{"id":29645,"date":"2019-10-23T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2019-10-23T13:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/?p=29645"},"modified":"2019-10-23T11:32:56","modified_gmt":"2019-10-23T15:32:56","slug":"5-tips-for-a-wordpress-church-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/5-tips-for-a-wordpress-church-website\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips for a WordPress Church Website"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s no secret that your church needs a church website. Not just a church website that looks like it was built 20 years ago, or a site that does little more than list your service times, but a church website that serves as the front door to your church and works to spread your mission online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, a simple Google search for \u201cbuild a church website\u201d can leave you feeling overwhelmed. The good news is that it\u2019s really much easier than you think. WordPress church websites are functional, effective, easy-to-maintain, and cost-effective (among other things).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re considering building a WordPress church website, take a look at how these five tips can simplify the process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step One: Set Church Website Goals<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you jump into building your WordPress church website, take time to establish a church website strategy and create your site map (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ce7cf37d048f870f06b4-9d5e7118b6eef45d5fb0c07652862f15.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com\/uploaded\/e\/0e3138047_1398190895_examplesitemapapr2014.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">find an example here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). Form a church website planning team and answer these questions:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is the purpose of our church website?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What areas of our current church website work? What areas don\u2019t?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can church visitors and members alike find what they\u2019re searching for?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How many site visitors would we like to attract on a weekly and\/or monthly basis?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What pages do we need on our church website?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does our church website further our mission and the Gospel of Jesus Christ?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-63ad70b7-09fe-4491-9986-3accbe82160f\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-63ad70b7-09fe-4491-9986-3accbe82160f\" id=\"63ad70b7-09fe-4491-9986-3accbe82160f\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--[if lte IE 8]>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<![endif]-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/4969873\/63ad70b7-09fe-4491-9986-3accbe82160f\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-63ad70b7-09fe-4491-9986-3accbe82160f\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/4969873\/63ad70b7-09fe-4491-9986-3accbe82160f.png\"  alt=\"New call-to-action\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/js.hubspot.com\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thbspt.cta.load(4969873, '63ad70b7-09fe-4491-9986-3accbe82160f', {});\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pro-Tip: Sharefaith has a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/category\/church-websites.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">product ambassador<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who is our go-to guy for all things church websites. Have a question when planning your site? He\u2019s your man.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step Two: Choose The Right Theme<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you have a plan in place, the next step is to choose a design that is going to accurately reflect the culture of your church. It\u2019s critical that you maintain your branding and work to create a site that is both on-trend and relevant to your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WordPress works with interchangeable designs called themes. One of the best parts about these themes is you can change them out without altering your content. Keep in mind that most of these themes won\u2019t have any special features or customizations included, so that will be something you add later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pro-Tip: As a church, you don\u2019t need just any theme, you need a theme built for churches. This is where Sharefaith comes in. Take a look at some of the most popular themes <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/category\/Church-Website-Templates.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step Three: Customize<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once your theme is in place, the fun begins! Customization is where you get to actually add value to your church website. Through WordPress, you can customize typography, images, layout, pages, and that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg. Enter plugins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can think of plugins kind of like you think of apps on your smartphone. They add features that you need to make your site effective. There are numerous ministry plugins and church plugins out there ranging from small group finders to sermon modules, so you\u2019ll want to find the ones that are beneficial for your church.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pro-Tip: Because Sharefaith templates are built for the church, they have all you need. This means you don\u2019t have to go through endless lists of plugins. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/category\/church-websites.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drag and drop<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> modules for sermons, prayer requests, online giving, blogging, podcasting, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Draganddrop.