Church website for FREE!!!
It is very important for a church to have a website, something simple and basic for guests and visitors who are new to the area and are not familiar with how the church functions. In order to do this, you don't need to spend a lot of money, in fact, you really don't need to spend any but you do need to spend some time on it.
Before you do anything, you will need to decide what you want on the webiste. Do you want times of service? Contact information? Directions to the building? Perhaps some of the things that are going on that the person could get involved in. Now that you have an idea of what you want to have on your website, you will need to figure out what is going to be the best means of being able to update the information. There is nothing worse than a website that has out of date information. With these two factors in mind, you can then figure out what is going to be your best way of creating the website.
Weebly - This is a great option for those who are searching for an easy interface. Along with a website that you can really do a lot with it. You can insert blogs, static pages, insert pics, videos, text and other media. These are simply done by dragging and dropping.
Wix - This is another great option. It has an easy interface that will allow you to create the website. This will create a more professional looking website but will require a little more work for all the toots and whistles that you may want. (Again this depends on what you want on your website.)
WordPress - This is a good option but has with it a lot more need for time and understanding of the website's program. In working with this, it takes some time to figure it out but once you do, it offers some great functions and interface with other open source resources that are available.
Blogger - This is another good option. It offers many things that would be needed. However it is also rather limited. It is designed around a simple blogger format but will allow you to insert your own static pages or connections to other blogs.
Once you design on a place to construct your website, take some time and build it. They are free services, so explore and have some fun with it. You can always redo it. There are few things that you could definitely use and you can use these services free of charge to a limit on some of them.
Calendar - With different email accounts you also given a calendar option that you can easily share on your website. Such free and easy to use services are: Gmail, Hotmail (this is a Microsoft account which you can also use outlook.com), Yahoo, or icloud. Search the help on how to load the calendar onto your webiste. (It will be a little work but mostly copy and pasting of code.)
Map - Most map search engines will also allow you to post onto your website. Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and Bing Maps. Will allow you to search for your place and then post it to your website. (It may take a search in the Help to figure out the best way to do this.)
Email Announcements - There are a few email services out there that will allow you send out emails to a vast number of people. You can set up a continual email to be sent out on a regular basis or a special email to be sent out with templates that look very professional. Time is needed to tweak and make things look nice but there are many templates available to save time. A free service is Mail Chimp, which is great for smaller congregations, look at the plans to figure out if this is for you. A popular one is Constant Contact. This has the same features but has more toots and whistles that you can include however this will take more time and work for the person sending the emails. If your organization is large (as in several thousands) you may want to invest in a larger service called Bronto. I would recommend this for larger congregations or non profits with a large email base.
Newsletter Archives - There are some great services for this, you can upload them and have them as a link or you can load them in a Box.com folder and share that folder on your website. The person can then download them. You can also place them on a Blog so that it is part of an RSS feed.
Podcasting - There are some great services for this, you can upload them and have them as a link or you can load them in a Box.com folder and share that folder on your website. The person can then download them. You can also place them on a Blog so that it is part of an RSS feed.
Your site should really depend on your audience and the resources that they would find helpful. A website should be thought through and then implemented however a website is on going. It will be like the bulletins, newsletters, and attendance of the church, these are things that will need attention so that people can be cared for and brought into the community of the church.
Before you do anything, you will need to decide what you want on the webiste. Do you want times of service? Contact information? Directions to the building? Perhaps some of the things that are going on that the person could get involved in. Now that you have an idea of what you want to have on your website, you will need to figure out what is going to be the best means of being able to update the information. There is nothing worse than a website that has out of date information. With these two factors in mind, you can then figure out what is going to be your best way of creating the website.
Weebly - This is a great option for those who are searching for an easy interface. Along with a website that you can really do a lot with it. You can insert blogs, static pages, insert pics, videos, text and other media. These are simply done by dragging and dropping.
Wix - This is another great option. It has an easy interface that will allow you to create the website. This will create a more professional looking website but will require a little more work for all the toots and whistles that you may want. (Again this depends on what you want on your website.)
WordPress - This is a good option but has with it a lot more need for time and understanding of the website's program. In working with this, it takes some time to figure it out but once you do, it offers some great functions and interface with other open source resources that are available.
Blogger - This is another good option. It offers many things that would be needed. However it is also rather limited. It is designed around a simple blogger format but will allow you to insert your own static pages or connections to other blogs.
Once you design on a place to construct your website, take some time and build it. They are free services, so explore and have some fun with it. You can always redo it. There are few things that you could definitely use and you can use these services free of charge to a limit on some of them.
Calendar - With different email accounts you also given a calendar option that you can easily share on your website. Such free and easy to use services are: Gmail, Hotmail (this is a Microsoft account which you can also use outlook.com), Yahoo, or icloud. Search the help on how to load the calendar onto your webiste. (It will be a little work but mostly copy and pasting of code.)
Map - Most map search engines will also allow you to post onto your website. Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and Bing Maps. Will allow you to search for your place and then post it to your website. (It may take a search in the Help to figure out the best way to do this.)
Email Announcements - There are a few email services out there that will allow you send out emails to a vast number of people. You can set up a continual email to be sent out on a regular basis or a special email to be sent out with templates that look very professional. Time is needed to tweak and make things look nice but there are many templates available to save time. A free service is Mail Chimp, which is great for smaller congregations, look at the plans to figure out if this is for you. A popular one is Constant Contact. This has the same features but has more toots and whistles that you can include however this will take more time and work for the person sending the emails. If your organization is large (as in several thousands) you may want to invest in a larger service called Bronto. I would recommend this for larger congregations or non profits with a large email base.
Newsletter Archives - There are some great services for this, you can upload them and have them as a link or you can load them in a Box.com folder and share that folder on your website. The person can then download them. You can also place them on a Blog so that it is part of an RSS feed.
Podcasting - There are some great services for this, you can upload them and have them as a link or you can load them in a Box.com folder and share that folder on your website. The person can then download them. You can also place them on a Blog so that it is part of an RSS feed.
Your site should really depend on your audience and the resources that they would find helpful. A website should be thought through and then implemented however a website is on going. It will be like the bulletins, newsletters, and attendance of the church, these are things that will need attention so that people can be cared for and brought into the community of the church.
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