It is a common problem where many churches have difficulty coming up on the first page of search results, but this can be fixed with better church SEO practices. The goal is to ensure that your church appears in the search results when someone is looking for churches in a particular location.
You can naturally draw visitors to your church’s website with these eight helpful tips:
1. Specify and Add Your Church Location
If you want your church website to rank high in search results, include your city and state in the footer or header. You can also have your denomination included if applicable. Think of your location as one of the main keywords to optimize your site.
2. Strategically Place Your Keywords
Use relevant keywords on your church website. Add terms and phrases that people would use when looking for a site like yours. For the best results, add keywords to specific areas of the site, such as:
- Page titles
- Subheads
- Within text (up to 2.5 percent) – Google does recognize synonyms, so high keyword density isn’t vital
- On the page description
- Within meta description
- In image name/description
3. Optimize the Name of Your Image
Images can help improve your website’s SEO, but only if you give them descriptive names. Don’t just call your image files things like “IMG82937.jpg.” Instead, give them names that include relevant keywords, like “church SEO best practices.” This will help Google index the images and improve your website’s ranking.
4. Sign Up for Local Listings
People can find your church in many places online, not just on your website. Business listings will show your church’s location, hours, and sometimes reviews. If you don’t manage these listings, people may find inaccurate information. These local listing sites are also a great way to promote your website and let visitors learn more about your church.
Updating your church’s information on some of the top local business listing sites can help improve your church’s SEO.
5. Add Members’ Testimonial
People want to know what others think of a church before they visit. This is where reviews and testimonials come in. While these might sound like they only apply to businesses, they work for churches too. Ask members to write their genuine experiences about attending the church services and events.
6. Upgrade Your Site to a Responsive Design
Google updated its algorithm to prioritize mobile-friendly websites. With more and more people using mobile devices to access the internet, ensuring your website is optimized for smaller screens is essential.
7. Post Blogs Regularly
More pages indexed on Google increases your chances of appearing in search results. A blog can add 434 percent more indexed pages than a website alone. Also, regularly adding new content keeps visitors coming back, which is key to converting them into members of your church.
8. Add Service Details
People looking for a church would be interested in knowing the details about your services. Adding all relevant hours to your header or footer is the best way to go. This way, it will be easier for visitors and search engines to find them.
Conclusion
Ensuring that your church website is optimized is key to making it effective. Your site attracts new visitors and potential members even when you’re not doing anything.
Want to optimize your church’s website and get more traffic? ChurchCandy offers comprehensive digital marketing for churches. We help pastors improve their church website and increase its visitors. Book your free marketing strategy call now!