Christian Website Design & Development – 20 Key Building Blocks

Whether your website is going to be used for an established business, ministry, or even a home-based business, there are 20 critical elements you should always consider before beginning your Christian Website Design.

Before you ever considering design, please carefully consider your Domain Name, Domain Host and your website’s Theme. Afterward you can begin the designing process.  However, once it’s time to design… designing your site for a stellar user experience and for conversion is of utmost importance.

Therefore, prepare to learn about the 20 elements of website design & development (3 of which I’ve written about extensively) that include your:

• Website Domain
• Domain Host
• Website Theme
• Designing Your Site For Conversion
• Search Engine Optimization
• Conversion with Email Setup

You will also learn about website development, which include:

• 4 pillars of website development
• 10 of Google’s top ranking factors

When it comes to the domain name, or your website URL, it’s always wise to keep both the consumer and the search engine in mind when choosing the name.  And this is good advice whether you’re about to launch a business website or a blog.

Therefore, consider these suggestions when choosing your domain name:

• If at all possible, choose a domain name that ends with .com
• Make certain it’s relevant to the content that’s going to be on the website
• Keep it short if possible, making it easier to remember
• Don’t use numbers in place of words (i.e., 4everyours.com, foreveryours.com)

Let’s say you’re about to open an automotive insurance company in Dallas, TX.  Before you even name your business, it would be wise to get with an SEO Expert who could do some keyword research about automotive insurance in Dallas, TX. Why?

Let’s say there are 19,000 consumers (19,000 is fictitious – could be more or less) every month in the Dallas area who go to Google and search, “Auto Insurance Dallas TX.”  19,000?  Every Month?  Can you imagine the possibilities?

Therefore, if it’s available and you haven’t yet named your business, you might consider something like “Auto Insurance of Dallas.”  Then, launch your website with the domain name of autoinsuranceofdallas.com – or something like it.

NOTE:  This does not ensure that your website will be at the top of Google in this particular search… but it’s a great start.  Why?  Because the consumer is searching for auto insurance in Dallas, TX.  And here’s what Google knows:  The name of your business and URL – along with the content on your website – all point towards a perfect match for what the consumer is searching for.

WHERE TO GET YOUR DOMAIN NAME

There are several companies where you can research and purchase a domain for your site.  However, regardless of which you use, I always advise making your purchase through the company whom will also host your website. And you can expect to pay anywhere from $5-$15 per domain name.

When I first began launching my own websites, I actually purchased a couple of domain names at Godaddy.com.  But then, I chose to build my websites on Bluehost.com.  And that’s when I ran into a couple of techy issues.  By “Techy,” I mean there were some technical things I had to do in order to point my domain name (located at Godaddy), toward Bluehost, my website hosting platform.

Now, if you are a seasoned site builder this means nothing.  However, if you’re new to this, it can be very frustrating.  Which is why I suggest purchasing your domain with your web hosting company.

I must say, however, I have gotten frustrated with the Bluehost customer service.  And my last couple of sites I’ve actually used Godaddy.com to both purchase my domains, and build my sites.  Their customer service, professionalism, and knowledge has been nothing short of superb.

Whether you’re kicking up a new blog or preparing to launch your new business website, the theme is always an important decision.

Now, there are several platform options available with which to build your site, but I’ve always enjoyed building with WordPress.  Feel free to look around at other options, but WordPress is definitely one of the most popular in the world.  When preparing to build with WP, you’ll also discover that it comes equipped with several free website themes.

However, I’ve also discovered that free isn’t always what’s best for my website designing capabilities.

When it comes to Website Themes (and I’ve used several), I haven’t found any that compete with the ease of an Avada Theme-Fusion Theme.

The Avada Theme is incredibly easy to use, because they’ve simplified the web building process with building blocks.  Not only is it super-simple to build a specific page or post, but you can also save any specific template that you’d like; enabling you to save time with never having to build the same page again.  You simply insert the saved template, change the content… and viola!  You can create page after page after page.

