Forwarding My Domain to Church Connect

If you're using Church Connect as your church's MAIN website, you can forward your domain (something like: www.mychurchname.com) to your Church Connect URL. With domain forwarding, when someone types www.mychurchname.com (for example) their browser will display your Church Connect page.

We assign you a URL for your Church Connect page, but you are able to customize the link we provide. If you haven't done so already, customize your Connect URL.

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I need to purchase a domain name

If you do not yet have a domain name, you can search for and purchase a domain name from a registrar, like Hover. There are other options out there too...We do not endorse any company for obvious reasons, but be sure to read a few reviews before choosing a registrar. The average cost of a domain name is less than $20 per year, though some specialized domains can cost much more.

We recommend doing searches to find a unique domain for your ministry that isn't too long (or expensive) to purchase. For example, let's say the name of your church is Potential Church. The domain www.potentialchurch.com is probably either already taken or is very expensive. Try seeing if another similar domain is available at a reasonable price. Something like www.pcatlanta.org would be perfect in this scenario since it's inexpensive and easy to remember.

Forwarding my domain name to Church Connect

If you have your domain name, you will need to log in to your account with the domain registrar. Follow their support instructions for forwarding your domain to your Church Connect URL. Most registrars provide an easy way to forward your domain to any URL.

With Hover, for example, forwarding is as simple as clicking "Forwards" in your Hover account, and specifying the URL of your Connect Page. Other domain registrars provide similar functionality.

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DO NOT USED MASKED FORWARDING. Masked forwarding is where the web user is forwarded to the Church Connect or Online Giving page, but their address bar still shows that they are on your website/domain. Not all registrars offer this option, but some do. If you use masked forwarding, your user's information could be compromised, including profile and online giving data.

Can I put Church Connect inside an iframe on my own website?

No. Please don't use frames or iframes to serve ChurchTrac content. We do not support this implementation. Frames (which are deprecated by the HTML5 standard) and iframes will not provide a consistent experience across every browser. Some functionality will not work when Church Connect or Online Giving is served in this way. Your user's data could also be vulnerable, especially when your own website does not serve content over a secure HTTPS connection with a valid SSL certificate. We recommend that you create a link to your Connect Page, and place that link in a prominent location on your website, social media, etc., or use domain forwarding (as discussed above).

How will people be able to find my website?

When you purchase a custom domain from a registrar, that domain belongs to you (as long as you keep paying for it each year). You put that domain name on your church sign, print it in your bulletins and other printed material, and put it on your social media accounts.

But will people be able to find your website by doing a web search? You might need to take some additional steps for this to happen. First, make sure you have relevant content on your website (or Church Connect page) that people might type in a search engine. For example, you might create a card that tells people where your church is located (City, etc.). When someone does a web search for churches in a particular city or area, hopefully your page makes the list.

You might also need to tell Google (and other search engines) that your site exists. Google has a helpful page for ensuring that your page is added to their index: Get your website on Google.