Finding the right church can be an exciting feeling. The right congregation doesn’t feel like a group of strangers, but a meeting of friends.
And with millions of people online on a daily basis, it’s easier than ever to reach a larger audience. But before the congregation grows, it’s important to build a great church website.
Here are some easy steps to help build a quick, responsive site.
Create A Sitemap For Your Church Website
Before creating a church website, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the direction it needs to take. Think of a sitemap like an outline for a paper or a recipe.
It’s what determines the overall structure and design of the website itself. And believe it or not, it isn’t too difficult to create.
Take a few moments and list every page the website is going to need. Then, flesh out the details of each page with a rough idea of what the content should be.
If this still sounds too abstract, practice with other sites before giving it a shot. Head to web development sites and spend some time looking over their homepage.
Best of all, Google will actually help create a sitemap. Just follow their simple instructions and the site will be indexed in no time.
Design A Fantastic Homepage
Perhaps no page on a church website is as important as the homepage. But research indicates that some visitors never venture past it.
Accordingly, it’s important to make sure that all pertinent info is presented on the homepage. Think about what a visitor may want to learn when coming to the site.
They’re likely looking for information like hours, contact info, and service information. The homepage is going to serve as a visitor’s first impression of a church, so make it count.
You may even consider adding staff bios, a mission statement, and a calendar of upcoming services and events. That way, even if a visitor has never attended a service, they’ll have a good sense of what the church is about.
Make It User-Friendly
Of course, it isn’t just the homepage that needs to be tailored to the user. The entire site should be designed with the user in mind.
A site can have the best info in the world, but if it’s hard to navigate people won’t spend more than a minute or two on it.
Think about how people tend to use websites. People expect a clean layout, legible text, and a responsive design. Visitors to a church site are no different.
Pages need to load fast, with text loading before images, and users shouldn’t need to guess where to find info. Create a thorough but comprehensive menu system, and use submenus if necessary.
Browse the web to get a better idea of how site design plays a role in a user’s experience. Start paying closer attention to things like layout and menu design.
And don’t forget to include a great mobile design for the church website, as well. Users love browsing on mobile devices, with mobile browsing surpassing desktop browsing last year.
Get Help Creating A Great Church Website
It may feel like designing a website is a little overwhelming. Just take it a step at a time and always focus on the user. And if help is needed, we’re here.
Creating a site isn’t easy, but Christian Web Host would love to help. We offer tons of unique solutions and designs for churches of every size.
So get in touch today and pack more people in the pews with a fantastic looking church website!