Checklist: Get Your Church Website Ready for Easter Visitors

During the weeks leading up to Easter, parishes can expect an increased number of visitors to their websites. People looking for a spiritual home this Easter season will be searching for churches local to where they live or where they are traveling, so it’s in your best interest to make sure your website is intentionally optimized to reach them! Here’s a comprehensive checklist to help you get ready:

Parish Easter Visitor Checklist for Websites:

• Ensure Mobile Compatibility
• First and foremost, be sure that your website is mobile-friendly. These days, most users will access it via their mobile devices — especially if they are traveling to the area for the holidays. If needed, seek professional assistance to enhance mobile responsiveness. Our parish website builder, WeConnect, makes this process super easy.
  
  
• Highlight Easter and Holy Week Schedules Prominently
• Feature all your Easter and Holy Week/Triduum event times prominently on your homepage, allowing visitors to view them without having to scroll far. Utilize eye-catching banners or dedicated sections for this information.
• Save time on design by using the Easter Sections exclusively available inside of WeConnect. These drag-and-drop website sections are designed for Catholic parishes to use during the Easter season, drawing visitors’ attention to your schedule immediately upon visiting your website.

• Incorporate Professional Easter Graphics
• Use high-quality Easter-themed graphics to emphasize important information. Tools like WeCreate offer all different sizes of graphics and customizable templates tailored for Easter. Bonus — you can use the WeCreate Easter graphics for more than just your website. They can be placed in your social media, bulletins, flyers, programs, and wherever else you need liturgically appropriate images!

• Ensure Your Parish is Easy to Locate
• Ensuring your church's location is easy to find is crucial for welcoming new visitors, especially during the Easter season. Make sure you display your complete address prominently on your homepage, as well as in your “Contact Us” section.
• Make sure your Parishes Online profile is up to date as millions of people across the country use this website to search for local Catholic churches in their area. Don’t forget to also register your parish with Google. This ensures your parish appears in relevant Google search results and on Google Maps.

• Provide Accessible Visitor Information
• Include a clearly labeled section in your main homepage menu for newcomers, such as "I'm New" or "Welcome." This area should offer essential details to help visitors feel comfortable and informed, like where to park, when Mass and confession times are, what your parish mission is, and how to learn more about your parish staff.

• Showcase Ministries and Services
• Ensure that information about your various ministries and services is also easily accessible from your homepage. Doing so allows potential visitors to understand your unique community and the opportunities your parish offers.

• Highlight Faith Formation Programs
• Prominently display information about faith formation programs for both youth and adults. This demonstrates your commitment to spiritual growth and education while also directing visitors to a welcoming place to explore more about sacraments and your faith.

• Integrate Social Media Features
• Add social media links and any live feed information to your website. This integration fosters community engagement and keeps content dynamic. It is common to have Facebook, Instagram, and other social media links located either at the top of your homepage or in your footer.

• Create an Easter-Specific Landing Page
• Develop a dedicated page with comprehensive details about Easter services, events, and any special instructions visitors might need to know. This centralizes information, making it easy for visitors to find what they need.
• As a bonus, you can link to this landing page from other information sources like social media posts, Easter invite mailers, flyers, bulletin articles, and more!

• Test Website Performance
• Regularly check for broken links, outdated information, and loading speeds both on the mobile version of your site and your desktop version. A well-functioning website enhances user experience and reflects the parish's attention to detail.

Need to simplify your website design and updating process? We can help! Our robust Catholic parish website builder, WeConnect, allows your parish to quickly build, edit, and maintain events, post bulletins, update blogs, and so much more. As a bonus, our multimedia design team is equipped build you a professional and mission-forward site! To learn more about WeConnect, head over to the WeConnect website or check out our upcoming free online live demo dates. 

Want some more parish website inspiration? Our article, “Church Website Trends We’re Loving” has examples of some of the best parish website’s we’ve seen lately. You can also head on over and browse the articles inside the “Web and Social Media” section of our blog.

By following this checklist, we’re confident that your parish website will be well-prepared to welcome and inform visitors during the Easter season. Cheers to creating a positive and lasting impression for all!