Pastor Jackson in Jackson, MS would like to know, “Should a church use a Christian web hosting company?”

Some churches opt to work with a secular website hosting company, but here are 3 reasons we think it’s better to work with a Christian website company.

3 Benefits to Working with a Christian Website Company

1. Church themes & website features.

If you’re looking for web hosting and a website builder, using a website builder specifically designed for church websites ensures you are going to get website themes specifically designed for churches, and website features like online giving and a sermon manager which a secular web builder might not have.

2. Christian staff.

If you choose a Christian website hosting company staffed by Christians, you get to work with brothers and sisters in Christ who understand Christian lingo and understand struggles and opportunities churches face. You also get to work with people who are passionate about seeing your church and the Kingdom of God advance!

3. Christian causes.

Many tech companies support causes and organizations that are in direct opposition to our beliefs and values. But when you work with a Christian website company, they often support Christian causes and organizations.

One word of warning, there are some “Christian” website companies which are subsidiaries of big, secular hosting companies and given a Christian name for branding and marketing purposes. When looking for a Christian website hosting company, make sure you choose one that is owned by Christians and operated according to Christian values.

OurChurch.Com is owned by Christians, staffed by Christians, we have developed a church website builder with church themes and features, and we support Christian nonprofits.

The question you have to ask yourself is:

Do you want a church web hosting provider who will treat you like a customer or a ministry partner? 

If you’re looking for church website hosting with an easy-to-use website builder, provides all the other services you need, and is supported by a team that shares your faith…

Getting started with OurChurch.Com’s church website hosting is simple:

1. Go to OurChurch.Com
2. Select your web hosting package
3. Complete your order

And if you’re looking for a Christian website design company, Christian SEO agency or Christian Google Ads manager, the next step is a discovery call in which we get to know you and your organization, answer any questions you may have, and see if working together would be a good fit.

Complete the form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to schedule a discovery call.

Comment and Discuss…

• How important is it to you to host your website a Christian organization that shares your faith and values?

See more Church Web Hosting FAQs videos and articles

The post Should a church use a Christian web hosting company? appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Carly in Coffee Creek, CA asks, “Do web hosting companies offer money-back guarantees?”

This is another item that varies from one company to another.

We here at OurChurch.Com offer a 30 day money-back guarantee.

When you order a new church website hosting package, we do everything in our power to help you build your website and get it working the way you want it within 30 days. But if you decide for any reason during the first 30 days you want to cancel, we’ll refund 100% of the cost of the web hosting.

This is another area where we strongly recommend you investigate the details before choosing your website hosting provider.

We can’t 100% guarantee your website will be successful. But we do provide a 30 day money-back guarantee to eliminate your risk if it’s not.

If you’re looking for church website hosting with an easy-to-use website builder, provides all the other services you need, and is supported by a team that shares your faith…

Getting started with OurChurch.Com’s church website hosting is simple:

1. Go to OurChurch.Com
2. Select your web hosting package
3. Complete your order

And if you’re interested in website design, search engine optimization or Google Ads management, the next step is a discovery call in which we get to know you and your organization, answer any questions you may have, and see if working together would be a good fit.

Complete the form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to schedule a discovery call.

Comment and Discuss…

• How important do you think it is that a church website hosting company offer a money-back guarantee?

See more Church Web Hosting FAQs videos and articles

The post Do web hosting companies offer money-back guarantees? appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Nelson in New York City wants to know, “How much does church web hosting cost?”

This is one of the most common questions we’re asked, but it’s also one of the most challenging questions to answer. Website companies often package different services together making it difficult to make an apples-to-apples comparison.

If you need just website hosting, it’s possible to find website hosting for as little as a few dollars a month.

But if you are looking for a service that includes website hosting and a website builder – which means updates and support for the website builder – prices can range from $20 to $70 a month or more.

Some church website companies also have package deals that include sermon graphics, children’s ministry check-in systems, and church management systems.

Therefore, it’s important to carefully examine the details of what is included in each package, and make sure you select a package that includes everything you need without charging you for a bunch of services you’ll never use.

What is Your Time Worth?

Also keep in mind that when there’s only a few dollars a month difference in price between various services, price is probably not the most important factor in the buying decision.

If you need help with a billing or support issue, it’s really nice to be able to connect with a real human being via live chat or phone call within minutes rather than having to go through a chatbot, messaging system, or wait on hold for 30+ minutes.

What is Your Peace of Mind Worth?

