01
The Seeker
He has no real connection to the Church. But life has become more complicated than he expected, and he’s looking for something true.
“Is there something here for someone like me?”
Free book for Catholic leaders
TheDigitalDoorstep
A Guide to Evangelizing Effectively Through Your Parish Website
Tonight, someone in your town will search for a church. Some are curious. Some are coming home after years away. Some just moved in down the street. This short guide helps your website welcome every one of them.
- Who is really arriving at your parish website
- The pages that matter most to a first-time visitor
- How to stay findable in the age of AI search
- A 30-day action plan you can start this week
Instant access
Get your free copy
Tell us a little about yourself and the full book is yours to read today.
Helpful for any parish, whether your website runs on eCatholic or another platform.
Why it matters
97% of people search online before visiting a church. What do they find when they search for yours?
Every day, people in your community pick up their phones and type “churches near me.” Some are just curious. Others are coming back after years away. And some are grieving, or searching for something they can’t quite name.
Most of them will find your parish website. Many will leave without taking the next step. They didn’t stop searching. The website they found was built only for the people already inside.
The Digital Doorstep is a practical guide for Catholic leaders who believe a parish website can be more than a digital bulletin board. It can be a place where a searching soul first meets the Lord.
Who is knocking
Three visitors you may not know you have
Most parish websites are built for the faithful parishioner who already knows where everything is. She’s well served. The book introduces three other people who arrive on your digital doorstep every week, and what each of them needs to find.
02
The Returning Catholic
She was baptized, made her First Communion, and drifted away. It’s been ten years, maybe twenty. Something is drawing her back.
“Will coming back cost me an explanation I’m not ready to give?”
03
The New Arrival
He’s been Catholic his whole life. He just moved across the state and is still living out of boxes, with three parishes inside a fifteen-minute drive.
“Which of these parishes could become home?”
The digital ministry gap
A gap in design, not in desire
Catholic leaders care deeply about reaching people online. Most were never given a clear vision of what their website is for. That’s the gap this book helps you close.
77%
of Catholic leaders say digital engagement is important to their mission
14%
feel ahead of the curve. The rest describe their digital ministry as reactive or scattered.
0.05sec
is how quickly a visitor forms a first impression of your website
63%
of all web traffic in 2024 came from mobile devices. For most visitors, your homepage is a phone screen.
Sources: The State of Catholic Digital Ministry (eCatholic, 2025) and research cited in The Digital Doorstep.
Inside the book
Seven short chapters, written for busy parish leaders
No technical degree required. The guidance works whether your parish uses eCatholic or any other website platform.
01
Why the most important door in your parish has no handle
Moving your website from a “filing cabinet in the sky” to a place of encounter.
02
Three visitors you may not know you have
The Seeker, the Returning Catholic, and the New Arrival, and how to write for each.
03
The first 0.05 seconds
How design, photography, and mobile layout speak before a visitor reads a word.
04
The pages that change everything
Mass Times, I’m New Here, Our Faith, Ministries, and Contact, done well.
05
Content that calls people home
Stories, welcome messages, and short videos that invite people back to Mass.
06
The living website
Keeping your site fresh with the rhythm of the liturgical year, from Advent to Easter.
07
SEO, AEO, and how to navigate AI search
Helping your parish show up on Google and in the answers AI assistants give.
+
The open door
A simple 30-day action plan to put it all into practice, one step at a time.
Literally, people’s souls are what we’re talking about here.
Rae-Mi LeRoyDirector of Parish and Chapel Initiatives, St. John Vianney Catholic Church, Sedona, Arizona
A story from chapter one
A woman who had never been Catholic found St. John Vianney’s website while looking for a church in Sedona. Something on it made her curious enough to come to Mass. She met the pastor, asked her questions, enrolled in OCIA, and entered the Church at Easter. A year later, her husband did too.
Written for
- Pastors
- Parish staff
- Communications directors
- Diocesan leaders
- Ministry volunteers
The door is already open. Make sure someone is there to welcome them.
You don’t need a marketing degree or a big budget. You need a clear vision for what your website is for, and the desire to carry it out. This book gives you both.
Get the free book