As the world becomes more and more digitized, it’s important for churches to have a strong online presence. One way to do this is by optimizing their listing on Google Maps.
Google Maps is one of the most popular online mapping services, used by millions of people every day to find businesses, directions, and local attractions. If your church is not listed on Google Maps, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to reach new people in your community.
What Is Google My Business
If you want your church to be visible on Google Maps, claiming and verifying your listing on Google My Business is the first step.
Google My Business is a free tool that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. By verifying and editing your business information, you can help customers find you, contact you, and learn more about your business.
How to Add Your Church to Google Maps
If you want your church to be visible on Google Maps, there are a few things you need to do.
- Create a Google My Business Account
First, you need to sign in to your church’s Google account. If you still have not created one, then you need to do so to access your business profile. Once ready, you can go to your Google My Business page and then create a free account by signing in.
- Input Your Church Name
To get started, go to https://www.google.com/business and click “Start now.” Then, search for your church by name or address. If your church already has a listing on Google, you’ll see a
message that says, “You already have a Google listing for this business.” Click the “Claim this business” button to continue.
If your church doesn’t have a listing on Google yet, you’ll see a message that says, “No results found.” Click the “Add your business” button to create a new listing. In the Google My Business sign-in profile, you will then be asked about your church’s name. Input your official and registered church name (Avoid using abbreviations).
- Fill Out the Church Address
Once you are in your Google My Business account, fill out your church’s address information, then click “Continue.”
- Describe Your Church
Add in an important but short description of your church, including the specific denomination and what kind of church you have.
- Add Your Church Contact Details
You can start adding your church information, like your church’s address, phone number, website, and description, to help people find your church when they’re searching on Google.
You can also add photos and videos, and manage your church’s reviews to give potential visitors a better idea of what your church is like.
- Verify Your Church
Once you’ve claimed your listing, Google will send you a verification code mailed postcard or a phone call to your church’s address or contact number, which you’ll need to enter in your Google My Business account in order to verify your listing.
What Are the Benefits of Having Your Church on Google Maps
There are several benefits to having your church on Google Maps.
Reach a Wider Audience. By being listed on Google Maps, your church will be more visible to potential new members. Additionally, being on Google Maps can help you attract visitors from out of town.
Improve Your Church’s SEO. Google Maps is a powerful tool that can help your church’s website rank higher in search engine results. This can help you attract more visitors to your website and improve your church’s visibility online.
Connect with Your Community. By adding your church to Google Maps, you can make it easier for people to find you and learn more about your congregation. This can help you build stronger relationships with your community members and better serve your congregation.
Conclusion
Google Maps is a powerful tool that can help churches reach a wider audience. By following the steps outlined in this article, churches can ensure that their listing is accurate and up-to-date, making it easier for potential visitors to find them.
At Faithworks Marketing, we have a team of local SEO experts for churches who can help you with everything from setting up your Google My Business page to improving your church’s website for local search. We can also help you create and implement a local SEO strategy that will help you achieve your goals. We can also help apply for and maintain the Google Ad Grant for your church. Let us help you improve your church’s online presence. Contact us to get started!
6 Ways To Optimize Google My Business Site For Your Church
Like it or not most people will not look for a church on Facebook or any other social media platform. Still there are people in your local community who do look for a church. The reasons might be that:
- they have just moved to your area and would like to find a church family for themselves
- they have never been to church but got interested and would like to find out more
- they have Christian friends whose lives intrigued them and often feel more secure looking stuff up online rather than asking
- they used to be a part of church and would like to reconnect. The place where all of those folks are going to look for church is Google. No surprise here. You do the same. When you need to find or check info we most likely start with all-knowing Google.
When it comes to churches what happens is that the majority does not put much attention to your search engine presence. One of the reasons it that SEO (search engine optimization) is a strenuous and complex task. What is more we often have no idea how to even get started. The other is that we tend to be so focused on our social media effort that we don’t have enough time and resources to make Google like our website. After numerous conversations with pastors about their online presence I remember only one who said that his church has a monthly budget for SEO. There might have been a few others who do but didn’t mention but still the awareness of the importance of search engine visibility is relatively low.
Even if we don’t have the resources to invest in advanced local SEO (which will be covering here later) you can spend some time to optimize your Google My Business for your church will help you get noticed in
- Google Maps
- Google Search
- Google Plus.
