When Clover launched their church website company in May 2008, I appreciated their immediate sponsorship of Church Relevance. But more than that, I was intrigued by their premade church websites that did not look like premade websites. They were clean and beautiful.

Now 14 months later, I am simply impressed.

I see more and more church websites sporting a “Made by Clover” icon. Their content management system is outstandingly simple yet powerful. And Clover has become an active supporter of many of my favorite church blogs, conferences, and magazines.

THE PROS

• Very Low Cost
  Every Clover website costs a one-time fee of $1,000 plus $20 per month for hosting and support.
• Quick Turnaround
  Rather than waiting months for a custom developed site, a Clover website is available the same day as purchase.
• Easy to Use
  The content management system is one of the easiest to use (if not the easiest) I’ve seen.
• Robust Features
  You can have online calendars, sermons, videos, and more.
• Search Engine Optimized (SEO)
  Despite being Flash websites, they are optimized for search engines.
• Beautiful Aesthetics
  As you can see below, the websites look good.

THE CONS

• So Easy It Is Dangerous
  Clover’s content management system is so easy to use that it risks empowering aesthetically-challenged users to turn a beautiful premade site into an ugly site through poor color choices and media uploads. However, in fairness all content management systems risk to some extent empowering people who should not design.
• Flash-Based
  I am not a fan of all Flash websites, primarily because of visitor inconveniences such as the inability to copy and paste useful info like a church address or event details. But Flash does look cool.
  *UPDATE* - Clover informed me that their sites actually do provide for the ability for visitors to copy and paste content.
• Premade vs 100% Custom  Tailored
  Theoretically, a 100% custom tailored website is better than a premade site. Ideally, a church website will be custom designed by a very talented designer that understands how to create desired responses and communicate the church’s unique DNA through the smallest online details. However, this is very, very expensive and difficult. And sometimes the beauty of a premade design can do a better job communicating your brand than the custom design of a designer still learning the ropes.

Visit CloverSites.com to see a video of their content management system and actually demo it yourself.