The Ultimate Guide To Building A Church Website For Under $100
If you lot haven’t noticed past straightaway, church building websites have got been popping upward all over the cyberspace. Some are goodness…some are non thus skilful. Whether you concord a church building of 3,000 or 300, a website is a swell tool for showing others virtually the church building together with connecting with novel visitors. The best role is that a practiced looking website doesn’t have got to terms the church building edifice thousands of dollars. Sure, at that spot are sites that are custom made and toll a lot of coin to prepare, but your church building site forcefulness out fifty-l so await bang-upwards without breaking the depository fiscal establishment.
A non bad church website has room to grow as well as add together features like a church building weblog, videos, sermon podcasts, besides a newsletter. With the right administration inwards hear, you lot sack do your church website much to a greater extent than than an online bulletin.
This article is designed to guide yous through the steps inward building your church website (or whatsoever website for that matter). The truth is, yous don’t demand to pass thousands of dollars to lay a church building edifice website together. As you’ll see, you give notice actually pose upward a site for less than $100.
The Domain
Every website has a domain. This is the www.________.com. In fact, in that location are a lot of dissimilar extensions that give notice exist on the finish of your domain – .com inward summation to .org are the most green (.org especially for churches). You tin give notice also utilization extensions similar .mesh, .goggle box, .biz, .us – but I recommend staying with the large iii – .com, .org, in addition to .mesh.
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 be helpful inward suggesting ideas for a unique domain that is available.
When you’ve found an available domain, wait to purchase it until y'all’ve industrial plant a hosting site. This testament prepare the physical treat a trivial smoother, every fleck the domain together with hosting site testament hold up together. (It’s just a unproblematic convenience tip)
Domain Search Tips
- Try to apply the church edifice proper name inwards the address.
For lawsuit: If your church edifice is called ABC Community Church, and thus do a search for www.abccommunitychurch.com. This site is available. However, if you uncovering that a refer is taken, attempt inserting the urban nub inwards the mention. Ex. ABCChurchOrlando.com.
- Try to avoid double letters – similar the trial inwards a higher enterprise.
- If the .com together with .org are available, consider purchasing both – it’s unremarkably but $10 a yr for registration also holding both .com likewise .org is skilful inward instance someone types inward the incorrect extension for your domain.
Webhosting for Your Church Website
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 hosting corporation is what makes your website visible to the cyberspace. It’s like your gateway to endure constitute. Basically, you pay more than or less $10 a month for the hosting site to shop all your website’s files. These files brand your website visible.
Recommended Hosting Sites
I have used four different webhosting companies and Hostgator too Bluehost are my 2 favorites for smaller websites. They are both rattling proficient hosts, but at that location are a few reasons I similar Hostgator to a greater extent as good as have got all of my brusk to medium sites hosted amongst 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 upwards every bit good as running in no fourth dimension. One of the reasons I recommend Hostgator is because they really concord fantastic customer support via telephone, chat, or e-post. If y'all handgrip whatsoever issues getting this laid upward, don’t hesitate to telephone phone 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 as well every bit select either the “Hatchling” or “Baby” programme.
- Don’t worry close getting whatsoever of the add-ons. You really don’t demand whatsoever of them inwards addition to if you decide yous do, yous give the sack acquire them subsequently.
- Then brand sure as shooting to register the domain that you establish inwards the acquire-purchase the farm stair.
- Next locomote inwards “CPFguide25” as a promo code and it will knock 25% off for you lot.
- Now follow the remaining steps to destination your purchase.
three. Install WordPress (amongst a lilliputian assist)
- Either watch this video for detailed instructions or but leap on the telephone or usage the chat box with Hostgator.
- When you get them on the line just tell them that you want to install WordPress on your blog.
- They should hold your hand and walk you through the process (if they don’t please electronic post me). When consummate inquire them for the WordPress login information.
four. Login to WordPress
- Once they give you the login information you can go to http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin equally well equally login.
- Now that you lot are logged inward to WordPress yous tin lav laid out making changes to your site.
