A person who uses our church website builder asked us:
Why should [church SEO] matter to me? We’re a small church and I already struggle to manage this site on top of all my other jobs, so what kind of return could I possibly get that would make it worth the time it takes me to invest in this?
Great question!
I’ll address this question about search engine optimization (SEO) with…
4 Reasons Your Church Should Do Church SEO
1) Souls are at Stake
Many of the people who search for a church are not yet followers of Jesus. Let’s be honest, some Christian churches are not all that welcoming to unbelievers. By doing church SEO and improving your search rankings, you make it possible for people who are seeking God to find Him at your church.
Some churches go beyond trying to improve their search ranking for “church in [your city]” to trying to improve search rankings for other things people in their community may be searching for like a divorce support group, recovery support group, mothers of preschoolers group, things to do in [your city], or “what does the bible say about…”
2) Christians need to be a part of a local church
One of Satan’s biggest lies is that a person can be a Christian without being a part of a church. A “Lone Ranger” Christian is about as effective as a one-handed clap.
In John 13:35 Jesus says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” There are about 100 other “one another” verses in the bible in which we’re instructed to love, serve, help, encourage and disciple one another.
By doing church SEO and improving your search rankings you can help unaffiliated Christians get connected with your church and fully live out their faith in community.
3) False religions are recruiting online
Do a search for “church in [your town].” There’s a good chance you’ll see an Islamic center, Jehovah’s Witness hall, Unitarian church, and other non-Christian organizations listed in the results. Every Christian church that moves up onto the first page of the search results, pushes a non-Christian organization off the first page.
4) Church SEO produces a positive financial return
The median family income in the US is about $80,000. If your SEO efforts result in just one new tithing family joining your church, that’s $8,000/yr of additional giving. Imagine what your church could do with another $8k a year! And what if you were to add 5, 10 or 20 families?
If you’re super-busy and don’t have the time to do church SEO yourself, you could hire church SEO experts like OurChurch.Com for less than 1/3 of that.
Church SEO is both a spiritual and financial investment that more than pays for itself.
Stay tuned for more posts in this series in which we’ll explain the church SEO things you can do to improve your search rankings and reach more people in your community.
Comment and Discuss
- Of the 4 reasons above, which is most important to you and your church?