5 Best Practices for Church Websites

Building a church website? Follow these five best practices to create a site that attracts visitors, engages members, and is easy to maintain. Here’s a guide inspired by insights from Justin Wise, author of The Social Church: A Theology of Digital Communication, outlining five essential practices that top church websites consistently follow.

1. Guide Visitors Clearly

Your church website’s primary audience is often people who don’t yet attend your church. Most visitors check your site before stepping through your doors, so it’s critical to guide them from the moment they arrive.

Direct visitors in three ways:

• Capture their attention with a clear action, like a prominent “Join Us” or “Visit” button on the homepage. Ensure it’s visible without scrolling to set a welcoming tone and provide key information.
• Lead them to your church by providing clear directions, service times, and what to expect.
• Connect their questions to a staff member for personalized follow-up.

The most prominent call to action should always invite visitors to attend your church.

2. Summarize Your Church in a Sentence

The best church websites tell a compelling story about their community and invite visitors to join it. A short, inviting tagline or mission statement at the top of your homepage can achieve this. It should reflect your church’s identity and resonate with newcomers.

Examples include:

• “It’s okay to not be okay. God meets you where you are.” This relatable phrase reassures visitors they’re welcome as they are.
• “A Safe Place to Explore Your Faith,” paired with vibrant photos of young adults, conveys an energetic, supportive community.
• “More People Loving Jesus More” communicates mission, simplicity, and growth in just five words.

Place this phrase prominently, paired with imagery that reinforces it, to make a strong first impression that carries through every page.

3. Use Photos of Real People

Community is a key reason people attend church, and your website should reflect that. Photos of real people enjoying time together communicate joy and belonging far better than other common image types, such as:

• Church buildings: While they identify your church, they may evoke mixed feelings about tradition.
• Cityscapes: These can feel impersonal and emphasize isolation.
• Nature shots: Beautiful but vague, they don’t highlight your community.
• Sermon graphics: These may confuse visitors unfamiliar with your preaching style.
• Abstract graphics: Symbols like crosses may require explanation, leaving visitors disconnected.

Photos of people laughing, worshiping, or serving together say, “You’ll find community here.” They showcase your church’s life and personality, encouraging visitors to imagine themselves as part of it.

4. Keep Your Site Up to Date

An outdated website can confuse visitors or make your church seem unreliable. Current content builds credibility and shows your church is active and organized. Assign someone to maintain the site weekly, using this checklist:

• Remove announcements for past events.
• Ensure the current sermon series is displayed.
• Verify staff and leadership listings are accurate.
• Confirm service times and locations are correct.
• Maintain a blog with at least one post per month.
• Ensure Mission, Vision, Beliefs, and Ministries pages reflect current information.

Proactive updates, like sharing new member stories or event photos, highlight your church’s vibrancy. Reactive updates, like correcting staff changes or service times, maintain accuracy. Both are essential for trust and engagement.

5. Optimize for Google Search

Even a perfect website is ineffective if it can’t be found. Most people discover churches through Google searches like “churches near me” or “[denomination] churches in [town].” To rank well, focus on keywords and traffic.

• Keywords: Naturally include terms like your denomination, city, and words like “Jesus,” “faith,” or “service times.” For example, a Methodist church in Plano, TX, should frequently use “Methodist church Plano TX” without overstuffing.
• Traffic: Show Google your site is useful by keeping visitors engaged. Strategies include:
  • Encourage positive Google reviews for your church.
  • Share blog posts on social media to drive traffic to your site.
  • Secure links from reputable sites, like your denomination’s directory.

By prioritizing these practices, your church website will attract more visitors, engage your community, and advance your mission.

Ready to build a stunning church website? Explore Servant Keeper’s website tool, a beautiful drag-and-drop builder designed to create engaging, easy-to-maintain sites that reflect your church’s unique story. Learn more at Servant Keeper.

‍