This is actually excellent for showcasing several of the same products on separate posts.

You might even expect to pay a premium of $249 for this theme, but you’d be wrong. It’s fairly priced at only $69.

I have several clients in the automotive industry.  And in order to perform my SEO or Page Building, I often have to call the companies who actually host the site for the dealers.  When speaking to the dealers assigned site rep, I so often hear the jokingly, “Oh Josh!  I can tell you’ve been working on the site…”

Why?

It’s because the work I do doesn’t always look pretty when I’m building pages for Optimization and Conversion.

Therefore, what I’m eluding to is the fact that you can have the most beautiful website in the world, with a million website visitors a day.  But… if your website traffic isn’t converting into leads and sells, then what’s it all for?

Don’t get me wrong!  Having a beautifully designed website is wonderful, and can most definitely be attractive to your customers.

However, let’s not forget what the consumer in 2024 really wants.  They want what they want, and they want it now.  They don’t want to have to click through filter after filter to get to the center of the lollipop.  The secret I’m revealing is to get the customer where they want to go as quickly as possible.

Perfect example:  I was visiting with a good friend awhile back.  He owns his own business, and has had his website for several years.  And the site is drop-dead gorgeous.  But, while he was showing me his site, after about 60 seconds I asked him:

“Tell me… how much business do you do through your website?”

“Well,” he paused, “I guess really not much… if any.”

Keep in mind: this is a website that he paid roughly $1,500 to a popular, local website building company to have built.  And for what?  What has it benefited him?  To use his words, “I guess really not much… if any…”

Now… I knew the answer before I even asked my friend.  However, what caused me to ask the question was even more important.  So I followed up with a second question:

“Where on your Homepage, is either your business address or your business phone number?”

It was an eye-opening experience for him.  And that’s exactly the point I’m trying to make here.  If you get too caught up in the “Look” of your website, you might have the tendency to look past that which is of most importance…. Conversion.

I have previously written about SEO Services and Christian SEO Keywords & Keyword Phrases.  And it all continues to ring true when it comes to the importance of creating and maintaining superb SEO for your website.  Believe it or not, I was actually told a few months back that “SEO is DEAD!”

After a few minutes of conversing about his statement, I quickly realized two things:

1. The gentleman doesn’t really know much about Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
2. What he was really trying to say was, “SEO has Evolved.”

… and it has!

However, when you come to the understanding of what it is exactly that Google is trying to achieve, then, and only then, will you be able to take your SEO skills to another level.  For, SEO is no longer about keyword stuffing in the body content and Meta of a page or post.  Rather, it’s about keywords and keyword phrases being implemented into the best copywritten content on the web.

When it comes to your competition (in whatever business niche you’re in), I assure you… there isn’t much competition that exists when it comes to good SEO.  And when you get an SEO Expert to really spend good quality time on your Christian Website Design, you’ll be amazed at the FREE, Quality traffic that will be visiting your website.

Just as I have with SEO, I’ve also written extensively about both Email Segmentation and List Building With Email Marketing.

When it comes to your Christian Website Design and converting traffic into leads and sells, this is done by connecting your site to an email marketing company such as Mailchimp or Constant Contact.

Now, I have used, and still use both email marketing software companies.  However, for several reasons I prefer Constant Contact.  I feel as though they are:

• Easier to contact for customer support
• Have detailed functionality in their marketing software that are more convenient and “Better” than Mailchimp.

Nevertheless, this is how you maximize your leads and profits.  How it works is:

Website visitor fills out a form on your website (whether to subscribe or get more information through a lead magnet) and has now become a lead.

The “Lead” then receives an automated email from you – through your email marketing software company.

You segment the “Lead” into whichever category they fit (i.e. T-Shirt Buyer, Book Buyer, Newsletter Subscriber, etc…).

