Church website design for The Village Church
The Village Church needed a clearer, more welcoming website that helped first-time visitors quickly understand who they are, what they believe, and how to get connected.
This project focused on a conversion-focused website redesign grounded in strong UX, SEO, and clear next steps for their target demographics, not just regular attendees.
FAMGO is a Toronto-based design studio working with churches and nonprofits across Ontario.
Who this project is for?
This project is a good example for churches that already have a website but want it to attract more first-time visitors and convert them into actions, such as contacting the pastor or joining a church group.
The challenge
Church websites are often the first interaction someone has with a community. Like many churches, The Village Church already had a website, but it wasn’t serving newcomers (target demographics) as well as it could.
Their previous site struggled with:
- Lower Google Search ranking than the other local churches
- Low conversion rates for the contact form, email, and calls
- Navigation reflected internal structure rather than visitor needs
- The overall experience felt dated and harder to navigate on mobile
The goal wasn’t just a new look. It was clarity. Remove barriers, build trust, and make engagement simple.
Why a website redesign made sense
The church had a clear mission and a strong message. The issue wasn’t the community. It was website structure, content, and user experience.
A website redesign allowed us to:
- Keep what already worked
- Reorganize content around first-time visitors
- Create clearer pathways to key actions
- Improve usability without overcomplicating the site
Our church website design approach
We approached this project with one guiding principle: Design the website for the person visiting for the first time. Every design decision was made to reduce friction and build trust.
Newcomer-first structure
Gentle, conversion-focused UX
SEO foundations for discoverability
Design that feels human
Newcomer-first structure
The website was reorganized around the most common visitor questions:
- Who is this church for?
- What will my first visit be like?
- When and where do services happen?
- How do I get connected beyond Sunday?
Clear pathways reduce uncertainty and help visitors feel confident before attending.
Gentle, conversion optimization
Instead of aggressive prompts, the site uses clear and reassuring calls to action:
- Come and see!
- Plan a visit
- Get in touch
These actions are visible, simple, and placed where visitors naturally look.
SEO foundations for discoverability
We built sustainable SEO foundations:
- Logical page hierarchy and headings
- Search-friendly page titles and meta descriptions
- Internal linking between key pages
- Mobile-first, fast-loading layouts
This ensures the church is discoverable for searches like “church website redesign Thorold” without over-optimizing.
UX design that feels human
The visual design prioritizes warmth and readability:
- Comfortable spacing and accessible typography
- Authentic photography capturing real community life
- Calm, clean aesthetics supporting trust and approachability
The goal was to mirror the in-person experience online.
Key redesign improvements
[TBD]
Although some long-term performance metrics are still developing, the redesigned website already delivers:
For "Church in Thorold" on Google Search results.
Monthly increase in engagement time
Monthly increase in click-through rate
Visual highlights
Here are a few highlights from the redesigned website, focusing on layout, structure, and clarity for first-time visitors.
