One of the most critical goals in ministry is to make disciples. The first step in making a new disciple is often getting them through the doors of your church.

First impressions matter, and it’s tough to repair a bad first impression. 

With 80% of guests visiting your church website before they ever set foot on your campus, your online presence can decide whether someone joins you for worship.

You wouldn’t want the front doors of your sanctuary to look shabby, so don’t allow your church website to unintentionally drive away potential guests. It will take some intentionality, but upgrading and modernizing your website will improve newcomers’ first impression of your ministry and lead to more visitors walking through your doors.

1) Invest in Your Design

Over 46% of people evaluate the credibility of an organization based solely on the design of its website.

Whether you rely on the talents within your congregation, hire an outside expert, or take advantage of the premade templates on a site builder like Refresh Websites, your website is a virtual front door to your church.

You don’t have to be a professional web designer or know how to code to make a great website. There are numerous tools available, many of them free or low-cost, to help you create a site that is as welcoming as your physical campus.

Use whitespace and uncluttered layouts with photos of your church and graphics that describe your congregation. Viewers typically only spend 5.59 seconds looking at a site’s written content, so use text sparingly to convey the most essential information for your ministry.

A clunky or outdated design will make it difficult to draw people in, so upgrading the look and feel of your website will do wonders for engaging your visitors.

2) Simplify Your Navigation

For years, the general rule was that it should take no more than three clicks for someone to find what they’re looking for on your website. 

Most now believe that the three-click rule doesn’t apply anymore, but experts still agree that the easier your website is to navigate, the better experience viewers will have. 

As you’re building or refreshing your website, ask people who haven’t been part of the development process to find the things potential guests are most likely searching for:

• Service times
• Church address
• Contact information
• Children’s ministry details
• Dress code 
• Worship style (contemporary, traditional, etc.)
• Doctrinal beliefs
• Upcoming events

Ask them to note how many clicks it took them to find each item and how long it took for them to locate things. In addition to the logistics of finding information, ask each person to note any frustrations or feedback on how to make the site more navigable. 

As you’re working on your website, you know how you want things laid out and know how to quickly get to what you need. However, asking for feedback from those who haven’t been involved in the process will give you a clearer picture of how outsiders will view your page.

There is no right answer for how many clicks or quickly people should be able to navigate your site, but you should strive to make information as accessible as possible.

3) Include a Clear Call to Action

When people visit your website, they need to know what the next step should be. 

For businesses, you’d see a direct call to action like “Buy now,” “Call today,” or “Sign up.” But for a church, the call to action is typically softer, like “Join us this Sunday” or “Learn more about us.” 

A call to action may seem obvious, but having a clear next step encourages engagement. It leads the viewer to do something in response to your website, like coming to your next service. 

Your website should be welcoming for visitors, but it should also be a gateway into your church.

Including a clear call to action prompts those digital visitors to see what your ministry has to offer in person, leading them from your virtual front doors to your physical ones.

4) Enable Analytics

Analytics sounds complicated, but it’s one of the most effective tools available to see where and how to improve your website. 

Website builders like Refresh Websites often include analytics tools in their systems, but external analytics options are also available.

The purpose of analytics is to help you see:

• How many unique visitors are viewing your page
• How long does each visitor spend on your site
• What links do visitors click on
• What pages within your site visitors view
• How visitors accessed your page
• And more.

If you’ve built a new website or updated an existing one, analytics will help you see if the design and content decisions are paying off or if additional adjustments need to be made. 

If you don’t know how your website is performing, you won’t know if it is helping or hindering your church’s welcoming visitors.

5) Make it Multifunctional

Your website should serve two purposes: It should make a great first impression for visitors and provide resources for those already involved in your ministry. 

Regularly updating your calendar, sharing opportunities to serve, listing small group times and locations, and providing contact information for your staff are beneficial to guests and members.

Those who don’t regularly attend your services will want to know what your church has to offer, and your congregants will want updates on what’s happening. 

Your website is one of the first places people will turn to when they have questions about your ministry. So while you want your website to function as a welcoming platform for newcomers, it should also provide information for those already invested.

Conclusion

Your website is likely the first encounter visitors will have with your ministry.

Just as you invest time and resources into building a solid first impression and welcome team for Sunday mornings, you should make sure your digital profile is just as impactful.

If your ultimate goal is to fulfill the Great Commission and make disciples, getting people in the doors of your church is the first step. Take the time to ensure your virtual front doors are ready.

ACS Technologies

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In the ever-evolving landscape of church engagement and management, ACS Technologies rises above the rest. Our comprehensive church solutions, bespoke digital offerings, streamlined communication tools, comprehensive ministry consulting, and training make us the trusted choice for over fifty thousand churches. Experience the ACS Technologies advantage and elevate your church’s online presence, connectivity, and generosity today. Join us in redefining church technology for the digital age, where your ministry’s success becomes our shared mission.