This tactic is referred to as search engine optimization (SEO), and for your church, it means optimizing your site to rank for local searches like “church + zip code” or “church nearby.”
Remember, as I pointed out above, most people in your community will check out your website before they visit your worship service. These people will not generally review pages of church options online. They’ll primarily take a look at the churches on the first page of their search results.
What’s the bottom line?
If your church’s site doesn’t rank toward the top of the first page of local search results, then there’s a good chance no one will find your site in search engines.
To optimize your site, there are several things you can do:
- Claim your local listings (e.g., Google, Bing)
- Claim your church on local directories
- Encourage reviews
- Optimize your site for relevant keywords
- Include your church’s name, address and phone number on every page
Use these tips—along with other tactics—to optimize your site for search engines.
#6 – Run Short-Term Outreach Events
During the life of your church, it’s easy to start going with the flow of things.
Every week, your church does the same thing.
From gathering your people together for a worship service, Bible studies or mid-week services, there’s a rhythm to the life of your church.
This isn’t a bad thing at all. But if you’re not careful, the rhythm of your church can be like sitting in a rocking chair that lulls you to sleep.
Thankfully, you don’t have to change your weekly rhythm to fight this morass and reach your community. You can arrange short-term outreach events to rally your church around a common cause.
The ideas are endless, so there’s no need to stick to an annual event unless you’re experiencing consistent results. Feel free to mix up what you’re doing to reach different people in your community. For example, if you want to reach families, then you’ll need to organize a family event. However, if you want to reach single adults or couples, then the outreach event you organize will be different based upon attracting that target audience.