Consider how frustrating it might be if your website has frequent technical issues or the hosting company is slow to respond to messages. Consider how unsettling it can when a web hosting provider is constantly trying to upsell you on services you may or may not need, and you just don’t know if you can trust their recommendations.

Compare that to the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’re working with a Christian company whose mission is to help Christian organizations live out their mission online, one that reliable, honest, and has your best interest in mind.

When choosing a church web hosting provider, support, reliability and mission are far more important than trying to save a few bucks a month.

Value Church Web Hosting Services

Ultimately, the value of of a Church Web Hosting service is not just found in the price but what you gain from the service and the relationship.

If you’re looking for church website hosting with an easy-to-use website builder that is reliable and supported by a team that saves you time and gives you peace of mind, we would love to partner with you.

Getting started with OurChurch.Com’s church website hosting is simple:

1. Go to OurChurch.Com
2. Select your web hosting package
3. Complete your order

Comment and Discuss…

• What features/services are you looking for in your church website hosting package?

See more Church Web Hosting FAQs videos and articles

The post How much does church website hosting cost? appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Making sure people can find your church in the search engines is important for any church, but it can be difficult if your church isn’t located close to the center of town, you have a new website, or the church just created it’s listings in Google and Bing.

So, how do you overcome such obstacles?

How to Get a Church to Show Up in Search Engine Results

Introducing Crosspointe Church

Crosspointe is a Christian church in Sanger, California with its campus located in the grapevines of Fresno County.  Their mission is “Connecting people to God and to each other”.  The members of Crosspointe seek to accomplish this mission both through personal ministry and by having a strong online presence.

We’ve been honored to be able to work with Dr. Crocker and Crosspointe to live out their mission online.

I asked Dr. Greg Crocker, pastor of Crosspointe Church, to share with us why they decided to do search engine optimization (SEO) for their church’s website and what their experience has been with it. Here’s what he had to say:

It is difficult to find a quality SEO team for churches. You can find people that do SEO, and people that understand church, but very rarely a thorough knowledge of both. 

Very few secular companies understand the terminology of the Christian world – you can end up with all kinds of weird and even malicious link building, on-page SEO, and more. We were so glad to find Kurt and the team at OurChurch.com because we’ve had numerous bad experiences with other companies (some of which were quite large).

One SEO company actually worsened our positions in the search engines – we think it may have been sabotage, but were at least able to cut loose from them, and I believe Kurt and the team at OurChurch.com repaired the damage they had done, and we are now back on track.

OCC’s quality SEO technicians have a thorough understanding of the area they are working in – in this case, churches. OurChurch.com is run by solid Christian people that not only attend various churches in the area, but also work with many churches around the U.S. They understand exactly what churches need to do with their SEO.

Why do churches need SEO?

The internet has replaced the phone book (remember those?) as the place people start looking for a new church.  SEO can get you on the first page of local results – kind of like getting a better ad spot in the phone book. The top three spots on in the search results get the most clicks, and it takes good SEO to get there.

Targeting Fresno

Crosspointe has members who live in Fresno, CA and they wanted to reach out to Frenso, but the church is located in Sanger, CA, a city adjacent to lager city of Fresno.  One of the ways Crosspointe chose to overcome the obstacle of not being at the center of one of the cities they wanted to reach was through citations.

Citations (sometimes called local listings) are listings or mentions of the church with their contact information.

Citations often provide links and they serve to reinforce for the search engines that the church exists at that location and that the church is relatively popular (it’s being mentioned a lot around the web).

By getting citations for Crosspointe Church we were able to regain search rankings they had lost previously and start to rank in the top 10 for Fresno related keywords, like “Churches in Fresno” and “Fresno churches”.

What’s in a Name?

The folks at Crosspointe are a bold Christian congregation.  While the church has a long and rich heritage, they decided they could better achieve their mission of connecting people to God and to each other by making some changes in the church, including changing their name.  This kind of change usually carries with it some challenges within the congregation and the community, but there was one other challenge they soon discovered…online.

Around the web there were dozens and dozens listings and references to the church under it’s old name.  This was not only confusing for people searching for a church, but actually hurt the church in the search engines.  So, one of the tasks we took on was updating the listings the church had under their old name to the new name.

This was a team effort.  OurChurch.com was able to find and change many of the listings and Greg and his congregation were able to find some and were very helpful in verifying the church information for the sites.

