TL;DR
- Use a list on your home page, and anywhere you have only a few events. A list shows what’s coming without making people search.
- Add a calendar only if it will stay full. A mostly empty calendar shows how few events you have.
- Use both on your Events page when you hold events often.
- Let it update itself. An events display that pulls from your events system beats changing images by hand.
Should My Website Show Events as a Calendar, a List, or Both?
Webmaster For Hire recommends a list, and a calendar only when you have plenty of events. Here’s how to choose:
- Only a few events: a list. Skip the calendar.
- Frequent events: a list on your home page, and a list plus a calendar on your Events page.
- On phones: a list. Month grids are hard to read on a small screen, so Beth hides them on phones.
Why Not Use a Calendar for a Few Events?
An empty calendar works against you. As Beth told one client, “Calendars that aren’t filled in can create confusion. It makes people hunt and find events or it shows how few you have.”
Should Upcoming Events Show on My Home Page?
Yes. Many visitors never leave your home page. As Beth explained, “If you don’t add them to the site’s homepage, then people who only hit the homepage and bounce won’t see any.”
Keep it short. For one client, Beth set up a strip of the next four events, each with a photo and details. A full calendar belongs on the Events page instead. In her words, “I like the list and calendar embed for the Events pages, but not for the homepage.”
Is Adding Events as They Happen Too Much Upkeep?
Not if the display updates itself. Swapping homepage images by hand works for a while, but it can’t keep up with frequent events. For one client, Beth first offered a weekly manual swap, then switched within days to a display via an iframe embed that adds new events on its own. “This saves from a human manually updating every time you have a new event.”
You add the event once in your events system, or send it to us. Your website shows it automatically, and past events drop off.
Should Registration and Payment Be in One Place?
Yes, when you can. If people register in one spot and pay in another, some will do one and forget the other. Linking to an outside event or booking page is fine. It costs a little search value, which a good page about the event on your own site can help with.
Rather Have Us Set It Up?
Tell us how often you hold events and where you manage them. We’ll recommend a list, a calendar, or both, and set up the display on your Webmaster Retainer.
What Webmaster For Hire Recommends
- Start with a list. Add a calendar once it stays full.
- Show the next few events on your home page.
- Use a display that updates itself instead of changing images by hand.
- Keep registration and payment in one step.
:: Common Questions ::
What Happens to Past Events?
A display that updates itself drops them off. Some events tools keep them until you hide them. See How to Fix Common Events Calendar Problems in WordPress
Can I Add an Event Photo Gallery Afterward?
Yes. A gallery pairs well with a short post about the event. See How Do I Add a Photo Gallery to My Website?
Planning Your Events Page?
See our Webmaster Retainer, or request a consultation.
