Did you know there are more than 300,000 churches in the United States?

That’s a lot of churches. But what’s more surprising is that only around half of these churches have a website.

Church websites are becoming more popular and even necessary, but many people are still scared of designing one. After all, most of us don’t have backgrounds in web design.

But don’t worry, there are lots of site builders available that can help you get up and running. In this short guide, we’ll help you figure out how to choose the best church website builder for your needs.

Questions to Ask Before Making a Website

Before you ever start looking at website builders, it’s a good idea to take a few minutes and plan what you want to do with your website. Here are the top questions to ask yourself.

Just the Basics or All In?

Let’s be honest, not all churches are the same.

Some large churches with lots of events may want a fancy website to show all of their information and media. Smaller, old-fashioned churches may just want a simple webpage that shows a picture of the church and their address.

How Much Media Do You Want?

Again, smaller churches with an older congregation may only want a simple picture of their church. But many churches have a lot of content on their website. They’ll have separate pages about the pastor, beliefs, upcoming events, etc.

You may want to have a video on your homepage that talks about your church or you can post sermons or photos for visitors.

Will You Add Content Often?

Speaking of sermons, do you want to add them to your website each week? Do you take videos of the sermons and want to upload them? Do you take lots of photos of youth services and want to share those?

One church may be fine with the basics, while others want to regularly add new content. You should decide now what option you want.

Are You a Web Designer?

Making church websites doesn’t have to be hard, but some people are a little more experienced with technology.

If you are a bit more tech-savvy then any option may work, but if you’re a pastor without a technological background then you may want some software that can help you make a website without a lot of muss and fuss.

What to Consider When Choosing a Church Website Builder

After you have a basic idea of how you want your website to work and look, it is time to actually make the website.

But don’t worry if you aren’t experienced with this. There are lots of website builders available that can offer lots of options when it comes to design and adding content.

It’s actually very simple to make a website using these online tools. The hard part is just choosing one. Here are a few factors to consider that will help you narrow down your options.

Pricing

Not all churches have the same budget. A brand new church or a smaller congregation may have very little income, while some large churches make a good amount of money each month.

Your budget will help you rule out some of the options quickly. There are some website builders that cost over $3,000!

Don’t get too stressed out though. There are also more affordable options and you can even use some for less than $10 a month.

There are other options between these two price points, so you can definitely find something that won’t bankrupt your church.

Ease of Use

Some people like coding, Photoshop, and doing web design from scratch. Luckily, you don’t have to be one of those people to make a great looking website!

Most website builders use simple “drag and drop” technology that makes it fast and easy to add what you want to your website. However, some programs are a little more advanced than others and offer more features.

Try to pick something that fits your skill level and don’t be afraid to get a builder that is beginner friendly!

Mobile-Friendly Options

Lots of people use their phones to access the internet these days and some older websites just don’t transfer well to mobile devices. Try to pick a builder that allows you to make a mobile-friendly website that will quickly change the layout to look nice on phones and tablets.

Speaking of mobile-friendly, it’s even possible to use some website builders on your phone! So if you are always on the go and want to be able to quickly add something to your website, then definitely consider this option.

Frequent New Media

If you want to post new sermons on your website every week (either video, audio, or both) then you need a builder that lets you quickly and easily add visual media. You may also want to post pictures and need a quick way to do that. Some builders make it incredibly fast to upload content, while others take a bit longer.

Consider this hand in hand with the mobile-friendly option. Chances are,if you’re adding pictures to the website all the time, it may be easier to do on your phone.

Interaction

You may be fine with making a few pages on your website that list your beliefs and address and then just leaving the website alone for the most part.

However, some churches with active congregations like to add a social aspect to their sites. Some builders make it possible for multiple people to have access to the site.

This can be a good thing if you want church members to be able to post upcoming events, set up fundraisers or donations, or simply add photos and reviews of the church.

Get Your Website Up and Running Today

Don’t waste time trying to learn how to code and design the perfect site the hard way.

A church website builder will help you get your site online in less than an hour. Then it’s simple to add all the sermons, photos, or pages with religious beliefs when you want.

If you need any help designing your site, just use our contact page and we’ll help get you off the ground.