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-29646\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Draganddrop.gif\" alt=\"Sharefaith Drag and Drop\" width=\"1074\" height=\"604\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step Four: Launch and Promote<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once your church website is complete, it\u2019s go-time. Your site serves no purpose if nobody ever visits it, so it\u2019s crucial that you put a plan in place to promote your WordPress church website. Here are a few avenues you can use to get the word out:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social Media<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email blasts<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Announcements from the pulpit<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Printed material<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Small group announcements<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Online and printed ads<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pro Tip: Don\u2019t get bogged down with designs for promotion. Check out Sharefaith\u2019s collection of church graphics <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/category\/church-graphics.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step Five: Update Regularly<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As easy as it would be to set it and forget it, church websites constantly need to be updated and maintained. Neglecting your site will hinder your ability to use it as a tool for ministry. Look for updated themes every two years, and in the meantime change out images, update events, and work to improve your SEO by adding in new content regularly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pro-Tip: If you do have an out-dated church website, Sharefaith will <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/category\/church-website-migration.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">move your old site<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, domain, and content to a Sharefaith website for free.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next Steps<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t be overwhelmed by the website process. Take a look at just how easy it can be by choosing a Sharefaith theme designed specifically for churches. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/category\/Church-Website-Templates.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out themes here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-13fe76ee-c676-4871-92c6-c4f84f16bdbb\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-13fe76ee-c676-4871-92c6-c4f84f16bdbb\" id=\"13fe76ee-c676-4871-92c6-c4f84f16bdbb\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--[if lte IE 8]>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<![endif]-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/4969873\/13fe76ee-c676-4871-92c6-c4f84f16bdbb\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-13fe76ee-c676-4871-92c6-c4f84f16bdbb\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/4969873\/13fe76ee-c676-4871-92c6-c4f84f16bdbb.png\"  alt=\"New call-to-action\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/js.hubspot.com\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thbspt.cta.load(4969873, '13fe76ee-c676-4871-92c6-c4f84f16bdbb', {});\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s no secret that your church needs a church website. Not just a church website that looks like it was built 20 years ago, or a site that does little more than list your service times, but a church website that serves as the front door to your church and works to spread your mission [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[608,1098],"class_list":{"0":"post-29645","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general","8":"tag-church-websites","9":"tag-church-wordpress-themes"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogrouting.sharefaith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Sharefaith-Website-Grace-Template.png","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v14.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>5 Tips for a Wordpress Church Website - Sharefaith Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you thinking about building a Wordpress church website? Before you jump in, check out these five steps designed to simplify the process and ensure your website furthers your ministry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2019\/10\/5-tips-for-a-wordpress-church-website\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Tips for a Wordpress Church Website - Sharefaith Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you thinking about building a Wordpress church website? Before you jump in, check out these five steps designed to simplify the process and ensure your website furthers your ministry.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2019\/10\/5-tips-for-a-wordpress-church-website\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sharefaith Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SharefaithPage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-23T13:00:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-10-23T15:32:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogrouting.sharefaith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Sharefaith-Website-Grace-Template.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sharefaith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sharefaith\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Sharefaith Magazine\",\"description\":\"The Best in Church Leadership, Worship, Tech and Gear!\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2019\/10\/5-tips-for-a-wordpress-church-website\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogrouting.sharefaith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Sharefaith-Website-Grace-Template.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":628,\"caption\":\"Church Website Theme\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2019\/10\/5-tips-for-a-wordpress-church-website\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2019\/10\/5-tips-for-a-wordpress-church-website\/\",\"name\":\"5 Tips for a Wordpress Church Website - Sharefaith Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2019\/10\/5-tips-for-a-wordpress-church-website\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-23T13:00:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-23T15:32:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1934eae265ee976147f8cfe4ec53cb10\"},\"description\":\"Are you thinking about building a Wordpress church website? Before you jump in, check out these five steps designed to simplify the process and ensure your website furthers your ministry.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/2019\/10\/5-tips-for-a-wordpress-church-website\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1934eae265ee976147f8cfe4ec53cb10\",\"name\":\"Sharefaith Team\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8464e92f0defc55d259c6c3cf4ac7e9b2de32bfba982df4f5da19a5e4154dadb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sharefaith Team\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9jHXE-7I9","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}