A recent survey found that 80% of new visitors will go to a church’s website before visiting them for a service.
This statistic proves a very important need for churches to build an online presence. A quality church website can list schedules, announcements, sermons, and much more. Not only can a website bring in more visitors to a service, but you never know how a sermon or blog post on your website could encourage someone. This alone can be worth having a website.
So you might be asking, how do I build a website for my church? Today, we decided to share with you a list of tips to help you build a top-notch website:
The first step is planning. You have to stop and think about the specific features that you would like on the website. This should include:
- Making a list—Start out by making a list of what sets you apart from other churches in your area.
- Pictures—Clip art is not going to cut it here. You will need multiple high-quality photographs of your church website. You should also include more dynamic pictures that showcase the individuals who make up your church family. Include pictures of the worship services and other activities.
- Search Engine Optimization—SEO practices have been used for years by businesses looking to show up on page one of Google search results. The same concept can work for churches. One way to help grow your Google rankings is to include a blog on your website, either from a minister or an outreach director. In this way, you can generate content that people can find and read. These blog posts could be short devotionals or maybe announcements when there will be an event.
- Upload sermons—One way to improve your search engine ranking is with the sheer amount of content and page views. To help with this, we recommend uploading your sermons to your website. This will allow your congregation to go back and listen. You can also include the weeks handouts, so the church family can see all of the events as well as stay up with prayer request for that week.
- Calendar—Church is not limited to Sunday worship service from 9 to 12. There are multiple events throughout the week. Make sure that you have a well-planned calendar feature that includes all of these.
Creating Your Website
There are many things that a church outreach program can do to move a church forward into the digital age.
Start building your church website today. Follow our easy 3 Step Guide to get started.
Have questions? Leave us a comment below and we’ll get right back with you.
