Proposal for a Small Church Website: The 4 Things Small Church Websites Need

Small church websites are different than websites for larger churches. Here are the four things that a small church website needs. 

1. You need a picture that shows the inside of the church. If I guest comes to a small church, they want to know what the inside of the church will look like. Don't show them the stage. Show them the sanctuary. One of the special things about a small church is the congregation. Show that. 
2. You need to explain how, when, and where to attend. Don't assume that guests would know where to go, when to be there, or how to dress. Make it easy for them. 
3. You need to show the pastor and tell a little bit about him. People want to know who the pastor is. It's one of the most visited pages on any church website. Don't make it hard for people. Show it on the front page. Use a recent picture. It's easy to have somebody who's good at taking photos take a photo of the pastor.
4. You need to share what you believe. A page that explains the church's beliefs are a big help. If somebody is already a Christian, they want to know if this is a like-minded church. If somebody is not a Christian, they too want to know what the church believes. Don't make people guess.

My church's website is an example of these four things--manchesterbaptistchurch.com

This is one of the most relevent and visited pages on my website, so I thought I would update it based on what I think now.  The original post was based on an email to a friend who pastored a small church. I'm leaving that up in case someone finds that helpful. I had to change a link because of a dead website. Here is the original post:

I wrote up a list of suggested changes to the website of a small church website. I thought it might be helpful to understand what a church website should have on it, especially a small church.

• Design the website with guests in mind. More than likely, the people attending don't use the website unless they are downloading sermons. So prioritize anyone in the community who might be spiritually seeking or looking for a church. Right now, visiting your website gives little indication of what going to ____ is like.
• I would like to redo the website to answer the major questions someone has and do most of it on the front page. (An example is our church website: manchesterbaptistchurch.com). I want to make it as easy as possible.
• I would do a big photo of your church on the front (something like the one I attached from google maps below). And I would put a headline on top that says something like "A Safe Place to Grow." Something that is focused on the website visitor; we'll put the church vision down below.
• Then I would add service times and address.
• Then I would add your vision "________________"
• Below that I would want a good photo and bio of you  I can coach you on taking a good photo with a smartphone. Visitors want to know about the pastor. We would rather not get that attention, but that is one of the most visited pages on a church website. We might as well put it on the front page. It also personalizes the church. Your website right now has no faces. This helps.
• Then I would have a FAQ section of questions for guests with links to church beliefs, etc.
• I would add a community page where you can post events and announcements (similar to how you use your front page now).
• I would keep the sermon page that you have.
• I would make sure that you have a contact page with good contact info. 
• It looks like every other page is never used. I suggest deleting them, but if you want them around, then we can just nest them in one tab so that they don't clutter up the organization.
• Finally, I would help you set up your google result. It's free and it is the first thing that pops up when someone searches for a church near ___________. If you search for a church right now near ________, your church doesn't show up on the main page because it is fourth. We should be able to get it number one pretty easily. Having it filled out with pictures of the outside and inside is one of the ways that visitors stop and look at our church. We have the most completed result in our area. It helps a lot.