Why does it seem like churches are allergic to good design? From layout to color schemes to navigation and picture quality, many churches act like they are not worthy of a beautiful and professional website.
The other thing we hear from churches is that they don’t want their websites to look too “slick,” which often translates to, “look too expensive.” When it is simple to design a beautiful website for the same price as an ugly one, it is not as if an attractive website communicates a wasteful expenditure. No, a well-designed website is actually a smart use of your resources.
We must remember, too, that websites are for visitors, not for people already in the church. And we hope that many of those visitors are people who may not even know much or anything about Jesus or church. Those visitors will be accustomed to quickly judging a business or organization by its website.
Think about your own experience on the internet – if it is hard to navigate or find what you are looking for on a website, how do you feel about using it again or even giving business to that company? The same goes for church websites.
Good pictures, a friendly color scheme, important information clearly marked, menus that are easy to navigate, and language that is easy to understand – these are elements that make up any good website. If you spend some time on the internet, and your website feels old and clunky compared to other sites, it probably needs an update.
Here are some helpful articles as you evaluate your website’s design. For those that mention “customers” or “product,” you can easily substitute “visitors” and “Jesus” or “Gospel,” and see that good website design is for everyone.
Website Design Best Practices and Resources
and, of course, sign up for our e-book, 20 Mistakes Church Websites Are Making:
