A church website needs to answer one question first: what happens here, when, and would I be welcome? Put your service times and address on the first screen, then what a first visit is like, then your sermons, your events and a way to give. Most church sites have these things somewhere. The ones that work put them in the order a first-time visitor looks for them.
The person reading your site is usually not a member. Members already know the times. It is someone who has just moved to town, someone who has not been to church in years, or someone a friend invited, and they are deciding whether to walk through your door on Sunday. Everything below is about that person.
1. Service times and address, on the first screen
Before any scrolling, a visitor on a phone should see when your services are and where you are. Not a welcome letter, not a mission statement, not a slideshow of the building. The day, the time, the street address and a button for directions.
The same rule holds for any place people visit in person. A site for restaurants puts the hours and the address first for exactly the same reason: the visitor is deciding whether and when to show up.
If your times change for holidays or the summer, say so in one line at the top, with the date it ends. Then take it down when it does.
2. What to expect on a first visit
This is the section most church sites leave out, and it is the one a nervous visitor wants most. Answer the questions people are too shy to ask:
- How long is a service?
- What do people wear?
- Is there something for children, and where do they go?
- Where do I park, and which door do I use?
- Will I be asked to stand up, say anything or give money?
A short paragraph for each is enough. Call it "Plan your visit" or "Your first Sunday" so it is easy to find from the menu.
3. Sermons
Many visitors listen to a message before they ever come in person. If you record your services, put the latest few on the site with the date and the speaker, and link to the rest. Post them on YouTube or Vimeo and play them on the site from there, so your site stays quick.
You do not need every message since the church was founded on the homepage. The newest few, and a way to find the others, is plenty.
4. Events
What is coming up, with the date, the time and the place: a youth night, a supper, a food drive, a Bible study. Keep it to what is actually planned. An events list that is out of date is worse than none, because it tells a visitor nobody is minding the site.
5. A way to give
A clear Give button, easy to find on every page, that goes to the giving service your church already uses. Keep the money off the website itself: gifts go straight to the church's account, and there is one record of them, not two.
If your church accepts gifts in other ways, by post or in the plate, list those under the button too.
6. Who you are
The pastor's name and face, and a paragraph about the church in plain words: what you believe, who comes, what you care about. People choose a church partly by choosing the people in it. A real photo of your own pastor does more than any amount of stock photography.
7. How to get in touch
A phone number that dials when tapped, an email address, a short contact form and a map. Someone might want to ask a question before they visit, arrange a wedding or a funeral, or ask for prayer. Make that easy, and make sure the form actually reaches a person who answers it.
Mistakes that keep visitors away
- The times are buried. A visitor who cannot find them in a few seconds usually does not keep looking.
- The bulletin is a download. A file to download is hard to read on a phone. Put the few things that matter on the page itself.
- Old news. Last year's Christmas service at the top of the page in March.
- Stock photos. A smiling crowd that is clearly not your congregation makes the whole page feel less real.
- Nobody owns updates. Decide who changes the times and the events, and how they do it, before the site goes live.
Getting found on Google
When someone searches "church near me", Google shows its map listings first. Claim your church's free Google Business Profile, choose the category that fits your church, add your service times as your hours, and add real photos of the building and the people. The address and phone on your website should match the listing exactly.
Where to start
Open your church's website on your phone and pretend it is your first time. Can you find the service times, the address and what to expect in under a minute? If not, start with those three. The free website audit checks the technical side automatically: whether the page works on a phone, whether Google can read it, and whether there is a way to get in touch.
If your site needs more than a few fixes, why your website isn't working walks through how to tell whether to repair it or start again. And if you would rather have it done for you, see what goes into our church websites.