How to Build a Church Website
Church Connect is an easy-to-use church website builder built into ChurchTrac. This article is a step-by-step guide through the process of building a church website.
- Establish Your Church Branding
- Choose a URL
- Upload Your Designs
- Add Links
- Add Content
- Get Feedback
- Share It
Step 1: Establish Your Church Branding
Church Branding is more than creating a logo for your church. If you have not already established the branding for your church, here are some resources to get you started.
Color Pallet
The first step in creating a church brand for your website is to choose your church's brand colors.
If you're not familiar with color theory, Coolors is a great tool that will help you pair colors together and create a color pallet for your church.
We recommend a brand pallet with 3-5 colors. A pallet with three colors that are your primary branding colors, another color for contrast, and a very light color for backgrounds is ideal.
Brand Fonts
Which fonts you choose will depend on your church's character and who you want to bring into your church. Modern, bold typefaces are popular. But if your church has a long history, a formal serif font will help connect your brand to the past.
Fontjoy is an excellent resource to help you choose fonts. The program makes it easy to pair complementary fonts together.
Church Logo
Once your colors and fonts are established, it's time to design a logo.
Canva has thousands of church logos to choose from that you can fully customize. You can choose a logo, then change the colors and fonts to match your branding, making it as unique as your church.
Step 2: Choose a URL
If the fundamental design elements above are in place, it's time to create a website.
To begin, choose a URL. You have two options in ChurchTrac:
Sub Domain (Free)
The free option is great for churches or ministries just getting started and haven't decided what custom URL they wish to use. However, you won't fully control your site's branding. ChurchTrac's name will remain in the URL, leaving your church name as a subdomain.
Custom URL (Paid)
Paying for a URL allows you to customize it fully. This means you can remove the platform's name from your domain.
Step 3: Upload Your Designs
You can upload your logo designs in multiple places in Connect.
App Icon
You can upload an image to customize the app icon, which adds your church's logo to your members' smartphone screens.
Navigation Bar
The Navigation Bar sits at the very top of the Connect site. You can add an image of your church's name and/or logo here.
Step 4: Add Links
You have the ability to add links to the Nav Bar and Footer of your church's site.
Navigation Bar
We recommend adding links to the most important pages of your site. Linking to the "About Us" and "What We Believe" pages are popular options.
In the "Page Setup" tab, select the "Edit Navbar" button. In the following window, select the "Links" tab. Select the "Add a Link" button, then enter a URL or select the "Choose a Page" dropdown menu to choose a card you have already created.
Site Footer
At the very bottom of the site, there is a footer where you can add links to your social media pages and other important pages.
In the "Page Setup" tab, scroll to the bottom of the preview and select the "Edit Footer" button. In the following window, select the "Socials" tab to add links to your church's social media pages. Select the "Links" tab, then select the "Add a Link" button to enter a URL or choose a card you have already created.
Step 5: Add Content
Now that the foundation of your site is complete, it's time to build on it. That means adding content for app users and site visitors to interact with.
Adding Cards
In Church Connect, adding content is done by adding cards.
There are several card types, each with unique use cases. We recommend that you begin by adding your Connection form, an About Us page, a page displaying your mission and beliefs, and a Giving card. You can also add a Verse card and the Family card as well.
At this stage, don't worry about adding images to the cards or customizing the page headers. Focus on what pages and content you want to add to the site and create cards for that purpose.
Customize Each Card Further
Once all of your cards are created, it's time to customize them further.
In the "Cards" tab, select a card. In the slideout menu, select the "Edit Page Content" button. The following screen works just like the "Page Setup" feature. You can select a section of the page to add text, images, templates, etc. You will also find that page's URL and QR code at the top.
You can also navigate to the page editor from the "Page Setup" tab. Select the "Home/Welcome Page" button at the top-left of the editor (it's to the left of your page's URL). Then choose which page you need to edit in the dropdown menu.
Add Card Images
Once the cards are added and the pages are customized, add an image to each card so that app users and site visitors know what each card is for.
What Images Work Best?
We recommend taking one of two approaches to card images:
- Photos taken of the smiling faces guests will see when they visit
- Images created in Canva that fit the church's branding
Headers, Footers, and Body
Your Connect site has headers, footers, and body sections.
Headers
Your connect site has a header section (also called a "hero section") at the very top of the landing page. You can add an image to the background and add text. We have included templates for you to choose from, but you can create a custom header in the code view.
There is also a body section above the Card Section. You can use a template, add an image or button, or create your own custom body section in the code view. You can add as many body sections as you need.
You can also add a header/hero image and text on many of the pages of your site. Select a card on the "Cards" tab, then select the "Edit Page Content" button.
Footers
The Connect site also includes a footer section. There is also a body section at the bottom of the Card section where you can add templates, images, buttons, etc.
You can add more links in the footer at the bottom of your site as well.
Step 6: Get Feedback
Share your site with a select group of members. Ask them to give feedback on the branding, how easy the site and app are to use, and if they have any ideas to make it better.
You may be surprised by the feedback you get!
Step 7: Share It
Once you have finalized your site, it's time to share it with the world!
We recommend sharing it in the following ways:
- Announce the new site to the congregation a few weeks before launch to let them know it's coming
- Display the QR code in the sanctuary and announce the new site on launch day
- Train volunteers on how to download the app and create a Connect account so they can assist other members
- Text or email the URL to your congregation after service on launch day
- Share the URL on social media and add it to the Bio or About section of every social media account you have