Nicene helps your events, sermons, and Tweets to stand out with this fun and engaging church website design.
Nicene features a helpful balance between graphics and content, presenting everything in a way that keeps your visitor engaged as they scroll down the website. If your church puts a strong emphasis on sermons, events, and Twitter, this church website is for you with an image rotator, three Quicklinks, three latest sermons, three upcoming events, and your latest tweet on every page.
This article will describe special features of the Nicene design, and help you manage the content on your website. If you still have questions after reading this Guide, please review all of the videos and articles in the Help Center.
To see our preview of this design: http://nicene.cpmpreview2.com.
Nicene Pixel Sizes
Homepage Rotator (3+ to rotate): 2206 wide by 668 tall
Homepage Image (only 1 static): 2520 wide by 668 tall
3 Homepage Quicklinks: 160 wide by 160 tall
Subpage Headers: 2520 wide by 516 tall
Sermon Series: 1000 wide by 672 tall
Featured Blogposts: 618 wide by 398 tall
Featured Events: 310 wide by 200 tall
To crop and resize your images we recommend using either Adobe Photoshop Elements (under $100) or a free alternative like Pixlr (https://www.pixlr.com/web) or Canva (https://photo-editor.canva.com). There is also a free version of Photoshop that you can use here: http://www.photoshop.com/tools.
A Word About Saving Images
Larger pixel sizes look better on Retina Displays but they can also be large file sizes if they are not optimized. To reduce file sizes and help speed up load times, be sure to use “Save for Web & Devices” in Photoshop or a similar setting in other tools. Always save photos at 50%–70% quality (or lower).
Adding Your Logo
To add your logo to the site follow these steps:
- Make sure the logo file is a transparent png.
- Name it logo.png and save to your computer.
- Login to the CMS and go to Publish > Files.
- Search for "logo" and you'll see "logo.png" listed.
- Click the filename and then: Upload a New File.
- Select your logo file and click: Start Uploading.
- Click: Save to publish the logo to the website.
- Your logo will now appear in the header.
If any adjustments are needed, please let us know by creating a case in the Help Center (FYI: you may need to clear your cache to see the new logo appear on your site).
A Word About Fonts
We normally limit the number of font options that are available, because we have found that the more font options we give, the more disjointed the site becomes (different font styles, effects, sizes, colors, etc.). Consistency is key, so limiting the font selection to a predetermined “matching” fonts list is usually best.
To see a list of the 7 font styles you have available, go to:
http://nicene.cpmpreview2.com/styles
You can utilize these styles by using the “Format” drop-down box while editing a page.
Main Navigation + Pages
The navigation allows for about 6-7 top level links to pages and an unlimited number of 2nd and 3rd level links. You can fit more top level links if you limit each top level link to a single word. When we install the site there is a “Home” link to the homepage for usability reasons, however, this link can be removed to create room for another link as needed. To create pages or manage the navigation go to Publish > Pages and Publish > Navigation. It will be easier to organize your navigation by first creating most of your pages.
A Word About Links + Page Content:
For usability reasons, please do not link top level navigation items to external websites. Think of your navigation as an elevator to floors in your building and not as a map out to the world. And when creating pages or a blog, please avoid using the words “Coming Soon” or “Under Construction” as the only content on the page. As a good rule of thumb, always under-promise and over-deliver.
A word about SEO (Search Engine Optimization):
Be sure to add 150-160 character descriptions to all of your pages, including your “Home” page. These will be displayed on Google when people search for your website. Make sure that these are different for every page, but be sure to use keywords that people will be using on Google as they search for your church or ministry. And when you add your page content, make sure you use those same keywords in your text. A great resource for learning about SEO is the Beginners Guide to SEO by Moz.
Character Count Online is another helpful tool that will come in handy when creating page descriptions and other content: http://www.charactercountonline.com.
Social Media Icons
This section allows you to display different social media icons in the header. To add these, go to Publish > Social Links. From there you can edit, add, and arrange different links to the social networks your ministry uses to connect with people.
Service Time(s)
This design allows you to display your service time(s) in the header of the website, above the navigation. If your ministry doesn't have service times, feel free to use this section to say whatever you need. To edit the text, go to Publish > Widgets > Service Times. Please be very brief with the text that you add (5-7 words max).
Homepage Image Rotator
This wide rotator which reveals a portion of the preceding and upcoming image is one of the most memorable parts of the Nicene design. You can add, remove, replace or link the images by going to Publish > Rotator. This Rotator design requires either a single, full-width image or at least 3 images if you want them to rotate.*
*NOTE: Recommended pixel size for Rotator (3+ to rotate) is 2206 wide by 668 tall. If you want a single static image the pixel size should be 2520 wide by 668 tall.
Homepage Slogan
The homepage slogan is a place to add your mission, tagline, a Bible verse. Within this widget you can add a title and a second line. We recommend you put text here that will welcome visitors and tell them what you are all about. Please make sure both the first and second lines are in the “Paragraph” font. The design makes the first line larger in a bold font, so please keep it very succinct and brief.*
*NOTE: Limit the first line to 7–10 words total (45–60 characters max) and the second line to about 10–15 words total (70–80 characters max).
Featured Quicklinks
This section of the design allows you to highlight the 3 most important pages in your website that you would like people to access quickly. Many ministries will link to different pages about their mission, vision, and values (linking to external websites from Quicklinks is not recommended). To edit this area, go to Publish > Quicklinks. You can change the images* by clicking the pencil.
*NOTE: Recommended pixel size for Quicklinks is 160 wide by 160 tall.
After you add your images, you have two different places to add text along with the graphic. Scroll over the area below the image in the Quicklinks module and click the “Edit” button, from there you can add a Title and a Description. The “Title” will display large, bold text next to the image, and the “Description” will place small text below the title. For both of these areas, be very brief with your text.*
*NOTE: Titles should be 2–3 words total (15 characters max) and Descriptions should be 10–12 words total (50–55 characters max).
Upcoming Events + Latest Sermons
These sections are controlled by different modules and will display 3 events and 3 sermons. The left section is controlled by the Events module, which you can edit by going to Publish > Events. The right section is controlled by the Sermons module, which you can edit by going to Publish > Sermons.*
*NOTE: If for some reason you do not have any events or sermons, this area can be hidden (although this is not recommended). If you need it hidden or if you want only one of the sections visible, please contact our Support Team via the Help Center.
Latest Tweet
This design is very unique because it displays your Latest Tweet from your Twitter Account, right on the homepage below your events and sermons. To link your Twitter Account, go to Admin > Settings > Twitter Account Settings.
Footer Navigation
This section automatically displays all top-level links that you add into the navigation module (see navigation notes above).
A Word About Events
When adding events into the Calendar, please do not forget the most important event of your week. Believe it or not, many churches forget to add their weekly gathering as a reoccurring event. Be sure to add the time(s) and location along with some helpful info about what people can expect if they visit.
A Word About Settings
You are also able to connect your website to various 3rd party social media and other services by going to Admin > Settings. In this area you are able to select a Bible version that will display whenever a Bible verse is written out on your pages and in your Sermons/Podcasts. You can also connect a Twitter account and/or Facebook page to share new posts every time you publish new Sermons, Events, and Blog Posts. You are also able to add your Google Analytics account to track all of your visitor statistics and your Google Sitemap Verification Code. Lastly, if you do not have online giving, you can easily connect a PayPal account that will create an “Online Giving” page that you can add into your navigation.