly.

Church Ministry

Information about Public Worship Ministries
Information about Personal Care Ministries
Information about Music Ministries
Information about Ministries and Programs for Seniors
Information about Ministries and Programs for Adults
Information about Ministries and Programs for Singles
Information about Ministries and Programs for College Students
Information about Ministries and Programs for Youth
Information about Ministries and Programs for Children
Information about Evangelism and Outreach Ministries
Additional Information on other Creative Ministries and Programs

Above all else, remain positive, hopeful and centered in Christ’s love. People respond best to optimistic, encouraging leadership, and they are yearning for meaningful, spiritual connections.

Remember that we are called to “strive first for the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).