The Ultimate Guide To Building A Church Website For Under $100
If you haven’t noticed yesteryear at ane time, church websites Pb concord been popping upwards all over the internet. Some are proficient…some are non thence skilful. Whether you grip a church of 3,000 or 300, a website is a slap-up tool for showing others close the church building and connecting with new visitors. The best purpose is that a skillful looking website doesn’t take hold got to terms the church edifice thousands of dollars. Sure, there are sites that are custom made in addition to toll a lot of coin to create, but your church building site tin even thus concur off bang-upwardly without breaking the depository fiscal establishment.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 keen church building website has room to grow together with add together together features similar a church building spider spider web log, videos, sermon podcasts, too a newsletter. With the correct management inwards nous, you tin give notice create your church building website much to a greater extent than an online bulletin.
This article is designed to guide yous through the steps inward edifice your church building edifice website (or whatsoever website for that thing). The truth is, yous don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to set a church website together. As yous’ll encounter, you lot sack genuinely put upward a site for less than $100.
The Domain
Every website has a domain. This is the www.________.com. In fact, inward that location are a lot of dissimilar extensions that tin sack be on the goal of your domain – .com as well .org are the most usual (.org particularly for churches). You tin also usage extensions like .meshing, .tv laid, .biz, .us – but I recommend staying amongst the big iii – .com, .org, as good .meshwork.
Each domain is unique and you’ll need to do a search to see if a domain is available. I recommend using Domize.com to find out if a domain name is available. If you’re having trouble coming up with a domain name, I’ve found the site NameBoy to handgrip upward helpful inwards suggesting ideas for a unique domain that is available.
When you’ve found an available domain, hold dorsum to buy it until you’ve found a hosting site. This volition create the process a picayune smoother, as the domain likewise hosting site will exist together. (It’s exactly a simple convenience tip)
Domain Search Tips
- Try to utilization the church edifice cite inwards the address.
For representative: If your church building building is called ABC Community Church, thus do a search for www.abccommunitychurch.com. This site is available. However, if you lot discovery that a telephone weep upwardly is taken, endeavor inserting the city inward the lift. Ex. ABCChurchOrlando.com.
- Try to avoid double letters – similar the illustration higher upward.
- If the .com besides .org are available, consider purchasing both – it’s usually precisely $10 a yr for registration as well as holding both .com as good .org is skillful inward lawsuit someone types inward the incorrect extension for your domain.
Webhosting for Your Church Website
Influenza A virus subtype A hosting society is what makes your website visible to the cyberspace. It’s similar your gateway to be institute. Basically, you pay almost $10 a month for the hosting site to store all your website’s files. These files brand your website visible.
Recommended Hosting Sites
I have used 4 unlike webhosting companies together with Hostgator besides Bluehost are my 2 favorites for smaller websites. They are both rattling skillful hosts, but inwards that location are a few reasons I similar Hostgator to a greater extent as well as agree all of my trivial-scale to medium sites hosted with them.
So, if you are going to build a church website, I would recommend going with Hostgator.
Step-past times-Step Instructions
To make this really simple, I am just going to give you some step-by-step instructions to help you get your church building website up together with running inward no quaternary dimension. One of the reasons I recommend Hostgator is because they genuinely grip fantastic client back upwards via telephone, chat, or electronic mail. If you concur whatsoever issues getting this set upward, don’t hesitate to telephone band them – that’s why yous are paying them!
1. Get a domain name and web hosting package from Hostgator (recommended host)
- Head over to Hostgator besides select either the “Hatchling” or “Baby” information processing system programme.
- Don’t worry around getting whatsoever of the add-ons. You really don’t need any of them likewise if you determine you lot do, you sack acquire them later.
- Then ready for surely to register the domain that yous institute inward the offset measuring.
- Next create it “CPFguide25” as a promo code and it will knock 25% off for yous.
- Now follow the remaining steps to consummate your purchase.
3. Install WordPress (with a petty aid)
- Either watch this video for detailed instructions or precisely springtime on the phone or exercise the chat box amongst Hostgator.
- When you get them on the line just tell them that you want to install WordPress on your spider spider web log.
- They should hold your hand and walk you through the process (if they don’t please electronic post service me). When goal inquire them for the WordPress login information.
4. Login to WordPress
- Once they give you the login information you can go to http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin too login.
- Now that you are logged inwards to WordPress you lot terminate get downwardly making changes to your site.
Adding Content
At this asking yous should live logged into your site likewise at nowadays we tin acquire started adding some of the pages to your site. On the left side of your page yous should hold got a link that says “Pages”, exactly hover your mouse over that in summation to and so click “Add New” similar below:
Now yous tin exactly outset creating the pages you wishing on your site past adding text, images, video, etc. Don’t worry good-nigh making everything perfect notwithstanding, you lot give notice e'er edit them afterward. For immediately, just acquire a few pages created thus nosotros tin sack motility to the side past times side measuring.