You market to the “Lead” appropriately until the lead becomes a Customer, Member or whatever goal you’re trying to reach.

In conclusion, when it comes to your Christian Website Design, what I’m suggesting is to simply begin with a Successful end in mind.  And in your case, these are the 6 crucial elements to keep in mind when it comes to having a beautiful site that converts:

• Well Thought Out Website Domain Name
• Dependable Website Hosting Company
• Easy to Use & Affordable Website Theme
• Designing Your Site for Conversion & Profit
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to Generate Quality Site Traffic
• Converting Site Traffic and Marketing to them Through Email Marketing Software.

Google has an enormous responsibility when it comes to those of us who use Google Search.  Not only does it have to work tirelessly at providing the best possible information when something is typed into its search-bar, but it has an even more important job.  It has to protect the consumer.

Therefore, it isn’t just superb information Google has to locate throughout all the trillions of website pages around the world.  But it must also be able to “trust” where that information is coming from.

Ironically enough, when it comes to Christian Website Development and ranking high on Google Search, 2 of the 4 pillars are not technical at all.  Rather, they lean more to the side of morality.

So what are pillars?

What I call the 4 pillars, are actually four unique attributes of a website that Google uses when considering its rank.  The 4 pillars are:

• Trust
• Authority
• Relevance
• User Behavior

The only way the concept of online search engines can truly be successful is if there are people using those search engines.

However, the only way to get people to use, and to continually use a search engine is if the people truly trust the information the search engine provides.

In order to achieve this trust factor, a search engine like Google must take our reality and turn it into a virtual reality.  More specifically, a search engine must take the authoritative, trustworthy people, businesses, etc. in our real world, and transfer them over into the same authoritative and trustworthy figures in our virtual world – which is where we find the first stumbling block of the entire search engine concept.

In a perfect virtual world, Google could entrust every website in the world with the same level of integrity. The only problem is every website is not created with equal amounts of integrity. Some are created with no integrity at all.  But even if every existing website were created equally trustworthy, there is still a massive thorn in the side of the whole search engine concept.

Have you figured it out yet?

The problem that persists inside of the search engine concept today is that not every person, place, business, etc… with authority in our real world has a website screaming proof of their social standing.  And even the websites that have obtained real-world authority seldom understand how to relay authoritative proof to search engines such as Google – with great Search Engine Optimization.

Therefore, especially when it comes to local search, Google is still starving for information proving who the local, trustworthy and authoritative people and businesses really are…

… which, by the way, means the sky is the limit for any hardworking business owner, anywhere, facing even the toughest competition online.

To help build trust and authority, it’s always good to include your Business Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) on your website; along with adding your business to Google My Business.

When it comes to your business website, the higher the relevance of your site, the more Google will reward your site with higher page rankings. And this is a huge factor that enables small business to rank higher than even major corporate businesses when it comes to local search.

For example, I have a client who owns a little boutique in Northwest Arkansas.  And inside her little boutique, along with many other things, she sells several different Name Brand clothing labels.  Amazingly, in local search she ranks at the top of Google in almost every category… even above the mega-brands offering the same products with much larger inventories.

How is this possible?  Because she isn’t a major corporation based out of New York or L.A.  She is a locally owned, trustworthy, authoritative figure in the Northwest Arkansas Community.  Not to mention she has one of the top SEO Experts building her website with SEO best practices.

Have you ever been looking for a specific product on a website, but ten minutes later found yourself so confused and lost that you just “Clicked” out of the site in frustration?  Don’t worry.  You’re not alone.

Though Google is not omniscient; able to be present on all websites at all times, they’ve figured out the next best thing… so to speak.

By using Machine Learning and algorithms, Google is able to understand how trustworthy, authoritative and relevant a website is by the user behavior on that website.

With Machine Learning, Google can see how many users have visited a website, how long each visitor stayed on the website, how many pages each visitor clicked through on the site, and many other interesting statistics.  Data such as this allows Google to understand if a website is of good rapport.

