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Reason #3: It’s outdated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.
[…] adjust according to the device being used whether laptop, tablet, or smartphone. According to Church Tech Today, 56-percent of millennials check out churches online first, and many of them on portable devices. […]
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!
[…] your website before they visit your church? What will they find when they get there? You may be driving visitors away without understanding […]
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!
Excellent!