This is something many organizations don’t realize – your contact information maybe listed on many websites even if you didn’t specifically put it on those websites.  So, if you change your name, location, phone number, or web address, you need to go around and find the various places online that are listing the old contact info and get it changed to the new information.

Your Church SEO Outreach Partner

If you and your church would like help with your citations and church SEO, we would love to chat more with you about that.

Fill out the form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to schedule a complimentary discovery call.

Seasons Change…

This article was originally published back in 2012. OurChurch.com and Crosspointe continued to work together after more than a decade to help Crosspointe reach people in the Sanger, CA area.

Eventually, Dr. Crocker retired from Crosspointe and the new leadership discontinued their SEO service, but we continue to share the story of how God worked through Crosspointe and OCC to reach people in Sanger and Fresno with the good news.

Comment and Discuss

• What is your church doing to reach people online?
• What is the state of your church’s citations?  Have you checked them recently? Updated them? Added them to websites where you weren’t listed?

Read more of our 30 Stories from 30 Years

The post Marketing Spotlight: Crosspointe Church appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Virginia, who happens to reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia asks, “Do web hosting companies also provide email hosting services?”

Email hosting may be included with website hosting, offered as a separate add-on, or not provided at all.

Before selecting a hosting plan, check whether it allows you to create professional email addresses using your church’s domain, such as pa****@********ch.org or of****@********ch.org.

Understanding the difference between website hosting and email hosting will help your church choose the right services and avoid interruptions later.

What Is the Difference Between Website Hosting and Email Hosting?

Website hosting and email hosting are related, but they are separate services.

Website hosting stores the files, images, databases, and other information that make your website available online.

Email hosting provides the mailboxes and servers needed to send, receive, and store email using your domain name.

For example, suppose your church owns the domain ParkChurch.org:

• Website hosting makes ParkChurch.org accessible online.
• Email hosting allows you to create addresses such as pa****@********ch.org, of****@********ch.org, and yo***@********ch.org.

Your website and email can be managed by the same provider, but they do not have to be. Some churches host their website with one company and use another provider for email.

Is Email Usually Included with Website Hosting?

Years ago, most website-hosting plans included at least a few email accounts. Today, providers handle email in different ways.

Some website hosts include email accounts with their plans. Others charge an additional fee based on the number of accounts or amount of storage needed. Website-building platforms may require customers to use a separate email provider.

This is why it is important to ask about email before purchasing website hosting. Do not assume that buying a domain name or hosting a website automatically gives your church access to domain-based email.

Why Should Churches Use Domain-Based Email Addresses?

A professional email address uses your church’s domain instead of a free personal email service.

For example:

• of****@********ch.org
• pa****@********ch.org
• ch******@********ch.org
• pr****@********ch.org

These addresses clearly identify the church sending the message.

A message sent from of****@********ch.org is more immediately recognizable than one sent from a personal address that church members or visitors may not know. Domain-based email can also help your church maintain consistency when staff members and volunteers change.

Instead of publishing a staff member’s personal address, the church can use a role-based address such as yo***@********ch.org. When a new youth director begins serving, the church can transfer access to the new person without changing the public email address everywhere it appears.

Bottom line…

Custom email addresses look professional and are good for branding.

Three Email Options for Churches

Churches generally have three options for managing email.

1. Free Personal Email Accounts

A small church may use free Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com, or similar personal accounts.

This option is inexpensive and familiar, but the address does not use the church’s domain. It may also create problems when an account is personally owned by a pastor, employee, or volunteer rather than controlled by the church.

Free personal accounts may be suitable for a new or very small ministry, but they are usually not the best long-term solution for an established organization.

2. Google Workspace or Microsoft 365

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 allow churches to create professional email addresses using their domains.

These services also provide collaboration tools such as shared calendars, online documents, cloud storage, video meetings, and centralized account administration.

They can be a good choice for churches that:

• Have several staff members
• Need shared documents and calendars
• Want centralized control over user accounts
• Need advanced security and administrative tools
• Already use Google or Microsoft applications regularly

Eligible nonprofit organizations may qualify for special programs, but churches should verify current eligibility requirements, features, and costs directly with the provider.

3. Email Hosting Through Your Website Provider

Some website-hosting companies also provide email hosting. This allows the church to manage its website and email services through one provider.

