So you are trying to work on your church’s digital strategy and you have come to the realization that essentially your strategy has to revolve around mobile devices (trust me, if you haven’t arrived at this conclusion, you will). The question then is, do you focus on a mobile website or work with a third party to develop a mobile app? The short answer? Go with a mobile website.
Why a mobile website?. Think about it for a second, when someone googles your church what is most likely to be at the top of results? Will it be your app or your website? The obvious answer is your website. Your website is your first impression, not a mobile app.
On the other hand, mobile apps have become the sexy thing for churches to have. However, if you dig deep into most churches mobile apps you will find that the app itself is really a nicely packaged RSS feed of their content. Most of these apps really don’t take advantage of the mobile device itself, but instead are just another channel to push their content through.
Unless you have the resources to really create an outstanding mobile app experience, focus on a mobile version of your site. It’s easier to update, it’s not limited to just an iPhone or Android phone and it’s Google friendly.