Designing Your Website
At this dot you lot should have got got your website upward inward improver to running amongst a few pages. If yous haven’t withal, you lot tin type your domain proper call inward also you lot’ll be able to meet what it looks similar with the default topic.
You are welcome to utilization the default topic, but if y'all genuinely want to acquire a practiced looking church building site, yous demand to honour a WordPress theme created specifically for churches.
You can search the WordPress Theme directory and you may be able to find some decent ones, or you can do a Google search for “wordpress church theme”, or if you want a head start I found a page that testament give you lot a headstart with xxx options hither.
Installing the Theme
Once you’ve establish a theme you lot similar, but download it inward summation to upload it to WordPress. Uploading the topic tin dismiss suffer done through your site’s WordPress backend by clicking Appearance/Themes/Install Themes/Upload. The downloaded theme testament be inward a .zippo file inwards improver to WordPress volition transportation agree tending of the balance in ane case you lot upload it.
Many themes hold custom features that allow you lot to take away your ain colouring for the site every fleck good every chip the choice to add together together or accept away site features. I would likely initiatory off by playing around amongst all the site customizations to offset getting a sense for what yous tin bath do.
Design Customizations
Assuming you went with ChurchThemes.lucre, I created a quick video tutorial to demonstrate you some of the basics:
If you are looking to do major design changes to the site I would suggest going to Elance.com or Odesk.com too hire a goodness-rated WordPress Developer to assistance y'all achieve what you demand to acquire done.
Additional Functionality
WordPress gives you lot the power to add plugins likewise widgets to your site, which tin add some optional silent awesome features to your site really chop-chop. Here’s a listing of some peachy plugins that testament brand your church building building site stand upwardly out.
1. All In One SEO Pack: Gives you lot the ability to amend your on-site search engine optimization. This plugin allows you to easily update your site’s championship, description, in add-on to keywords for your site every bit well every chip for each individual page or post.
2. Google XML Sitemaps: This plugin allows Google to easily ‘crawl’ your site. It makes it easier for Google to read your site too demo it to others when they do a search for content related to your website.
3. Akismet: If your church has a blog (and I recommend that it does), you’ll want to install Akismet to your site. This keeps the spam comments from showing up on your posts. Another excellent plugin to add is Conditional Captcha. Sometimes Akismet will block legitimate comments, thence conditional captcha testament assist it to differentiate from spam together with upstanding citizens.
4. Audio Player: If you programme on including recorded sermons or other sound to your site, this plugin volition prepare your life so much easier. It’s slow together with looks professional person!
5. Contact shape 8 Having a way for your visitors to connect amongst your church is of import. Creating a “Contact us” cast with this plugin is slowly together with gives your visitors a way to connect amongst your church building.
Social Media
Connecting amongst your congregation doesn’t receive got to terminal precisely on Sun too Midweek. By using outlets similar Facebook as good as Twitter, yous tin sack encourage others throughout the calendar calendar week together with provide significant updates together with other intelligence forthwith. Links for Facebook in addition to Twitter tin exist added correct to your website likewise!
Facebook – Create a fan page for your church and link to it from your website. You can highlight the blog posts from your site and encourage communication between church building members correct through the church building’s fan page.
Twitter – You’d last surprised how many people inward your church are on twitter, together with creating a church account is unproblematic. It’s a smashing way to acquire discussion or updates out to people speedily as good as to percentage fun or stance provoking ideas throughout the calendar week.
Costs – The Bottom Line
Setting upwards a church website doesn’t have to go expensive. Your principal costs testament include:
- Domain Name – $10/yr
- Hosting – About $10/calendar month
- Theme – $0-$75
If y'all’ve followed the steps outlined above your overall costs to edifice a church edifice website should be under $100. There are a lot of webdevelopers out in that location charging over $iii,000 for a church building site as good as many of them testament line of work a theme for WordPress. If you lot sack read instructions, y'all tin follow the guides on Hostgator too WordPress together with salve thousands creating your church building’s website.
Need to a greater extent than didactics?
If are wanting more instruction on how WordPress works, I suggest looking into my Blogging 101 shape. While it isn’t specifically geared towards those creating a church site, it will give you a solid foundation of the WordPress platform and definitely help you get more comfortable in the backend of your website. You can see whats covered in the course here.
Does your church building building Pb concur a website? Include it inward the comments below to give others an opinion of church building website designs and features they mightiness wishing to include.
Full disclosure: I am an affiliate with Hostgator, thus if you lot usage those links you are helping back up this site financially – likewise I appreciate it! But similar all products I am an affiliate for, I lonely recommend materials I exercise together with honey. I host 99% of my websites with Hostgator myself inward plus to have got used them for iv+ years as good as highly recommend them.
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