Local search | Church Marketing Online

Church Marketing Online From OurChurch.Com

People Are Looking For a Church…
Help Them Find You!

You are looking for a church. So, like most people, you go online and use the search engines to find a church near you. You find a church from the first few results in the search engines and visit their site…and then visit the church.

Church Marketing for People Searching for a Church This is something people do everyday. Maybe they are moving to a new town. Maybe they are looking for answers. They are on the web, looking for your church.

If you don’t make sure your church’s website ranks well in the search engines, you will miss out on new visitors, new members, and being able to share the love of Christ with them.

Top Rankings in Google, Bing, and Yahoo…Guaranteed!!

We guarantee at least 100 Top Ten Rankings!

You’ll be listed in the Top Ten Rankings in Google, Bing, and Yahoo and local search engines, like Google Maps.
You will be listed in other places people look for churches, such as church directories, local review sites, and the Internet Yellow Pages.
We target your church’s city and surrounding cities.

Learn more about OurChurch.Com’s Church Marketing…

Church Marketing Article: Church Growth by Google

Interesting Article

In the Church Marketing Online University (CMO University on left of page), we talked a bit about using search engines as a primary marketing tool for your church. The folks at Radiant Church in Colorado Springs recently discovered this and are using search engine marketing to turn their declining church attendance around and start growing again. What’s their secret…

A week ago I wrote a bit about the value of a pay-per-click (PPC) search marketing campaign as a part of your online church marketing. Almost every time I talk about pay-per-click and search engine optimization, I get the one of two questions, “Which is better?” or “Which should our church do?” Read More

What is Local SEO and Why It’s Important to Church Marketing?

We’ve looked at what SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is, setting up your website to make it readable by the search engines and so that it tells the search engines what your website is about by targeting specific keywords. So, what is local SEO? Local SEO is optimization of your website both targeting keywords with local modifiers (ie: churches in Trinity, FL) and with the intent of telling the search engines where your church/business/organization is. As a church with a specific location, local SEO is important for bringing new visitors to your church through your website. Read More

Search Marketing Glossary

As you start to delve into the world of online marketing, it is important to be able to understand the terminology being used. We always try to limit the “tech talk” when possible and use terms normal folks use; however, there are times when there simply isn’t another word to use. You may also be reading though other resources and run into confusing terminology. So, we have created the Church Marketing Online Search Marketing Glossary.

We encourage you to look over this dictionary of search marketing terms before you begin reading through the rest of the articles. We also encourage you to bookmark this page so you can visit the page if you ever run into a word or acronym you are not familiar with. If it’s search marketing related, you should find it here. If not, post a comment to request a definition.

(Updated on 2/17/2011)

In the past when a family was looking for a church they would talk to their friends or maybe check the yellow pages for churches in their area. Then they might visit several of those churches until they find one they like.

The Revolution of Local Search:

Over the last several years Internet search engines have made tremendous improvements in what is called local search, that is the search for businesses or organizations in a specific geographical area. Now if you search for something and include a city in the search phrase you’re likely to see results that include a map with some virtual push-pins in it. With one click you can get a phone number, driving directions, pictures, and even read reviews of the place of your choice. As a result, people have been ditching their yellow pages in droves and searching online for restaurants, retailers, and even churches.

In fact, way back in 2008, a survey showed that for the first time more people were using search engines (31%) than a physical phone book (30%). However, the results revealed something bigger. When all the Internet sources were added up (search engines, local search, local review sites, social media), over 60% of all people started their search for information about a business or organization online. That was in 2008. Today a much greater percentage of people go online to find things.

Today someone who is looking for a church – let’s call him Bill – will most likely start his search online. Bill uses a search engine like Google, Yahoo, or Bing, to find the listings of churches close to his home. He looks at their listings starting with first listing and reads the reviews he finds in the search listing. Then he visits many of those church’s websites. Based on what he reads, hears, and watches on those website’s Bill quickly rules out most of the churches without ever stepping foot in them. Then he picks 2 or 3 that seem to be most like the kind of church he’s looking for. He attends a Sunday service at those churches. Hopefully he likes at least one of them and gets involved in that fellowship.

Let’s take a closer look at this process

Category - Local search

Church Marketing Online From OurChurch.Com

Learn more about OurChurch.Com’s Church Marketing…

Church Marketing Article: Church Growth by Google

Church Marketing Showdown: PPC vs. SEO

What is Local SEO and Why It’s Important to Church Marketing?

Search Marketing Glossary

How people find a new church