Six Catholic Parish Website Trends

Is it time to update or completely redo your parish website? If so, we've collected a list of some of the most important trends our web design team has identified — all of which can be easily applied using our church website builder WeConnect.

1. Clean Layouts
   Remember, keeping your layout clean and well-designed helps your community navigate your site and find what they need quickly. WeConnect has great custom options with sections that are pre-formatted for users to drag and drop into their pages. This can get you ahead of the game.
   
   
2. Video Headers as the Hero Image
   The hero image is the very first thing that visitors to your church’s website see before they begin to scroll. More and more we are seeing churches use a short video clip that showcases their parish community as the hero image on their website. We’ve got to say, it’s a powerful way to make a great first impression! This is a built-in, super easy function of our web builder, WeConnect. With it, you can drop in your own video or even link to another video that is already being hosted on Youtube , Vimeo , or DailyMotion."
   
   
3. Interactive Displays/Micro-Animations
   Lots of websites are incorporating interactive micro-animations. These are often small features found on a website that, when a visitor clicks, a little animation is triggered. These could also be described as interactive layouts where sections might have a transition animation when a visitor scrolls past them. Want to see an example? Check out an animation on our website by going to our main website and scrolling down to the bottom where we link to our most recent blogs. When you do this, you will notice that our blog sections “slide up” into the main page via micro-animation. These transitions are easy to apply to sections on your website in WeConnect. 
   
   
4. Real Customer Testimonials and Reviews
   Also known by designers as “social proof,” having positive reviews prominently featured on your website for visitors to easily view has become the norm for many organizations. Consider featuring a few parishioner reviews on your homepage to encourage people to visit your vibrant parish.
   
   
5. Modern Branding 
   Don’t be left behind with a website that includes branding elements or a logo that looks like it was designed in the 90’s —or *gasp* before! Make sure your church’s branding and overall image is updated with modern colors and a modern design. Not sure where to start? Our team of designers loves working with parishes to update their brand!  
   
   
6.  Embedded Instagram Feeds
   You already spent the time to populate your parish’s Instagram account with awesome pictures of your community, advertisements for events, and more! Now, be sure everyone sees it, even if they don’t have an Instagram account, by using our social media widget and embedding your Instagram feed into your website! It will automatically update your website’s image gallery in real time as you upload new content to your Instagram account! 
   

Now it’s your turn! Be a trendsetter and start implementing these features into your parish website for an updated look! Need help with a redesign? Learn more about our website design services for parishes or check out some before and after images of sites we've designed here! 

Dive deeper into world of parish websites by checking out the "Web and Social Media" section of our weekly blog.

Updated on 11-13-2024