Millennials, those currently aged 19 to 35, recently overtook Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S. According to Christianity Today, the more than 75 million Millennials in this country may be the “largest generational mission field” in the last century, as only an estimated 10% of this generation are born-again Christians. That leaves approximately 68 million Millennials who are not Christians and a huge opportunity for churches across the country to reach this lost demographic. Millennials may be best known for their prolific use of technology, since they did in fact grow up during the rise of the internet, and many were the early adopters of the social media movement. So it makes sense that this lost generation might turn first to the internet when searching for spiritual answers or looking for a place to try out religion. The key to reaching this generation might be inviting them to engage with the church first over the internet, before inviting them to sit in the pews. Your church’s web presence can be a great tool to connect with those who are seeking, but who are too intimidated or fearful of just showing up for Sunday service.
In order to get eyes on your church’s site, people have to be able to find you online. Search engine optimization refers to the process of boosting organic traffic to your site by ensuring you show up in search engine results. From some of the country’s best SEOs, here are some great strategies for getting your church’s site seen:
1. Build a Website
If you don’t have a website, this is obviously an essential first step. While you can pay design companies boatloads for a custom site solution, there are plenty of platforms available that allow users to easily create their own site with little technical expertise such as Weebly, Wix, and Squarespace (see here for comparisons). These sites usually come with a built-in domain, such as your-church-domain.squarespace.com, but allow you to pay extra to upgrade to a vanity URL, so your site can simply be found at your-church-domain.com. Before contracting with an outside firm or trying to set up the site yourself, reach out to the congregation for assistance. Chances are there’s at least one church member who has some expertise in web design and would be happy to help.
2. Relevant Content
Content is a critical component of any on-page SEO strategy, and you’ll want to start by making sure you have the basics covered. Search engines crawl the content on your site to determine what your site is about, and consequently, what it should rank for. If you don’t have content that describes your church, then Google won’t know how to rank you. At a minimum your site should include the following:
- About section: Perfect place to include church history, denomination affiliation and church beliefs
- Locations: Consider embedding a map of your location(s) so it’s easy for users to find your church
- Contact: Include a contact form, email address, and phone number so people can get in touch
- Resources: Include links to sermons and other useful resources.
- Programs: Provide users about specific programs and ministries your church offers for various age groups.
In addition to the above, it’s also a good idea to keep fresh content in the form of a blog. The blog can cover anything from additional sermon thoughts to announcing the theme for this year’s VBS. Consider posting links to your blog through social media channels (see section below) to keep users engaged and attract the attention of non-members who may be interested.
3. Claim Your Google My Business Listing
The vast majority of internet users turn to Google as their primary search engine, which is particularly true of the Millennial generation. If users are searching for a local church, they’ll probably open a web browser and search the location and “church”. For example, when looking for churches in Charlotte, they may type “Charlotte churches” or “bible church Charlotte”. Normally, Google will return what’s referred to as the map pack at the top of search results. This is the Google map that plots various businesses based upon the user’s search. To ensure that you’re in the local map results, you’ll need to claim your Google My Business Listing. Per Google, here are the basic steps you can follow to claim your listing.
4. Use Social for Outreach
For a generation that’s obsessed with posting selfies and status updates, one of the best ways you can reach out and connect is through social media. Some of the best social media platforms for churches (and most popular among Millennials) are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can use these platforms as a medium to share blog content and announce church events. Make sure you add a link from your site to your official social media pages so people can find you on social! To easily syndicate content across social media channels by using a free service called If This Then That.
5. Utilize Free Resources for More Optimization Tips
Most SEO firms charge substantial amounts (think in excess of $5K per month) for their services. Unless your church has a huge marketing budget, hiring a professional probably isn’t an option. However, there are plenty of resources that can help you further develop an SEO strategy. Here are some favorite links for both on-page and off-page SEO recommendations: