What belongs on a church homepage: a checklist
Your homepage has one job: help someone who has never been feel ready to come. Everything else can live one click deeper.
- Service times, in plain text, near the top
- Your address, with a map link
- A clear button for first-time guests (“Plan your visit”)
- One sentence about who you are
- Real photos of your people
- What happens for kids
- Two or three next steps, not twelve
- Easy to read and tap on a phone
Above the fold
On a phone, the first screen decides whether someone keeps scrolling. Put when, where, and a way to plan a visit there. A beautiful video with no service times is the most common homepage mistake I see.
Say who you are in one sentence
Not your mission statement. Something a neighbor would understand: “A neighborhood church in Oak Park that teaches the Bible verse by verse and loves kids.”
Show your people
Guests want to see who they’ll sit next to. Real photos of real Sundays beat stock photos every time, even if they’re taken on a phone.
Fewer next steps
Pick the two or three things you most want a guest to do (plan a visit, watch a sermon, find a group) and make them obvious. Everything else goes in the menu.
What to cut or move
- Long welcome letters from the pastor (move to About).
- Event calendars with past events.
- Sliders that rotate through announcements.
- Menus with more than seven or eight items.
Test it
Hand your phone to someone who has never visited and ask, “When could you come, and where would you park?” Time how long it takes. Under ten seconds is great.
Questions
What should be on a church homepage?
Service times, address with a map, a clear Plan Your Visit button, one sentence about who you are, real photos, what happens for kids, and two or three clear next steps, all easy to use on a phone.
What is the biggest church homepage mistake?
Hiding service times and location below a large video or slider, especially on phones.
Tell me about your church.
A short note is enough. I’ll reply within two business days with honest next steps, even if that’s “you don’t need a new site yet.”
Start a conversation →