Masonic Lodge Website TipsThis article on Masonic Lodge Website Tips is compiled from
We can't afford to drag our feet or delay action any longer. We Masons cannot choose to ignore the fact that technology available today could be a perfect match for Masonic Lodge members to share their ideals with the largest and most receptive audience in world history. No one should doubt for a moment that the Internet is the primary information tool for younger Masons. With proper use, the Internet will become the leading recruitment tool for those who will seek membership in local Masonic Lodges. These men will become the 21st Century Masons. Would an online search for your Masonic Lodge find your site? What are the likely search words your audience would use? Targeted traffic is the lifeblood of any successful website. Prospective members and future candidates for Masonry will not be likely to visit the local library or book store. Why do that when just a few clicks of a mouse will deliver all the answers, information and recommendations they seek? What are your Masonic Lodge website users looking for? What attracts and keeps them on your website? In today's online world, no one just happens to surf by. People search for information and solutions. If not your site, whose site? People ask how our website has over 60 pages ranked in the Top 5 in the major Search Engines. How did you do it, how long did it take, how can I replicate that kind of result with my website, and how soon? Search Engines will deliver highly targeted traffic instantly. Thus, our websites receive targeted & interested traffic daily. Blanco Lodge Beebe Lodge New Palestine Kodiak St. Joe Does your lodge have a great website that can't be found? Why waste time, money and effort to keep a website that few web surfers will ever see? If your lodge website fails to deliver solid results consistently, demand better. All website owners realize early on, there's no way one website can reach everyone. Visit other Masonic Lodge websites and check out their link exchange. This is a no charge, NON-competitive, targeted traffic flow. List your site on the right Masonic Lodge Directory and the Search Engines will deliver no-charge, targeted traffic. Our State Masonic Lodge directories are frequently ranked higher in Search Engines than their Grand Lodge website. Internet readers are looking for very specific content. Your Masonic Lodge website must give them what they want. One click on that X in the upper right, you are history. K.I.S.S. - Keep your site simple and remember the purpose. Make your website "user friendly" at every click. Try to have links open in a new browser window when a user clicks them. This will keep your website visitor from losing their place, or worse, leaving your website entirely. Pretend you're paying for each word, and make them count! This will help your web pages load and display quicker because the page will be smaller. Resist the urge to build a MEGA-page. Do not EVER make your website visitor scroll left to right to read your page. This drives people nuts. (OK, it drives ME nuts.) Don't make your website hard to get into with the cute little "Click on Door" to enter signs or force your visitors to enter a password. Search Engines rank web pages based on content. Your web page won't score good rankings using this method, and visitors may just leave your site entirely. Keep it "easy to use". Make sure your page is clear about what you're offering on it. Do not load up your website with flash and dazzle techno-junk. Look at how successful websites like Microsoft or Google deliver information and still keep their professional good-looks. Speaking of maintaining a professional image, please protect our Fraternity from tacky-looking websites. One basic thing to avoid is to putting visible hit counters on your pages. Your webserver gives you detailed and accurate traffic counts. This should be for your use only. Please don't put a "Website Last Updated" notice on your site. Who cares when you last updated your Masonic Lodge website, besides you? Frequently these are a giveaway on how long it's been since you've updated (or not) your Masonic Lodge website. Your website content must be original and unique. NEVER, never copy text from other websites. It violates U.S. Copyright Laws. Make it easy to find info on your site and easy to read. Always keep your text size reasonable, and don't make it too dang small! Test for broken links - make sure your website works 24/7. How long will a website with broken links keep visitors' attention? Poor grammar or spelling errors will deliver a poor first impression. In addition to spell check, get human eyes to carefully look it over. For example: "Two air is human" vs. "To err is human"... Spell check didn't catch that one, but your eyeballs did, right? Contact Forms provide instant and secure email for all users. Easily made, looks professional, & cloaks all email addresses. If your individual Masonic Lodge website needs a fresh look, check out our proven Masonic Lodge Website Builder Program Questions? Complete the form below to contact me directly. State Masonic Lodge Directory
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