Nearly everyone in America not only has access to the internet but they actively use it on a daily basis. Welcome to your new front door. Any representation of your church online, whether poor or great, is a direct reflection of your church. Potential visitors are now able to research your church without ever stepping into your building and experiencing the presence of God with you. That is a scary thought. What can you do on a limited or non-existent budget to be more visible and better represented online?
There are two things you can do today that will boost your SEO (search engine optimization or how your website ranks in search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing) and allow more people to see your website.
If you do not have a website, you can still claim a Google My Business listing for your church. This will allow your church to show up on Google Maps and other Google properties and benefit your webpage ranking both before and when you do create your site (remember, it is your new front door). Claiming your business listing is extremely simple and will take less than 30 minutes. Step-by-step instructions can be found at www.google.com/business.
If you have a website, make sure your meta tags (title and site description) are accurate and compelling. Some of these will never display visibly on the website, so they are often forgotten about. For example, the meta tag provides data that will not be displayed on your website but will populate in search results. This data, in part, will tell a search engine how important your church page is. Search engines will typically display the first 50-60 characters of your title, so be sure to include who you are, what you are and where you are for optimal results.
Chris F. Henderson joined the team of Indiana Bible College after graduating from there in 2008. He serves on staff as the Dean of Communications & Media Minor and the Director of Promotions. He serves off staff as a husband and a father. He made the best decision of his life when he married Leah, and together they are raising Corbitt and Wyatt – the best things that ever happened to them.