Make sure these 8 things are on your visitor page

Your welcome starts online! Have your visitor page ready for the extra Christmas service guests coming your way.

More people come out for Christmas services than any other worship service of the year. Whether it’s the pull of nostalgia and tradition, or that quiet longing for Christ and fellowship, more people come to church at Christmas.

More people give you a chance to reach new hearts or reconnect with those who haven’t been in a while.

With all of the activities, planning, late nights, and long hours, one thing gets overlooked: your visitor page. Maybe you call it About Us, New Here, or a variety of other names. It’s that page on your church’s site that has all of the information a visitor may need when checking out your church before they come in person.

Have you looked at your visitor page recently? Take a few moments now to review and see if you can add or update in anticipation of your guests.

Don’t have that page? Well, you’re in luck, because this will still be helpful for when you can build it out!

1. Worship service time(s) and physical location at the top.

 When and where? These two facts, prominently placed, quickly provide answers to the top question. See – you’re already helpful! Putting this at the top is also useful for those of us who forget and need to check again. 

2. What worship is like/what to expect. 

The body of Christ is richly diverse. For people who have attended church before, they may have an individual style they prefer. For those who haven’t, their only exposure could be what they have seen in media or pop culture. Either way – clearly communicate what worship is like at your church. These details go a long way to both informing guests and helping them to feel comfortable.  

If it’s a more charismatic background, let people know they may see hands raised in worship and that they are welcome to join in as they feel led. If your church is more traditional, let them know that too. People will be drawn to different types, so don’t shy away. They may even be curious about a worship style they haven’t experienced before! Bonus: provide a button or link to your service video page so they can view it for themselves and see. 

3. Where to park.

 Church members know all the parking tricks. Which entrance to pull into from the road. Where to park that’s closest to the children’s area. Imagine you are talking to a potential guest – what would you tell them? Focus on the way that makes the most sense for guests and keep it simple. If you have parking lot greeters, guest parking, or other special accommodations, let them know what to look for when they arrive. And definitely let them know if there’s a specific lot to pull into if it’s close to the children’s area. 

4. What to wear.

Dressing to blend in helps many people feel comfortable. Nowadays, it’s common for people to see dress ranging from casual to “Sunday Best.” What is dress like at your church? Bonus points if you show it, rather than tell it, through the use of photos of your people during worship.

5. Any special instructions for families. 

If you haven’t endured bringing little people to church, it’s an experience! Even the most well-behaved children can sometimes get out of sorts right before walking into a new building with lots of people and unfamiliar faces.

Help out their parents or caregivers by giving them any special instructions they may need. Consider common questions or needs from parents and provide that information your site, or links to other pages with more detailed information. You can cover the highlights on your visitor page and then link over to a more detailed page for parents. 

• Child pre-registration.
• Any special service or ministry children experience apart from the main worship service.
• Safety measures.
• What children learn/experience.
• Accommodations for parents/caregivers with babies or toddlers.

6. Sprinkle throughout your visitor page photos of your people 

People will spend more time with other people – show off your church family! Whether staged shots or candids, having photos of your families with younger children or young adults helps to connect with the younger generations seeking a church home.

Put the image in your header, use them throughout to show greeters, people in worship, etc. These images provide richer information about the life of your church than what a detailed text description can provide.

Bonus: use this “show rather than tell” method to illustrate ministries and other services throughout your website. Keep your WordPress site running fast by using the ShortPixel plug-in. You’ll be able to compress images and still have them looking great, and if you use our link, we’ll make a small commission. Win-win!

7. Map or other directions. 

One of the best ways to help people get from their location to yours is by embedding a Google Map. The map helps people figure out your location in relation to other familiar places, and can link out to directions on their phone. How helpful is that for their Sunday morning drive! If that’s not possible, you can provide easy to understand directions. Provide the physical location again to make it easy to copy the text into a mapping app or other similar tool.

8. Any other helpful instructions.

Consider any other tips or information that would be good for a guest to know.

A pastor at one church we worked with did a great intro and tour video as a part of their grand opening for social media. It’s now on their guest page!

At another, the closest door to the parking lot provides elevator access for those who need it. However, for everyone else, the short walk to the front entrance is easier to navigate than the stairs of the old building. The pastor told us that a guest specifically mentioned and thanked him for that tip, so these insights truly help!

By anticipating your guests’ needs, you show them that you care, that you are thinking about how to serve them, and lay the early foundations of new relationships.

For more solutions and insights into optimizing your church’s website, check out these other posts. You can also learn more about how your site can be a blend of both form and function as your digital marketing hub.