Depending on the plan, email hosting may include:

• Domain-based email accounts
• Webmail access
• Spam filtering
• Email forwarding
• Autoresponders
• Support for email applications such as Outlook
• Assistance with email settings and DNS records

This option can be helpful for churches that prefer simplicity and want one company to assist with their website, domain, hosting, and email.

Comparing Church Email Options

The best option is not necessarily the one with the most features. It is the one your church can manage securely, consistently, and affordably.

What We Have Learned from Supporting Church Email

OurChurch.Com has helped Christian churches, ministries, schools, and businesses with websites and online communication since 1996.

Over the years, we have learned that email problems are some of the most complicated to diagnose and resolve because there are so many different systems involved, each with its own potential issues. Some of these include:

• Incorrect passwords or email application settings
• Changes to domain or DNS records
• Full mailboxes
• Aggressive spam filtering
• Blacklisting by 3rd party spam filters
• Outdated computers and mobile devices
• A lack of documentation about who manages the accounts

Churches should document where their email is hosted, who has administrative access, how accounts are created, and what should happen when a staff member or volunteer leaves.

At least two trusted church leaders should know how the email service is managed. If a church is small or lacks people with email expertise, a trusted IT/email partner can fill this role.

Email Security and Deliverability

Professional email is about more than having an address that looks trustworthy. The accounts also need to be secured and configured properly.

Churches should:

• Use strong, unique passwords
• Enable multifactor authentication when available
• Remove access promptly when staff members leave
• Avoid sharing administrator passwords by email or text
• Keep account recovery information current
• Train staff and volunteers to recognize phishing attempts
• Regularly review active accounts and forwarding rules

Your email provider should also support proper domain authentication, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

These DNS records help receiving mail systems determine whether a message was authorized by your church’s domain. Correct configuration can reduce the risk of spoofing and improve email deliverability, although no configuration can guarantee that every message will avoid a recipient’s spam folder.

Questions to Ask an Email-Hosting Provider

Before choosing an email service, ask:

• Is email included with website hosting or sold separately?
• How many email accounts are included?
• How much storage does each mailbox receive?
• Can we add more accounts later?
• Does the service include webmail?
• Can we use Outlook, Apple Mail, or mobile email applications?
• Are spam and malware filters included?
• Does the provider support SPF, DKIM, and DMARC?
• Is multifactor authentication available?
• Is assistance with email migration included?
• What support is available if email stops working?
• What happens to our email if we move the website elsewhere?
• Can we keep our email service if we cancel website hosting?

The answers can help your church understand the true cost and avoid unexpected complications.

Which Email Option Is Best for Your Church?

A free personal account may be sufficient for a very small or newly established ministry, but it offers limited branding and can make organizational ownership more difficult.

Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 may be the best choice when your church needs extensive collaboration, advanced administration, shared calendars, and cloud-based productivity tools.

Email through a website-hosting provider may be a good fit when your church wants a simpler solution and prefers to receive website, domain, and email assistance from the same support team.

Consider your church’s size, budget, technical experience, security needs, and number of staff members before deciding.

Does OurChurch.Com Provide Email Hosting?

Yes. OurChurch.com provides professional church email hosting as an add-on service.

Churches can create email addresses using their own domains while receiving support from a company experienced in serving Christian organizations. This can make it easier to manage your website, domain, hosting, and email services in one place.

Because plans, account limits, and features may change, review the current email-hosting options or contact OurChurch.com before placing an order.

Frequently Asked Questions About Email Hosting

Is email included with every website-hosting plan?

No. Some providers include email, some offer it as an add-on, and others require customers to use a separate email provider.

Does purchasing a domain include an email account?

Usually not. Registering a domain gives you control of the domain name, but email hosting is a separate service unless the provider specifically includes it.

Can my website and email be hosted by different companies?

Yes. Your domain’s DNS records can direct website traffic to one provider and email to another.

Do I need a website to use email with my domain?

No. You can use professional email with a registered domain even when you do not have an active website.

Is Google Workspace the same as website hosting?

No. Google Workspace provides email and collaboration tools. It does not replace the hosting needed for a traditional church website.

What happens to our email when we change website hosts?

It depends on where the email is hosted. If your email is connected to your old website-hosting account, the mailboxes may need to be migrated before the hosting service is canceled. Complete the migration and test the new accounts before closing the old service.

Should churches use role-based email addresses?

Yes. Addresses such as of****@********ch.org and pa****@********ch.org provide continuity when staff members change. Churches should still control access carefully and avoid sharing passwords unnecessarily.

