Having a website is not enough. You need to make your church website not just another one of million others on the world wide web. Your goal is to make it an effective online ministry.

First step of course is to get your church website visible on the search engines based on the keywords that you believe your ?prospects? will use in order to find you. Assuming this has been accomplished, how do you encourage your visitors to keep coming back to your website?

Here are some tips:

1.Regularly update your content.

Nothing can be more disappointing for a visitor than to go back to a church website only to find the same content from 3 or 6 months ago. Add new content even if it's just the news and events section. If you have a flash slideshow, add 2 or 3 different photos every week. There are a lot of websites that offer free stock photos. If you have a blog, post an article once a week. If there is nothing to put on the news and events section, which is rarely a case, add quotes from men or women of God or verse of the day on the homepage.

2.Offer free resources.

There are different forms of resources that you can offer your visitors:

a. Articles

If possible, post original articles about topics that you believe will benefit both your church members and website visitors. It can be both scriptural and practical. You can

also post notes about your past messages, devotionals or short Bible studies.

b. Sermon Audios

Perhaps this is the most valuable resource that you could offer your site visitors. Whether it's a church member who might have missed a Sunday service or a site visitor that is simply looking for some messages to minister to them, this is a great tool to keep them coming back for more.

c. Videos

Web users love short clip videos. If your website is capable of streaming videos, be sure to post videos of your services to give site visitors a glimpse of what your

Sunday service is like. Videos of your gatherings and other events are also great.

3. Allow interaction.

Ever wonder why social networking websites are successful? Because they allow interaction. They allow online fellowship. If you have a blog, allow commenting on your blog. If your website has polls, regularly post new polls. If your budget allows, get a forum included. These venues create a venue for your visitors to interact with you and with each other.

4.Make it real.

Create a photo gallery section in your website and show photos of actual people in your church whether it's a worship gathering or fun activities, this is something that your site visitors will enjoy. By posting these kind of photos, you give your visitors a sense of who

you are and what you are all about and it gives them a sense that you are real.