THE “ENTRANCE” OF A CHURCH WEBSITE
Hello again from your friends over at Church Plant Media. We are back with the last post in our series exploring the idea that A Church Website = an Online Building. In this series we have been sharing how the form and function of a church website can be compared to these 5 items: Cornerstone, Foundation, Floorplan, Exterior, and Entrance. Today, we are going to consider the Entrance.
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Here is how we defined the Entrance of a church website:
The entrance is the first impression of the building. Whether you call it a lobby, foyer, or narthex, this is the room that people experience when they first walk through the front door. Many churches will have people stationed at the entrance with bulletins and a welcome hand shake near a welcome center for new visitors. The home page of the website should function very similarly to your church entryway. Its purpose is to help answer the main questions of who, what, when, where, and how. Just as you think about greeting new visitors and introducing them to your church, you should also give thought to your website visitors.
Depending on the design structure of your website, you may have different places for text or images on your home page. Some website designs have more text then images and others have more images then text. There really is no right or wrong way to design a home page as long as the code is clean. Websites with descriptive text at the top or bottom of the home page tend to do a little better with search engines, but Google really cares more about the keyword content within the website then the actual design of the home page. However, your website visitors need you to answer these 5 questions.
- Who are you?
- What do you believe?
- What can I expect?
- When and where do you meet?
- Why should I come?
1. WHO ARE YOU?
This should be more than just your logo and can usually fit into a brief phrase or paragraph. Many churches like to feature their mission statement or a few words about the church. This should be a 30,000 foot view of who you are in a few simple and compelling words.
2. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?
Before visiting a church, most people want to know what the church teaches before they visit. With this in mind you should have either a text or image link on your home page that will get them to that information quickly. Let your light shine and don’t hide it.
3. WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
Some churches like to feature a small photo gallery of the meeting space right on the home page, while others like to prominently feature a “Before You Visit” or “New Here?” button towards the top of the page. Either way, make sure this info is easily accessible.
4. WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU MEET?
You would be surprised how many churches do not have this information clearly marked on their website. Be sure to feature your service times, your address, and a link to a page with an embedded Google Map along with directions from the north, south, east, and west.
5. WHY SHOULD I COME?
People come to church to hear the good news about Jesus. The primary means that they hear is through your sermons. So it is always helpful to feature a graphic that displays what is being preached along with a link to a sermons page where they can listen to past sermons.
If your home page provides easy access to these 5 answers, your website visitors will be served. Feel free to give us a call if you would like a website with these features built-in.
Your friends at Church Plant Media | (800) 409-6631 x 1