Check Before Choosing a Hosting Provider

Before purchasing church website hosting, find out whether email is included, available as an add-on, or managed through a separate company.

The right email service should provide more than professional-looking addresses. It should also give your church reliable access, appropriate security, clear account ownership, and support when problems arise.

OurChurch.com – a Trusted Email and Web Hosting Provider

OurChurch.Com offers church email hosting as an add-on service in blocks of 3, 15 or 50 email accounts.

If you’re looking for church website hosting with an easy-to-use website builder, provides all the other services you need, and is supported by a team that shares your faith…

Getting started with OurChurch.com’s church website hosting is simple:

1. Go to OurChurch.com
2. Select your web hosting package
3. Complete your order

Comment and Discuss…

• Are you using custom @YourDomain email addresses for a more professional look and better branding? Why or why not?

See more Church Web Hosting FAQs videos and articles

The post Is Email Hosting Included with Website Hosting? 3 Options for Churches appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Jasmine in Memphis, TN asks, “Can I register a domain name with my hosting provider?”

It is often possible to register a domain name with your hosting provider. Many hosting companies offer domain registration services as part of their offerings.

When you sign up for hosting, they may provide you with the option to search for and register a domain name directly through their platform. This can be convenient as it allows you to manage both your hosting and domain in one place.

However, it’s worth noting that domain registration and hosting are separate services, and you are not obligated to register your domain with the same provider as your hosting. You can register a domain with a separate domain registrar, but if you do, it’s up to you to manage the domain’s settings.

OurChurch.com provides domain registration services for churches and Christian organizations. And we recommend if you use our hosting services, that you also use our domain registration services to simplify billing and customer service.

How registering your domain name through web hosting company can simplify things

To be more specific, having the same company provide your web hosting and domain registration gives the following benefits:

• One login, one bill, and one support team
• Easier DNS setup
• Less confusion when launching a new website
• Faster help when something goes wrong
• Simpler renewals and account management

If you’re looking for church website hosting with an easy-to-use website builder, provides all the other services you need, and is supported by a team that shares your faith…

Getting started with OurChurch.Com’s church website hosting is simple:

1. Go to OurChurch.Com
2. Select your web hosting package
3. Complete your order

Comment and Discuss…

• What do you think of the benefits of registering your domain name with your web hosting provider?

Related: 5 Tips for Choosing a Memorable Domain Name

See more Church Web Hosting FAQs videos and articles

The post Can I register a domain name with my hosting provider? appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

The week after Easter is a great opportunity for churches to share stories of what God did in your Easter services and other events. And really any time you see God at work – in baptisms, missions trips, outreach events – it’s an opportunity to give Him the glory by sharing the story. (Hey, that rhymes!)

We continue to follow our own advice as we share another story of how God has been at work through OurChurch.com and our clients.

This story is from Tom Durrance, pastor of Wimauma Community Church of God, in Wimauma, Florida, a little south of Tampa, and it goes back to 2022.

OCC: Tell us a little about your organization

WCOG: The Wimauma Community Church of God is an evangelical Pentecostal church with its international administrative offices based in Cleveland, Tennessee. The Wimauma Community Church is a multi-cultural church that has open doors to all peoples. 

OCC: Describe your situation or the main problem you were facing before you contacted OurChurch.Com.

As a church that was in the process of new growth, we struggled with our website. We recognized that we were behind with the changing tide of technology. The website for one, did not project our vision.

Secondly, the younger generation that was attending the church was asking about on-line giving and social media connections.

Thirdly, our website was not appealing and was not easy to navigate. 

Our problem, however, was not having an in-house person with the technical ability to do the things that we needed done. So with this looming over our head, we begin to search for someone or an organization that could help us achieve our goals but to do so within our limited budget. 

OCC: What did our team do for Wimauma COG, and what was your experience like?

In our quest for website help, we came across OurChurch.com. We made an initial call and was put in contact with Mark Steinbrueck. Meeting Mark was truly inspirational as we discussed a way to design and implement a website that would be modern in style, yet functional and easy to navigate.

Mark was a blessing to us and his guidance with patience was very important for the completion of the project. 

We would also note that the technical support is awesome. Deborah Serrano is always responsive to our emails and she makes sure that the website is the best it can be.

OCC: Describe the impact OurChurch.com has had on your church.

The website by OurChurch.com has been a blessing to the church in so many ways. It helped us navigate through the Covid-19 pandemic event.

