The Most Important Page on your Church Website

When it comes to your church website, there’s one webpage that stands out as the most critical for connecting with more people online.

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Yes, it’s the homepage.

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For some of you reading, this might be an obvious thing to state, but it needs to be said because we encounter a lot of bad homepages on church websites and it’s so critical to your church.

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Why is your homepage so important?

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Studies have shown that it takes about 1/10 of a second for people to develop a first impression. And it’s no different for your website.

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You literally just have a few moments to create a good first impression. Otherwise, people are far less likely to be interested in learning more about your church. If you don’t engage people in the first few seconds, they will hop off your website immediately.

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Think of your homepage (and website as a whole) as the virtual front door to your church. It’s the first thing guests will interact with to learn about your church and what you have to offer. Your website is where guests are deciding if your church is good fit for them. So even if you have a great church, guests won't show up if your website isn't compelling. That's why it's important to make sure homepage is effective.

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And to be clear, your goal with your homepage isn't to convince or prove yourself to guests. Instead it's to create a clear picture and representation of your church. You want your homepage to show all the great things your church community has to offer. And lastly, you want your homepage to explicitly invite guests into your community so that they can experience Jesus.

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When done right, your church website will become your number one outreach tool for inviting new guests to church on Sunday.

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Here are the most common mistakes we find on homepages:

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Poor Design — About 46% of people say a website’s design is their number one criteria for judging an organization’s credibility. When you don’t have good design, you’re creating doubts for guests on whether you’re to be trusted.

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No CTA — It’s your job on your church website to guide visitors towards their best next step. If you don’t, you’ll create extra work and friction for guests. Trying to join a new community is hard as it is, when there’s extra friction in the process, guests would rather opt out.

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Missing friendly Faces — We encounter so many church websites that include pictures of their church building, but don’t have any photos of people from their community. (People aren’t that interested in your building.) People long for real connections with real people. Increase engagement by including photos of people in your community.

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Poor Copywriting — There’s a few things to know about website copywriting. First, people scan pages before they read in-depth. You need compelling, clear headlines on your homepage. Second, people didn’t come to your website to read a novel. They want clear, concise content that’s relevant to them.

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Need help with your homepage? Get our exact blueprint for creating a homepage that brings visitors to church on Sunday.

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