HomeNews & UpdatesSponsored5 Reasons Your Church Website Might Be Keeping Visitors Away

5 Reasons Your Church Website Might Be Keeping Visitors Away

-

The first place most people will go to learn about your church—before even stepping one foot in the door—will be your website. When they get there, are they excited to join your church community in worship or are they running in the opposite direction? Here are five common reasons that your church website might be keeping visitors away:

Reason #1: It doesn’t provide the necessary information

Church seekers typically aren’t visiting your website to browse your directory or make a donation. According to a 2012 study by Grey Matter, 43 percent of church website visitors are searching for service times. Location details, contact information, and a brief explanation of what to expect will also give people what they need to determine whether or not they’ll be slipping into your pews this weekend. Make sure this important information is always up-to-date and accurate so visitors don’t arrive to an empty building.

Reason #2: It’s all about giving

Online giving is a great tool for your church community and can lead to an increase in the amount and consistency of donations, but that doesn’t mean it should be front and center on your church website. Don’t make visitors think that your church is all about money. Include giving tools within a member portal or menu option so it’s not the first thing visitors see when they arrive at your website.

Reason #3: It’s outdated

Does your church website overuse kingdom colors like royal blue and deep red? Or maybe you just haven’t updated it since you adding some clip art in 1997. If your church website looks like it doesn’t belong in this century, visitors will probably feel that your church has no relevance to their lives. Keep your website current and fresh so interest in your church will grow.

Reason #4: It isn’t responsive

With 56 percent of smartphone-toting millennials scoping out churches online before visiting, websites that aren’t responsive will likely deter any mobile traffic. People won’t spend time pinching and scrolling to find out where your church is located or what time the services are. Make it easy for those visitors to browse your website from the technology that’s right at their fingertips.

Reason #5: It isn’t authentic

Your church website should be an accurate representation of your church while putting your best foot forward. If you’re using a bunch of stock photography or painting an inaccurate picture of who your church community really is, people will see through that façade immediately or be disappointed when your church doesn’t match their expectations.

Don’t let a poor website kill people’s interest in your church. A current, mobile-friendly, and informative website will be welcoming to visitors and increase interest in your church.

How are you making sure your church website isn’t keeping visitors away?

Emily Kantner
Emily Kantnerhttp://www.elexio.com
Emily is a Christ-follower, sports fanatic, classic literature junkie, and huntress. She works as the Content Marketing & Communications Specialist Elexio Church Software.

6 COMMENTS

  1. Really good advice.

    If #4 isn’t true already, it’s a couple years overdue at this point. Aside from the ability to comfortably use the website on a phone, Google is using mobile friendliness as a search result ranking factor too. You lose opportunities by not having a responsive design.

    #5. I agree. Stock photography has its place but when it comes to people and buildings, keep it real. There surely must be at least one talented photographer in almost every church. Enlist them, even if temporarily for the website.

    And #1 can’t be said enough!

  2. One other thing: the ministries and activities available should be easily accessible. I move around a lot and I always church shop online before showing up anywhere. If I can’t figure out that you have what I need (for me, choir and bells; for others, it may be a children or youth program, Bible studies, etc), I won’t ever show up on a Sunday morning.

    • Lacey, You make a valid point. I was just checking out a local church online the other day and noticed the times online for the youth groups did not match. It was hard to figure out what ministries started when. As a visitor, the last thing you’d want is to show up with your whole family at 11am only to find out the kids programs were all at the 9am hour. OR during the summer, when many youth groups take a break, often churches forget to update this information on their website, making it hard for newcomers to know what to expect. I’m right there with ya!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured Posts

LATEST POSTS