Can a church website be more than just some nice pictures and text? Is it possible to do cool stuff? Absolutely. If you’re using a Sharefaith church website, you know what full-throttled web power feels like. Now, here’s a way to amp it up even more—10 things you can do with a church website.
10 Things You Can Do with a Church Website
1. Feature your church calendar. A lot goes on in the life of a church. What better way to keep it all organized and together than by adding a church calendar. Find out how you can create a custom calendar—dynamic, live, interactive, and accessible.
2. Add video sermons. Video may sound like an expensive and confusing thing to add to your church website. It’s not. Camera plus YouTube plus a Sharefaith church website, and bam: Video. Read a tutorial on adding a YouTube channel. It takes less than five minutes.
3. Upload audio sermons. Audio sounds a little less intimidating than video. It’s really easy. Besides, adding audio sermons is a great way to help people catch up with sermons that they have missed. This quick tutorial will show you how to add audio sermons to your church website.
4. Put a map to your church. People look up church websites so that they can find out how to get to the church. Make it easy, by embedding a Google map into your church website. You can do this by visiting Google Maps, entering your church’s address, and copying and pasting the embed code into your church website. (Click “Link” on the far right, and copy the HTML code provided.)
5. Add some pictures. A website is absolutely boring without pictures. Increase by 91 times the wow factor of your church website just by adding pictures. This is probably the easiest way to make your website look really, really good. Here’s the skinny.
6. Install a picture gallery. The only thing cooler than adding pictures to your church website is adding an entire picture gallery to the church website. It’s great to browse through pictures of the Fall Picnic or check out memories from VBS week. Here’s how to add a picture gallery.
7. Change rotating banners. One of the best features of Sharefaith church websites is their stunning visual appeal. The rotating banners feature that comes with every church website is a personalized way for your church to advertise a sermon series, announce an upcoming event, or simply feature your church’s mission statement or a Scripture verse. Keep these rotating banners fresh. Here’s how to change the website banners on your Sharefaith church website.
8. Get found easier. A church website is a valuable tool, but only if people are finding the website. What’s the best way for your church website to get found? By following SEO best practices—Search Engine Optimization. One of the most basic things you can do is submit your church website to search engines.
9. Connect social media to your church website. Every Sharefaith church website has a spot for you to add links to church Facebook and Twitter accounts. Getting some social media action into your church website will add some nice interactivity to your church’s online presence, and keep members better in touch and informed.
10. Add banners and sidebars. Sharefaith church websites have tons of sidebars and banners to choose from. These widgets can spruce up the appearance of a church website, and provide a means for you to promote an event or theme. Learn how to use them.
Sharefaith church websites are the best way to bring your ministry into the digital age. These church websites are professional. They are simple to build and maintain. And the price is right. (They’re free with your Sharefaith membership.) Check out this selection of nine church website templates to see which one might be best for your church.