Do you have a smartphone? Or a tablet? If not, I bet someone you know has one. And I bet they use it all the time to visit their favorite websites.
For church websites to be effective, they must work well on smartphones and tablets, as many people access content on these devices. A mobile-friendly design, often achieved through responsive design, ensures visitors can easily find information without needing to zoom or scroll excessively. Five More Talents helped Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, DE, transform their site from one that made users "squint" to a responsive, user-friendly experience across all devices.
What does this mean for your church website? It means that your church website needs to work well on smartphones and tablets, not just desktops and laptops.
What do you think of our latest church website, for Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, DE? Take a look at it now, if you haven’t already. Look at it on your laptop/desktop. Then look at it on your iPhone or Android smartphone. (Or ask your wife or daughter if you can borrow hers for a couple minutes.)
Here’s what you’ll see on your desktop/laptop computer:
Go ahead, take a few minutes to explore the EOPC website on your computer. What do you think? Is the design appealing? Does the navigation system make it easy for you to get around the site and find what you need?
Now, take a look at the website on your smartphone or tablet device. If you’re using a smartphone (iPhone or Android), you should see something like this:
Now, in case you are still feeling under-whelmed, take a look at this “before” and “after” slideshow. The “before” slides are from the previous design which was “one size fits all.” The “after” slides are from the new design by 5MT. Which one of the following websites would you prefer to use on a smartphone?
So… You’ve seen how we helped Emmanuel Presbyterian Church with their website. Before their website made you squint when you used it on your iPhone or Android device. Now it responds to whatever device you prefer to use: smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. We even tested the website on older versions of Internet Explorer to make folks with old PCs have a good user experience too.
Good websites don’t leave anyone out. They put your content and your users first.
That’s key to our mission here at 5MT: To test your website so thoroughly that everyone who visits your church website has a pleasant, friendly experience. We are here to help you highlight your message so that (Lord willing) your church can be more effective in its God-given mission of gathering and perfecting the saints.
Featured image by Eddy Billard on Unsplash
Frequently Asked Questions
- 1 Why is it important for my church website to work well on smartphones?
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Many people use smartphones and tablets to visit websites, including church websites. If your site doesn't display correctly on these devices, visitors may have a poor experience, making it difficult for them to find information or engage with your church. A mobile-friendly website ensures your content is accessible to everyone, regardless of the device they use.
- 2 How can I determine if my church website is mobile-friendly?
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The best way to check is to visit your website on various devices, such as a desktop computer, a smartphone (iPhone or Android), and a tablet. Pay attention to whether the design is appealing, if the navigation is easy to use, and if you need to zoom in or scroll excessively to read content. The page uses an example of a "before" site that made users "squint."
- 3 What is responsive design and how does it benefit my church website?
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Responsive design means your website automatically adjusts its layout and content to fit the screen size of the device being used, whether it's a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. This ensures a consistent and user-friendly experience across all devices, eliminating the need for visitors to zoom or scroll horizontally. The page highlights how their new designs "respond to whatever device you prefer to use."
- 4 How does Five More Talents ensure a good user experience on church websites?
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Five More Talents focuses on creating websites that work well on all devices, from smartphones to desktops, and even older browsers. They thoroughly test websites to ensure everyone who visits has a pleasant and friendly experience. Their goal is to help churches highlight their message effectively by making their content accessible and easy to navigate for all users.
