Top 5 Mistakes Churches Make with Their Websites (and How to Fix Them)
Your church website is often the very first impression someone has of your community. Before they ever set foot in your building, they’ll probably click through your site to decide if they’ll visit.
But here’s the tricky part: many church websites unintentionally create barriers instead of welcome mats. The good news? Most of these mistakes are simple to fix once you know what to look for.
Let’s walk through the five most common church website mistakes — and the easy ways to fix them.
[IMAGE: SCREENSHOT MOCKUP OF A CHURCH WEBSITE HOMEPAGE ON LAPTOP + PHONE]
Mistake 1: Hiding the Basics
If a visitor has to click three times just to find your service times, they’ll give up. The most common oversight on church websites is burying the basics.
Fix it: Put your service times, address, and contact info right on your homepage. Repeat them in the footer, too.
[IMAGE: EXAMPLE WEBSITE HOMEPAGE WITH SERVICE TIME + ADDRESS CLEARLY HIGHLIGHTED]
Mistake 2: Outdated Information
Nothing erodes trust faster than a website that says “Join us for Easter 2019!” It signals that no one’s paying attention.
Fix it: Set a reminder once a season to update your site. Swap out old banners, refresh announcements, and make sure your events page is current.
[IMAGE: SIDE-BY-SIDE MOCKUP — LEFT PANEL SHOWING “EASTER 2019” BANNER, RIGHT PANEL UPDATED TO CURRENT YEAR]
Mistake 3: Too Much Text
Long walls of text feel overwhelming. Visitors are skimming, not settling in for a novel.
Fix it: Break up paragraphs with headings, photos, and bullet points. Use plain, clear language that a new visitor will understand.
[IMAGE: SCREENSHOT OF WEBSITE ABOUT PAGE BEFORE/AFTER — LEFT ALL TEXT, RIGHT WITH HEADINGS + PHOTOS]
Mistake 4: No Photos of Real People
Stock photos may look polished, but they don’t show the heart of your church. People want to know what it actually feels like to be part of your community.
Fix it: Use real photos of your congregation (with permission). Smiles in the fellowship hall, kids at Sunday school, the choir rehearsing — these paint a far more authentic picture.
[IMAGE: COLLAGE OF REAL CHURCH COMMUNITY PHOTOS VS GENERIC STOCK PHOTO COMPARISON]
Mistake 5: Hard to Use on Mobile
Most people visiting your site will be on their phone. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, they’ll leave fast.
Fix it: Choose a responsive template (Squarespace, Wix, and others all offer this). Test your site on your phone regularly — click the buttons, scroll the pages, and see what a visitor sees.
[IMAGE: SIDE-BY-SIDE SMARTPHONE MOCKUP SHOWING RESPONSIVE VS NON-RESPONSIVE WEBSITE]
Wrapping Up
Your church website doesn’t need to be flashy. It just needs to be clear, current, and welcoming. By fixing these five common mistakes, you’ll help visitors feel more comfortable taking that next step of walking through your doors.
If you’d like to get a bigger-picture sense of what’s working in digital ministry right now, grab the Digital Ministry Trend Report. It’s free, and it’ll help you see which shifts matter most so you can focus your time where it counts.
[IMAGE: MOCKUP OF DIGITAL MINISTRY TREND REPORT COVER]