You’ve put all that work into your church website—why aren’t people visiting? Today’s search engines are programmed to think like a searcher would think, so there is no silver bullet for showing up in the top of the results in Google. However, there are a number of best practices that anyone can follow to give your site a better chance at showing up toward the top.

1. Search Engine Optimization
(SEO) Techniques for Churches
a.k.a. Attracting Visitors to Your Church Website

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques for Churches Concordia Technology Solutions
I NTRO DUCTI O N M I NI S TRY I M P A CT S E O FA CTO RS S TRA TE G I E S
Presenter
2
Peter Frank
Senior Marketing Manager,
Concordia Publishing
House
peter.frank@cph.org
(314) 268-1408
(800) 325-2399

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques for Churches Concordia Technology Solutions
I NTRO DUCTI O N M I NI S TRY I M P A CT S E O FA CTO RS S TRA TE G I E S
Presentation Outline
3
1
Introduction
1. How Search
Engines Work
2. Search Engine
Results Pages
3. Types of Results
4. Defining SEO
2
Ministry Impact
1. Value of a Church
Website
2. SEO Goals
3. Tools to Get Started
3
SEO Factors
1. On-Site
2. Off-Site
3. Technical
4
Strategies
1. White Hat vs. Black
Hat
2. Keyword Research
3. Other Search Listings
4. Resources

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques for Churches Concordia Technology Solutions
I NTRO DUCTI O N M I NI S TRY I M P A CT S E O FA CTO RS S TRA TE G I E S
How Search Engines Work
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5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques for Churches Concordia Technology Solutions
I NTRO DUCTI O N M I NI S TRY I M P A CT S E O FA CTO RS S TRA TE G I E S
How Search Engines Work
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1. Web pages are uploaded to their respective servers.
2. Google sends bots to review these web pages.
3. These bots create a record of those websites.
4. A person enters a query through Google search.
5. Google reviews their records of all websites for the best
result.
6. Google provides results in their recommended order based
on everything they know.

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How Search Engines Work (. . . continued)
6
• Google doesn’t always have the latest version of your site.
• The frequency of when they index sites is based on, among
other things, traffic and updates.
• Google uses over 200 different criteria when deciding which
results to return and in which order.
• They do not publish the list of criteria, but there are
numerous sources available that test concepts and share
results.

7. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques for Churches Concordia Technology Solutions
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Search Engine Result Pages (SERP)
7
Organic Results
Search Engine Optimization

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I NTRO DUCTI O N M I NI S TRY I M P A CT S E O FA CTO RS S TRA TE G I E S
Search Engine Result Pages (SERP)
8
Organic Results
Search Engine Optimization
Paid Ads
Google AdWords

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I NTRO DUCTI O N M I NI S TRY I M P A CT S E O FA CTO RS S TRA TE G I E S
Search Engine Result Pages (SERP)
9
Organic Results
Search Engine Optimization
Paid Ads
Google AdWords
Local Knowledge
Graph
Google My Business

10. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques for Churches Concordia Technology Solutions
I NTRO DUCTI O N M I NI S TRY I M P A CT S E O FA CTO RS S TRA TE G I E S
Search Engine Result Pages (SERP)
10
Organic Results
Search Engine Optimization
Paid Ads
Google AdWords
Local Knowledge
Graph
Google My Business
Local Pack
Google My Business

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Types of Search Results
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Images
Search Engine Optimization

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Types of Search Results
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Images
Search Engine Optimization
Videos
YouTube

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I NTRO DUCTI O N M I NI S TRY I M P A CT S E O FA CTO RS S TRA TE G I E S
Types of Search Results
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Images
Search Engine Optimization
Videos
YouTube
Social Media
Twitter

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Types of Search Results
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Images
Search Engine Optimization
Videos
YouTube
Social Media
Twitter
Brand Knowledge Graph
Wikimedia

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Types of Search Results
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Images
Search Engine Optimization
Videos
YouTube
Social Media
Twitter
Brand Knowledge Graph
Wikimedia
Shopping
Google Shopping

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Types of Search Results
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Images
Search Engine Optimization
Videos
YouTube
Social Media
Twitter
Brand Knowledge Graph
Wikimedia
Shopping
Google Shopping
Rich Answers
SEO, Schema

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I NTRO DUCTI O N M I NI S TRY I M P A CT S E O FA CTO RS S TRA TE G I E S
Types of Search Results
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Images
Search Engine Optimization
Videos
YouTube
Social Media
Twitter
Brand Knowledge Graph
Wikimedia
Shopping
Google Shopping
Rich Answers
SEO, Schema
News
News Publishers

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Types of Search Results
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Images
Search Engine Optimization
Videos
YouTube
Social Media
Twitter
Brand Knowledge Graph
Wikimedia
Shopping
Google Shopping
Rich Answers
SEO, Schema
News
News Publishers
Carousel
Google Algorithm

19. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques for Churches Concordia Technology Solutions
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Defining SEO
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
is the process of increasing your ranking in
search results by making a better experience
for users through improving on-page,
off-page, and technical factors.

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Ministry Impact
Why should
churches even
care about
search engine
optimization? SEO

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Value of a Church Website
21
Attract Visitors
Help those who are looking for
a church have a better
experience if and when they
attend.
Inform Members
A central hub for all things
related to news and information
about your church.
Share the Gospel
Your church’s opportunity to
share the message of Christ
with the world . . . literally.

