10 Avoidable Mistakes Churches Make BEFORE The First-Time Guest Experience
Your first-time guest experience doesn’t begin at church.
It begins far earlier.
It begins on your website.
It begins on your Instagram.
It begins on your Google Reviews.
It begins on your live stream.
It begins on the road when people drive by.
Guests experience your church weeks before they ever decide to physically show up in person.
The problem is, when designing a guest experience process, we often only consider the physical touch points with the guests. Instead, I want you to think in terms of:
STREET TO SEAT
Or in other words, how does a potential guest experience our church from the moment they see our brand, signage, advertisements, or social media posts on the street, all the way until they take a seat in our auditorium?
Unfortunately, many churches don’t think this way.
If you neglect to optimize your guests' experience for those who are making their decision to attend, you will miss out.
To help you think through the “street to seat” lens, I created a list of some avoidable mistakes most church make…
Here are ten AVOIDABLE mistakes churches make DURING the first-time guest experience:
1 - Your home page is full of insider language
Few make a decision to visit a church without first visiting their website. But many churches have not created their website with guests in mind. Instead, many church home pages are riddled with theological language, insider events, and information that a guest does not care about. All of that information is important, but not on the front page.
2 - Your home page has no clear CTA that is immediately viewable on mobile.
Remember, 80% of your website's visitors will do so on mobile. Therefore if there is not a clear CTA (call to action) viewable without scrolling, then you will lose potential guests. When this happens, your website’s “bounce rate” goes up. The bounce rate is that percentage of people who visit your website and leave without clicking anything. A website with a high bounce rate is a site that loses potential guests. I encourage you to make your primary CTA a button titled “Plan My Visit.”
3 - Your home page doesn’t solve any problems
I love that your church “exists for the glory of God so that every person, nation, tribe, and tongue might extoll the glory of the triune God.” Unfortunately, your first-time guests just found out their kids smoke weed, and they need help. Your mission statement is important, but for first time guest messaging, make sure you are helping solve a problem that only Jesus can fix. Craft a one-liner and make it your headed message.
4 - No easy to access FAQ’s on the website
People have had some weird experiences at church. They have questions. Do you have answers? A few questions I would answer in this section would be.
How long is the worship experience?
Where do I park?
What do I do with my kids?
What should I wear?
Do you handle snakes?
Etc.
PS - Add this on your “Plan My Visit” page.
5 - Your live stream doesn’t specifically address online guests
When someone who is moving to your area is looking for a church, they will watch your live stream first. Granted, the lost person in your community may not. But Christians do! With that in mind, address them and call them to connect in some actionable way.
6 - Worship experience times aren’t on the drive-by signage
The most important information for a person considering attending is: What time? Plus, people decide to attend your church primarily based on personal invites and drive-by views. Make sure when they see your church, they see your service time.
7 - Your worship experience options are inconsistent
Personal opinion, nothing dumber than a contemporary and traditional church. Be honest, it’s two churches with one offering.
Another example is kids ministry. If you have a kids ministry at one service, have it at all services. For example, imagine going to one Chick-fil-a that has nuggets, and then the next time you go back only has salads. I wouldn’t go back if I accidentally showed up to the salad one.
8 - The Google listing is outdated
Keep the google listing up to date. Service times, location, pictures of your facility. A good rule of thumb is to update your listing monthly. People encounter your church digitally via social media or Google Search. With that in mind, remember their first impression of your church may be Google not your website.
9 - Volunteers aren’t in position early enough
In my experience, older folks tend to arrive at church early. Plus, if you work in a very non-traditional and modern facility, it can be difficult for a traditionalist to navigate your campus. Be sure your guest experience is in place and ready to receive at least 30 minutes before your worship experience.
10 - No CTA on your Instagram profile
As stated above, people view your website first. But they often get to your website via Google Review or social media. My point is, if your website is your front door, then Instagram is your driveway. Like any driveway, you need to create a clear path to planning a visit. But most churches' Instagram pages only list a slogan, mission statement, or name of the Pastor (yuck). I challenge you to call them to action. Tell them your services times, and be sure the link in your bio leads you immediately to the Plan A Visit page.
Three Actions Steps You Do Immediately
The bad news is that most churches make these mistakes.
The good news is that the every church can fix them.
If were you, here’s three practical you do immediately.
1 - Create a plan a visit page & make it the primary call to action.
You page should include the service times, address, FAQ’s, information about kids ministry, and what to expect when arriving. Some churches even allow you to pre-check your kids in prior to arriving which helps speed up the process.
Here’s a “Plan A Visit” page I’ve worked on as an example:
https://foothillschurch.com/find-a-location/maryville/
2 - Ask your current members to leave a five-star review on Google.
Your Google listing may be encountered more than your actual website. So if the listing doesn’t have up-to-date pictures and accurate information, you are missing out. An easy way to fix this is by inviting friends, volunteers, and key members of your church to leave a stellar review. Not only does this boost your SEO, it also because another beautiful front door for your community.
My friend Brady Sticker recently did a helpful post on this. Check it out here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CxEDLxKu56m/
3 - Create consistent CTA’s across all communication channels.
Your sign.
Your Instagram bio.
Your website.
Your YouTube channel.
Every communication channel your church owns should display one primary call to action for a visitor. Make a list of each comms channel you own, and ensure it is clear, consistent, and actually converting impressions into first-time guests.
I hope this helps! 👊
LR