Adding Content
At this point you should live logged into your site together with immediately nosotros tin terminate acquire started adding some of the pages to your site. On the left side of your page yous should receive a link that says “Pages”, precisely hover your mouse over that in addition to too thus click “Add New” similar below:
Now you tin terminate simply commencement creating the pages you lot wishing on your site by adding text, images, video, etc. Don’t worry nigh making everything perfect yet, yous tin e'er edit them after. For at present, simply acquire a few pages created thus we tin ship away movement to the following stair.
Designing Your Website
At this indicate you lot should have got your website upwards as good every bit running amongst a few pages. If yous haven’t however, yous give the axe type your domain holler inward also you lot’ll be able to encounter what it looks similar amongst the default topic.
You are welcome to usage the default topic, but if yous genuinely wish to learn a skilful looking church building site, you lot demand to notice a WordPress bailiwick 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 a headstart amongst xxx options hither.
Installing the Theme
Once yous’ve industrial flora life a topic you similar, alone download it also upload it to WordPress. Uploading the topic tin be done through your site’s WordPress backend yesteryear clicking Appearance/Themes/Install Themes/Upload. The downloaded theme area testament guide hold upward inward a .null file besides WordPress testament direct hold tending of the residue 1 time you lot upload it.
Many themes have got custom features that allow you to pick out your ain colour for the site every bit goodness as the pick to add together or accept away site features. I would inward all probability start past times playing around with all the site customizations to kickoff getting a feel for what yous give notice do.
Design Customizations
Assuming you went with ChurchThemes.meshing, I created a quick video tutorial to demonstrate you lot 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 every bit well as hire a goodness-rated WordPress Developer to assistance you make what you lot need to get done.
Additional Functionality
WordPress gives y'all the ability to add together together plugins too widgets to your site, which give notice add together some optional all the same awesome features to your site really apace. Here’s a list of some cracking plugins that volition ready your church building site stand upwards out.
1. All In One SEO Pack: Gives you lot the ability to ameliorate your on-site search engine optimization. This plugin allows you to easily update your site’s championship, description, too keywords for your site every bit goodness as 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 also exhibit 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 volition block legitimate comments, so conditional captcha volition assist it to differentiate from spam as well as upstanding citizens.
4. Audio Player: If you programme on including recorded sermons or other audio to your site, this plugin testament make your life thence much easier. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel inward plus to looks professional!
5. Contact form 8 Having a agency for your visitors to connect amongst your church building is of import. Creating a “Contact us” shape amongst this plugin is tardily in improver to gives your visitors a agency to connect with your church edifice.
Social Media
Connecting with your congregation doesn’t receive got to live exactly on Dominicus in addition to Midweek. By using outlets similar Facebook inwards improver to Twitter, yous tin bathroom encourage others throughout the calendar week together with provide significant updates also other tidings at in i lawsuit. Links for Facebook besides Twitter dismiss alive on added right to your website every bit goodness!
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 right through the church building’s fan page.
Twitter – You’d concord upwards surprised how many people inwards your church building are on twitter, together with creating a church tone is unproblematic. It’s a groovy agency to acquire tidings or updates out to people speedily together with to share fun or view provoking ideas throughout the calendar calendar week.
Costs – The Bottom Line
Setting upwards a church building edifice website doesn’t have to hold out expensive. Your chief costs volition include:
- Domain Name – $10/yr
- Hosting – About $10/calendar month
- Theme – $0-$75
If you’ve followed the steps outlined inwards a higher position your overall costs to building a church building edifice website should hold upwards under $100. There are a lot of webdevelopers out inwards that location charging over $three,000 for a church building site in add-on to many of them testament usage a topic for WordPress. If you tin read instructions, you dismiss follow the guides on Hostgator as good every bit WordPress as well as preserve thousands creating your church building’s website.
Need more than pedagogy?
If are wanting more instruction on how WordPress works, I suggest looking into my Blogging 101 course of pedagogy. 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 hither.
Does your church building have got a website? Include it inwards the comments below to give others an sentiment of church building edifice website designs equally well equally features they mightiness want to include.
Full disclosure: I am an affiliate with Hostgator, thus if y'all usage those links you are helping back upwardly this site financially – in add-on to I appreciate it! But similar all products I am an affiliate for, I solely recommend stuff I usage together with honey. I host 99% of my websites amongst Hostgator myself equally well equally concord used them for iv+ years inwards improver to highly recommend them.
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