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SEO Goals
Increase rankings in
search results
Best practices
for websites
User experience
on your site
Great opportunity to
share the Gospel

23. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques for Churches Concordia Technology Solutions
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Tools to Get Started
23
Website Access
Your Church Website

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Tools to Get Started
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Website Access
Your Church Website
Google Analytics
Google.com/Analytics

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Tools to Get Started
25
Website Access
Your Church Website
Google Analytics
Google.com/Analytics
Google Search Console
Google.com/Webmasters

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Tools to Get Started
26
Website Access
Your Church Website
Google Analytics
Google.com/Analytics
Google Search Console
Google.com/Webmasters
Google Trends
Google.com/Trends

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Tools to Get Started
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Website Access
Your Church Website
Google Analytics
Google.com/Analytics
Google Search Console
Google.com/Webmasters
Google Trends
Google.com/Trends
MozBar
Moz.com/products/pro/seo-toolbar

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On-Site Factors
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CONTENT
Quality
Is the content of value for the reader?
Do they stay and read it? Will they
share it? Do others link to it?
Current
When was this written? Has it been
updated? If not, is the information still
as relevant today as when published?
use
Written for People
Is it natural language, or is it stuffed
with keywords? Are the images and
links used relevantly?
Substantive
Is there enough information? Is the
supporting content related, or is it
simply excess content?

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On-Site Factors (. . . continued)
29
Navigation
Clear and concise menu
STRUCTURE

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On-Site Factors (. . . continued)
30
Navigation
Clear and concise menu
Styles
Well utilized header tags
STRUCTURE

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On-Site Factors (. . . continued)
31
Navigation
Clear and concise menu
Styles
Well utilized header tags
Emphasis Tags
Bold and italicize appropriately
STRUCTURE

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On-Site Factors (. . . continued)
32
Navigation
Clear and concise menu
Styles
Well utilized header tags
Emphasis Tags
Bold and italicize appropriately
Links
Relevant content and alt text
STRUCTURE

33. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques for Churches Concordia Technology Solutions
I NTRO DUCTI O N M I NI S TRY I M P A CT S E O FA CTO RS S TRA TE G I E S
On-Site Factors (. . . continued)
33
Navigation
Clear and concise menu
Styles
Well utilized header tags
Emphasis Tags
Bold and italicize appropriately
Links
Relevant content and alt text
Images
Relevant content and alt text
STRUCTURE

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On-Site Factors (. . . continued)
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URLs
Sites with SSL
certification (https) are
preferred by Google.
Logical directory with pages in
plain text, utilizing appropriate
keywords and dashes for spaces.
https://www.christcommunitybakersville.org/events/trunk-or-treat/
Domains should have appropriate
keywords of brand identifiers.
Location is important for churches.

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On-Site Factors (. . . continued)
35
Titles
The information that shows up in the top of the
web browser, as well as search engine results.
Descriptions
The longer-format information that is displayed
in results. Does not factor into algorithm.
Keywords
Commonly used years ago. They no longer
help with results and could potentially harm
rankings.
Others
Advanced uses, but has some practical
implications for churches (e.g. social media).
META CONTENT

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Off-Site Factors
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Trust
Are users given the
experience they expect?
Engagement
Do users stay and
navigate deeper into the
site?
Popularity
How many people find
the content relevant?
Backlinks
Are other users willing
to share it on their site?
History
Has this site been accessed
by the user before?
User
Who are they? Where
are they? What do they
do?

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Technical Factors
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Architecture
Logical use of subdomains and directories
XML Sitemap
Document with detailed page instructions
Robots.txt
Listing of pages not to index
Site Performance
The load speed and mobile responsiveness
Indexation
Has this page been indexed recently?

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Keyword Research
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• Make a list of words for which you think people would search.
• Use online tools (Google Keyword Planner) to find additional
related keywords.
• Review average monthly searches and competition.
• Narrow the list to a manageable amount by looking for those
that are 1) important, 2) searched in the mid-range, and
3) without much competition.

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White Hat vs. Black Hat
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I have built my site with the best
practices provided by Google, but even
more, I am more concerned about the
visitors of the site.
White Hat SEO
I have built my site with the best
practices provided by Google, but I have
found some shortcuts that should give
me an advantage.
Black Hat SEO

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Long-Tail Keyword
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Other Types of Search Listings
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Images
Properly name images, add alt text,
and make them relevant to your
church and the pages on the site.
Video
Create professional videos and
share them with appropriate
names, descriptions, and tags.
Paid Search
Set up a basic Google AdWords
account and set a small budget for
target keywords.
Business Listings
Create a Google My Business
account for your congregation and
keep it updated.

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Additional Resources
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— Google Keyword Planner
https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner
— Übersuggest
https://ubersuggest.io/
— Google Analytics
https://www.google.com/analytics
— Moz
https://www.moz.com
— Google Search Console
http://www.google.com/webmasters
— Bing Webmaster Tools
http://www.bing.com/toolbox/webmaster
— Soovle
http://soovle.com/
— XML Sitemaps
https://www.xml-sitemaps.com/

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Q&A
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Questions?

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Blog
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