I believe 2016 will be an amazing year for church website design! That is what everyone said at the end of last year too right? It is easy to assume and think website design improves each year because technology is always advancing and so on. While this is true to an extent, each year sees something different than the last that gives it it’s own uniqueness. In my opinion this year was one of the most unique and creative one’s producing some of the best church websites ever.
With mobile web browsing surpassing desktop/laptop usage this year, church website design took on a much different approach/strategy. Churches realized that having a mobile responsive and mobile first approach was a non-negotiable thing for outreach online. I believe the “mobile first” approach this year that was taken with web design is what produced the unique creativity that was unparalleled compared to years past producing some of the best church websites of all time!
There were many to choose from out of the top 100 but these 5 below were my top picks for several reasons:
www.risenchurch.com
The compelling video background of people doing life in the city the church is located in not only grabs your attention right away but very effectively communicates the mission statement of this church”Loving God, others, their city, and the word”. With a well thought out and put together video feature like this; the person visiting the site for the first time knows right away what this church is all about. Shouldn’t that be the goal every church has with really only having a few seconds to get someone’s attention on your home page? The best church websites just the right amount of scrolling on the home page too with compelling graphics that lead people to the main content the church is trying to highlight as well. Very simple/intuitive navigation on this site too.
www.thevillagechurch.net
I can go on and on about this one! Starting with a very simple yet memorable logo that stands out, to the very authentic feel to the rest of the design. “Authentic” is not only what we need to be in the church today, but it is really what the culture responds to in this day an age as well with marketing efforts. From the imagery of community taking place, church member testimonials within the very well done parallax design, and with compelling blog titles; this site really is one of the best church websites out there period!
www.tnl.org
Anyone who would visit this site would realize right away that it is just”different”. Different design is creative and unique. Therefore I am led to believe this church is different,creative, and unique which almost demands that you would have to check it out in person right? You do not want your church to be viewed as the same as others either do you? Not only was the layout of the site very unique but the use of colors on a great white backdrop really is special. Very gifted designer here using beautiful graphics for blogs, sermons, and events. Though very different and unique, the site still did a great job of keeping the navigation simple and intuitive as well.
www.renewalchicago.com
Overall I think this site might be the best example of how to communicate your brand and identity as a church. The best brands make for the best church websites. A big part of building your brand is telling your story and this site does that well in several ways. With a very compelling home page with a large banner graphic with centered logo, and a great welcoming video/rotating graphic piece on the home page that says on the same on every page throughout too, stellar videos/photography content throughout the site; a user on this site will not leave wondering more about what to expect at this church.
www.readingfamilychurch.org.uk
The trend has been to keep it simple with church website design for good reason. People are impatient with marketing online and who wants a seek and find task on a church website? Nobody does and you will not find it here on this site! This church gets right to the point on the home page with large yet simple graphics highlighting all of the practical elements people need: service times, events, and a great embedded map right in front of your face. But what about the user who wants more? They thought about that too with a great mega navigation with all of the needed depth of content a user needs to have.
Did we miss one? What are some of the other Best Church Websites for 2016?
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