Every Church Website Should Have These 5 Photos

Let’s address the importance of using good quality photos and some specific photos every church website should have.

Photo Quality Matters

What’s your first thought when you go to a website that has blurry, dark, over-exposed, or tiny pictures on it? Eek! It’s like wearing a stained t-shirt to a job interview. Poor images give visitors the impression that the people who make up the organization are either clueless or doesn’t care.

But what do you think when you see good, compelling photos on a website? It shows a vibrant community of people who are full of life, care about people, and are inviting you to be a part of what they’re doing.

To put it bluntly:

Photos make or break a website.

If you are the administrator of your website and you’re not sure whether the photos on your website are good quality or not, ask someone in your church who has an eye for photography or request a free website review.

Because there are specific things most church website visitors want to know about, there are specific photos every church website should include.

Every Church Website Should Have These 5 Photos

1) Outside of the church building with people. People who are considering a first-time visit to worship with your church want to know what the outside of your church building looks like so they know what to look for when they visit. It’s also important to show that your “church is the people” – people who are friendly, kind and engaging – so make sure there are people in the photo and not just a lifeless building.

2) Worship service. Potential visitors also want to know what the inside of your church building looks like during a weekend gathering. How big is it? How formal is it? What are people wearing? What are they doing? A whether they realize it or not, most people are looking to see if your church includes people like them – their ethnicity, their gender, their age, their style, etc.

3) Senior Pastor. People are interested to know who the senior pastor is and what they look like. Some pastors like photos of themselves that convey spiritual authority by showing them dressed formally or preaching, but most people want a pastor that understands them, is friendly and cares about people. Consider this when taking or selecting a photo.

4) Safe, Engaging Children’s ministry. For many parents, a church’s children’s ministry is the most important aspect of the church. First and foremost, parents want their children to be safe. Second, parents understand that their children aren’t going to learn about God and grow in their love for him if they are bored. Therefore, it’s important to show that children in your church are safe and engaged. Don’t cop out and show stock photos of happy kids. Parents want to see real children in your real church engaged with real adult teachers.

5) Authentic Community. Church is not supposed to be just a bunch of religious people who show up on Sunday morning out of religious obligation to perform their religious duty. A local church is supposed to be a community of people who love Jesus and love each other. People who love each other spend time together, laugh together, help each other, and encourage one another. It’s important to show the heart of your community through photos.

Take Action: If some of the photos on your website are poor quality or your website doesn’t have some of the photos described above, commit to taking some good, new photos this week and get them on the website.

If while reviewing your website, you think it may need more than just adding or replacing photos, request a free church website design consultation or build a new website with our church website builder.

Post a comment… which of the 5 photos described above do you already have on your website? Which are you going to add?

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