People were able to go on-line for their giving and donations. The website was important as the communication hub with the congregation.

The flexibility of updating the website was very important in keeping the congregation up-to date. I’m not sure what would have happened if we did not have a reliable website through those harsh times.

OCC: What would you say to a church leader who was considering building a new website for their church?

If anyone is looking for a web designer/host to meet their needs, we would highly recommend OurChurch.com. OurChurch.com knows that if you are successful, then they are successful. 

It’s worth noting that Pastor Durrance and his church had foresight to get their new website built BEFORE the COVID pandemic began, and that was a life-saver!

I stress this because you never know when your organization will face a crisis or an amazing opportunity. You want to be prepared for both.

Visit the Wimauma CoG website at: wimaumacog.com

Discover a Partner for Church Web Design and SEO

Our team at OurChurch.com loves to partner with Christian churches like Wimauma CoG to help them better live out their mission online. If you’d like to chat with us about church website design, church SEO or anything else, we’d love chat with you.

Complete the form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to schedule a discovery call!

Comment and Discuss

• What do you think of Wimauma CoG’s website?
• How important do you think it is to have a reliable, easy-to-update website so your organization is prepared for a crisis or opportunity?

Read more of our 30 Stories from 30 Years 

The post “Website helped us navigate the pandemic.” appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Cecil in Spartanburg, SC would like to know, “What is an SSL Certificate?”

SSL stands for “Secure Socket Layer.”

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that establishes a secure encrypted connection between a web server and a browser. It ensures that sensitive information, such as personal data and financial details, transmitted between the server and the user’s browser remains private and protected from unauthorized access.

When a website has an SSL certificate installed, it enables the use of HTTPS instead of HTTP, indicating a secure connection. The certificate verifies the authenticity of the website and encrypts data during transmission, preventing it from being intercepted or tampered with by someone with malicious intentions.

An SSL certificate plays a crucial role in establishing trust, confidentiality, and data integrity for secure online communication.

3 More Reasons for an SSL Certificate

1. SSL Matters for Church Websites

An SSL certificate is important for every website, but it is especially important for church, ministry, and Christian organization websites because visitors often use these sites to share personal information.

Your church website may include contact forms, prayer request forms, event registrations, volunteer signups, newsletter subscriptions, or links to online giving. Even if your church does not directly process payments through your website, people still expect the site to be safe and secure when they interact with it.

SSL helps protect the information visitors submit by creating an encrypted connection between their browser and your website. This helps prevent sensitive information from being easily intercepted while it is being sent.

It also helps communicate trust. When someone visits your church website for the first time, they may be looking for service times, directions, beliefs, ministries, or ways to contact the church. A secure website helps make a good first impression and reassures visitors that your church is taking care of the details that matter.

2. SSL Helps Build Trust with Website Visitors

When a website does not have SSL, modern web browsers may display a warning such as “Not Secure” near the website address. Some browsers may even show a more serious warning before allowing someone to continue to the site.

For a church website, that kind of warning can create confusion or concern. A first-time visitor may wonder if the website is outdated, unsafe, or no longer being maintained. Even if the website content is accurate, a security warning can make people hesitant to fill out a form, click a giving link, or continue browsing.

A secure website uses HTTPS instead of HTTP. This lets visitors know that the connection between their browser and the website is encrypted. While many people may not understand all the technical details, they do notice when a browser tells them a site is not secure.

Having SSL installed helps remove that barrier and gives visitors more confidence as they learn about your church, ministry, or organization.

3. SSL Helps with SEO

An SSL certificate can also play a role in search engine optimization. Google has confirmed that HTTPS is used as a ranking signal, which means having a secure website can help support your overall SEO efforts.

That does not mean an SSL certificate alone will cause your website to rank at the top of Google. Content quality, relevance, website structure, mobile-friendliness, page speed, and many other factors are still very important. However, SSL is one of the basic website trust and security signals search engines look for.

For churches and ministries, SEO matters because people in your community may be searching for a church, service times, ministries, events, or Christian resources online. A secure website helps support your visibility in search results while also giving visitors a better and safer experience once they arrive.

Your SSL is Included, Set Up, and Tested by Real Humans

OurChurch.Com includes an SSL certificate with all of our website hosting packages. Not only do we provide the SSL itself, but we also set it up with your web hosting account, and update your website to work with the SSL (something very few web hosting companies do).

