Optimizing Your Church Website for Local Searches

Taking some advice I’ve read from the outstanding Q&A responders to the Building Rockin’ Church Websites series about search engine optimization, and after reading some outstanding blogs, I’ve tweaked my church’s website in a way I hope will help local search engine keyword searches.

Check it out here and scroll down and see what I’ve done so far.

I can’t find who said it, but someone said, I think in the Q&A series, said you need to have your geographical information on your page. Optimize those keywords, which is why you’ll see I listed all the cities, towns, landmarks (a big mall we’re located next to), and the school districts I list.

Also, I made mention of our “safe, clean and secure” childcare, as well as some fantastic Women’s Ministry activities, like Precept Bible studies we do on Beth Moore and Kay Arthur.

HINT: If you have a great Precept Bible program, I think those localized keyword searches would be a good advertising investment with Google’s AdWords. For example, I’d love to test how these keywords would convert for us: “Oklahoma City” and “precept Bible studies.”

By the way, I’d love some input (aka constructive criticism) on what I’ve done! Send me an email or post a comment. Am I on track? Off track? Miss the boat? Close but no cigar?

Read all the posts in the Building Rockin’ Church Websites series here. 

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November 29, 2006 · Filed Under Rockin' Web Sites, Web Site Design

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2 Responses to “Optimizing Your Church Website for Local Searches”

  1. Rich Schmidt on November 29th, 2006 9:41 pm

    I can understand wanting the geographical/community information on there, so that people searching for information about your city or their school, etc, also find a link to your church.

    But why give specifics like “Kay Arthur” or “Precept”? Who would be searching for those terms except already-churched Christians? I guess I don’t mind Christians moving into our community coming to our church, checking it out, and joining the team if they share our vision. But the people I’m really wanting to connect with are folks who wouldn’t know Kay Arthur from Jay Arthur or Elle Arthur. (Get it? Jay, Kay, Elle?)

    That was my first thought upon reading your post…

  2. Cory Miller on November 29th, 2006 11:02 pm

    To be honest? I noticed we got some people coming to our site because of those particular keywords in our web stats.

    I think one other thing it says is that we have a vibrant women’s ministry. (We actually do.)

    You also have to look at “prospective guests” in various ways … radically unchurched, no so unchurched, relocating but churched, etc. Just to name a few … but one size doesn’t fit all.

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