For example, if Google is monitoring a specific website, and notices that visitors don’t stay on the site long and don’t click through to view multiple pages, then Google might have concerns that:

• The website is not user friendly, allowing the visitors an easy way to navigate throughout the site.
• The website takes too much time to load its pages, causing the visitor to have to wait.
• The website’s content is not relevant to the search.

… and these are just a few of the possibilities.

On the other hand, if a website is being monitored where the data shows visitors stay for a substantial amount of time, click through several different pages, and interact with videos, photos and click-to-call buttons, this is reassuring of the site’s authority, trustworthiness and relevance.

Therefore, it now becomes all too clear that, “Each website is known by its own statistical fruit.”  No good website bears bad fruit, neither does a bad website bear good fruit.

When it comes to providing the best possible customer service, you can now see how serious Google truly is at achieving its goal.

However, trustworthiness, authority, relevance and user behavior alone are not the end-all website qualities that get you to the top of Google. But they are extremely important foundational qualities on which to build your SEO strategy.

Thankfully, there are available resources that provide us even more definitive information as to the technical key factors Google uses to rank websites.

An article from September 8th, 2024 by Optin Monster states that industry studies show Google’s top 10 ranking factors being:

Secure and Accessible Website – Does your site provide a safe and secure experience for your visitors, protecting their private information with HTTPS security certificates? Can Google access your website in order to see exactly what your website and its content is all about? Make it easy for them to crawl your website with a sitemap.
Page Speed for Desktop and Mobile – Does your site quickly load pages, saving visitors time and keeping them engaged? Depending on the size of your site, you may need more server power from your web host, along with a reliable Cache plugin. Google also provides a free mobile testing tool to assist you.
Mobile Friendliness – Is your site “Responsive” for mobile users? Most website visitors today are on their mobile phones. Before you invest in a theme for your website, first make sure it is mobile-friendly and responsive, allowing your website to be resized to fit the device.
Domain Age, URL and Authority – Did you know that over 50% of websites that have a top ten Google page rank are three years old or more? Not to worry. A new website can still rank high in Google Search… even at the top. On the other hand, if your website has been around for several years, you can see the potential advantages.

Does your site URL have a keyword or keyword phrase in it, but overall has very little good, relevant content? If so, you may be getting penalized.

And of course, we’ve already covered the Authority of a website.

Optimized Content – Is your website’s content optimized in such a manner that Google knows exactly what your website is about? This must be done with optimized key words and phrases in your page titles, content and meta description areas… and more that we’ll cover later on.
Technical SEO – Much the same as optimized content, technical seo includes specifics like:

• Adding keyword phrases in page titles and image alt tags
• The use of header tags in your headings and subheadings, i.e. H1, H2, H3.
• The use of keyword phrases in meta descriptions, but also write the description in such a way to grab the searcher’s attention

User Experience – Though we’ve discussed this previously, Google uses machine learning and artificial intelligence that allows them to see the Click-through-rate (CTR), Bounce Rate, and visitor’s Time-on-Site data.
Website Link-Building – Do you have an active link-building strategy for your website? Link-building strategies consist of Inbound Links, Outbound Links, and Internal Links.
Social Signals – Like with any other online data, Google gets to see a website’s content that is shared to social media and other outlets. I assure you this can greatly impact your rankings on Google.

For example, I once wrote an article on one of my websites. Within 24 hours, it was shared so much on social media that over 4,700 people visited my site. Do you think that had an impact on my Authority, Trustworthiness and Relevance to the topic?

Of course it did! And within 24 hours my article was at the top of Google in search results.

Connect your website to Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and other social media sites.

Real Business Information – As stated earlier, make sure your business (N)ame, (A)ddress, and (P)hone numbers (NAP), are listed on your website. Also get your business listed on 3rd party sites like Facebook. Get listed on Google my Business. Get in directories like YELP.