If you’re looking for church website hosting with an easy-to-use website builder, provides all the other services you need, and is supported by a team that shares your faith…

Getting started with OurChurch.Com’s church website hosting is simple:

1. Go to OurChurch.Com
2. Select your web hosting package
3. Complete your order

Comment and Discuss…

• What comments or questions do you have about SSLs?

See more Church Web Hosting FAQs videos and articles

The post What is an SSL Certificate? appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Simon, all the way from London, England asks, “What is cPanel?”

cPanel is a popular web-based control panel used for managing website hosting accounts.

It offers a graphical interface and automation tools to simplify the management of web hosting features.

With cPanel, users can…

• create email accounts
• upload files
• set up databases
• monitor website statistics
• configure security settings
• manage backups
• And more!

The cPanel control panel is widely used in the web hosting industry for its comprehensive set of tools and ease of use.

OurChurch.Com includes cPanel with all our church website hosting packages. And we have a comprehensive set of cPanel video tutorials that show you how to use it.

If you’re looking for church website hosting with an easy-to-use website builder, provides all the other services you need, and is supported by a team that shares your faith…

Getting started with OurChurch.com’s church website hosting is simple:

1. Go to OurChurch.Com
2. Select your web hosting package
3. Complete your order

A Partner for All Your Online Marketing Needs

In addition to web hosting, our team can help your Christian church, ministry, or business with logo design, web design, search marketing, Google Ads management and more. Your next step is a complimentary discovery call.

Complete the form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to schedule a call.

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• What do you think of cPanel?

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The post What is cPanel? appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

About the National Center for Life and Liberty

For more than 25 years, NCLL President and General Counsel David C. Gibbs III has been involved in defending religious liberty and life-affirming causes. NCLL was founded in 2012 after Mr. Gibbs’ involvement in the Terri Schiavo case, where he represented Terri’s parents as they fought to preserve her life. That experience helped deepen the burden to establish a ministry equipped to defend those facing legal battles too great to fight alone.

Since then, NCLL has served churches and Christian organizations across the country, helping ministries stay focused on the Gospel while navigating legal challenges. Their team assists thousands of churches each year and is regularly involved in active cases that affect religious liberty, church operations, life issues, and Christian education.

National Impact on Religious Liberty

NCLL has also been connected with several high-profile religious liberty and life-related matters.

Their ministry has spoken into cases such as Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer, a U.S. Supreme Court case involving whether a church could be excluded from a public playground safety grant because it was a religious organization.

NCLL has also highlighted the importance of National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, where the Supreme Court affirmed the free speech rights of pro-life pregnancy centers.

In addition, Mr. Gibbs’ leadership in the Terri Schiavo case remains one of the most widely known examples of his commitment to defending vulnerable life.

OurChurch.com, NCLL Partnership

OurChurch.com is partnering with NCLL because our missions and values are closely aligned. For more than 25 years, OurChurch.com has served churches, ministries, Christian schools, and Christian-owned businesses by helping them communicate more effectively online. NCLL serves many of those same kinds of organizations by helping them protect their mission, minimize liability, and stand firm when legal challenges arise.

We also appreciate that NCLL has a strong local presence here in the Tampa Bay area, with its Florida office in Clearwater. As a Christian company serving ministries nationwide from the Tampa Bay area, we are grateful to partner with another local ministry that is doing meaningful work for the Kingdom.

Updated Terms of Service

Recently, NCLL helped OurChurch.com update our Terms of Service. These updates help clarify how our services are used and better reflect our Christian mission and values. If you use OurChurch.com website services, we encourage you to review the updated Terms of Service here:

https://www.ourchurch.com/terms-of-service/

Partner with NCLL

NCLL’s work goes far beyond courtroom cases. They provide legal counsel, resources, training, legal health checkups, and practical guidance to help churches and nonprofit ministries operate wisely. Their goal of “maximum ministry with minimum liability” is one we believe many Christian organizations need today.

Our mission remains unchanged: to stand in the legal gap for churches, schools, and families who need clarity, protection, and strong advocacy. – David C. Gibbs III, National Center for Life and Liberty

We are grateful for the work NCLL is doing to defend life, liberty, churches, families, and Christian ministries. We encourage you to learn more about their ministry, consider becoming a partner, and support the important work they are doing on behalf of churches and Christian organizations across the country.

To learn more, visit: NCLL.org

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• What do you think about NCLL and our partnership with them?

The post OurChurch.com Announces Partnership with the National Center for Life and Liberty appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.