How to plan a Christian website starts with deciding why the site exists, who it is for, what subjects it will cover, and how focused those subjects should be. A clear plan gives the website direction before you choose a domain, hosting, design, or begin publishing content.
Part of our guide to How to Start a Christian Website.
Decide Whether You Need a Christian Blog or Website
Before planning categories, posts, or pages, decide what kind of site you actually want to build.
A Christian blog usually centers on regularly published articles. A broader Christian website may include articles along with Bible studies, teaching resources, ministry information, downloads, courses, or other material.
You do not need a complicated plan at this stage. You simply need to know what you expect the website to become.
If your main goal is publishing written content regularly, a blog may be the center of the site. If you want to build a larger resource around a particular Christian subject or purpose, the website may eventually include much more than a blog.
Define the Purpose of the Website
A website becomes much easier to plan when you can clearly explain why it exists.
One Christian website might help new believers understand basic Bible doctrines. Another might publish verse-by-verse studies. Another may focus on Christian marriage, prayer, apologetics, discipleship, or practical Christian living.
The purpose does not have to sound impressive. It simply needs to tell you what the website is supposed to accomplish.
That purpose becomes a filter for future decisions. If an article, feature, or idea does not help the website accomplish that purpose, it may not belong there.
Choose the Main Subject of Your Website
Once you know the purpose, decide what the website will actually be about.
A broad subject such as Christianity can contain thousands of possible topics. That does not mean one website should try to cover all of them.
Your main subject should give the site enough room to grow while still giving visitors a clear idea of what they can expect to find.
For example, a site about Bible study methods has a much clearer subject than a site that simply publishes anything related to Christianity.
Find a Christian Blog Niche
A niche narrows the site’s main subject into a more defined area.
Christian blog niches can include Bible study, prayer, Christian living, marriage, discipleship, apologetics, theology, parenting, ministry, or many other subjects.
Choosing a niche does not mean you can never write about anything else. It gives the website a center.
That center helps readers understand what the site is known for and makes it easier to build groups of closely related content.
Learn more: Christian Blog Niche Ideas
Choose a Niche You Can Continue Building
A niche may sound good initially but still be a poor choice if you cannot see yourself creating useful content around it for years.
Consider what you know, what you are willing to study, what problems people have within that subject, and whether the topic gives you enough room to create many distinct articles without repeating yourself.
You are not merely choosing the subject of your first ten posts. You are choosing the foundation for a website that may eventually contain hundreds.
Decide How Narrow the Website Should Be
A site can be too broad, but it can also become so narrow that there is little left to write about.
The goal is to find enough focus that the site’s articles reinforce one another while leaving enough room for the website to grow.
A narrow starting point can often expand naturally later. It is usually harder to bring order to a site that began with several unrelated subjects.
Decide Whether Multiple Niches Belong Together
You may have several subjects you want to write about.
Sometimes those subjects naturally belong on one website. Sometimes they would create completely different audiences and should not be combined.
The question is not simply whether you are interested in all of them. Ask whether a person who comes to the site for one subject would reasonably want the others as well.
When the topics serve the same audience and fit the same overall purpose, they may work together. When they do not, combining them can make the site harder to understand and organize.
Know Who You Are Building the Website For
A Christian website should not be written for an imaginary audience called “everyone.”
Think about the person most likely to need what you plan to publish.
Are you helping new Christians understand Scripture? Christians who want to study the Bible more deeply? Ministry leaders? Parents? People struggling with particular questions?
Knowing your audience affects which topics you choose, how much background you explain, the language you use, and how you organize the site.
Plan the Types of Content You Will Publish
Once the site’s purpose, subject, niche, and audience are clear, begin thinking about the individual content people will find there.
A Christian website can publish answers to questions, Bible studies, tutorials, explanations, comparisons, devotionals, resource guides, or other forms of useful content.
The important thing is that the posts support the larger subject of the website rather than becoming disconnected articles chosen simply because they sounded interesting that day.
Organize the Main Subjects Into Categories
Categories help divide a growing site into meaningful subject areas.
They should represent important divisions within the site’s main topic rather than every small variation you might write about.
A site with too many categories can become difficult to understand. A small number of clear categories usually gives both visitors and the site owner a much better structure.
Choose them based on the major areas you expect to cover repeatedly, not just the posts you happen to have today.
Finish the Plan Before You Build
You do not need every future article planned before you start building your Christian website.
You should, however, be able to answer a few basic questions clearly: why the website exists, what it is about, who it is for, how focused it will be, and what kinds of content you expect to publish.
Once those decisions are settled, you are ready for the next stage: choosing a domain name for your Christian website.
Related Articles
Explore the related articles below to learn more about this part of planning a Christian website.
What to Do Before Starting a Website
What Is the Purpose of a Christian Blog?
Should I Start a Christian Blog?
Christian Blog Niche Ideas for Your Website
How to Choose a Christian Blog Niche
How Narrow Should a Blog Niche Be?
Finding your blog target audience is The Key to success
Coming up with blog post ideas for a Christian blog
A niche without structure is hard to navigate — learn how to choose blog categories that make sense to both readers and Google.