Get yourself a cup of coffee and spend about 30 minutes to get Google My Business for your church right. If you still don’t have your Google My Business your can set it up here. For more info check out the video with a quick overview here.
Now, let’s get started!
- Make sure your address is correct
That especially matters for church plants and growing church that still don’t have a permanent location. You do need to make sure what the user sees in Google is the actual address where people can find you. What is more there is a way that local search works and you have to make sure your address is consistent on all the listings.
- Keep your business hours updated
Nobody would like to pop up to find out that nobody’s waiting especially if they saw when your are open. You might want to include regular office hours or service times. Remeber that you can add multiple hours per day.
- Remember to have your right category listed
You don’t want to pretend you are someone you are not. One of the goals of your Google My Business account is to help people quickly realize your identity. For the United States there is about 50 categories for churches in the listing. Make sure you get the one that best reflects who you are. The lists of categories for different countries can be found here.
- Add the photos
This one is a quick fix but help tremendously. Pictures might tell the visitor more than all the info you write. It’ll be best to include the photos that best present the highlights of your church life. Here is a list of ideas
- Sunday service
- Children ministry
- Your pastor
- The building
- Volunteers greeting people
- Cafe
- Youth ministry
Don’t use stock photos for this. There is a great chance that you have a professional photogrpaher in your church. If you don’t it will be a good investment to hire one and get the pictures that you can use here and on your
website. Make sure they really show your church and not something you hope to be.
Remember to make sure your the file names of photos you upload have the desired keywords such a your church name and city.
- Write a great
“Introduction”
Make sure it encourages people to find out more about your church. Bear in mind the basic rules of web writing:
- short paragraphs
- subheading
- bullet point wherever possible
It is a good idea to use clever key words for this section. Try to use verbs that will move people to action:
- Let’s meet
- Get in touch
- Come and visit us
- Be our guest etc.
- Ask for reviews and respond to them.
This part is absolutely crucial. Google points out that “high-quality, positive reviews from your customers will improve your business’s visibility”. What is more if your reply to the reviews you receive your prove that your care about the feedback and it creates a positive brand image. Even if you think that nobody reads reviews try imagine how you feel when you look for stuff online and see a link with a 5-star rating. It helps, doesn’t it?
The is a simple way to get more reviews and we will write another article that will teach your how to make the best use of this feature.
Summary
As you might have noticed the task of getting your Google My Business for your church isn’t as hard and time consuming as we might have thought at first. Follow these simple steps and get your church noticed.
5 Easy Steps To Increase Your Church’s Online Presence With Google My Business For Churches
Are you looking to increase your church’s online presence? Looking to make sure your church’s info is correct on Google? Adding your church to Google My Business will increase your online traffic, local impact, and assist new visitors to your church by making it easier to find your church’s location. Practically, taking these few simple steps allows your church to show up in Google results, to show your location in Google Maps, and even helps your church come up when a person searches for something vague like “Churches near me”. This article breaks down the steps on how to create a Google My Business account for your church or ministry in 5 easy steps.
- Signup
If you have an established church, your church most likely already has a listing, and you’ll just need to claim it. Newer churches, church plants or a newer church campus will probably need to be added, but luckily it’s simple.
○ First thing’s first, let’s go to Google.com/business
○ Click on the big blue button that reads “Get on Google.”
○ If you already have a Google or Gmail account for your church, login. If you do not have an account yet, you’ll need to create one.
. Enter Your Church in the Search Box
○ After you have successfully logged in, enter your church name or address in the search box. ○ Make sure to enter your zip code or city in the search box, otherwise your church may not come up in the results or other churches with similar names might.
- Select Your Church
○ If your church appears in the suggested matches, go ahead and click on it. If not, Google may have incorrect information on file. If that’s the case, click on the option that says “This does not match” or “Add your Business” and then enter your church’s correct information.
○ While entering your information, keep in mind how it will appear across the web. The information you enter will become your default address online. Remember that consistency is important. Provide Google with specific and accurate information so that it will display correctly under search results for your church.
- Make a G+ Account
After you have found and selected your church, then you will need to confirm your address and create a Google+ account for your church. You don’t necessarily have to keep it updated, but will need to make an account.
- Hurry Up & Wait
Now that you’ve completed those steps, you just have to wait. Once you have submitted this
information, it will take some time, from a few hours to a few days, before Google verifies your church and updates their directory online. For security reasons, Google may need to verify your location via text message, phone call, or even a post card.
Once verified, congratulations! You are now one step closer to local search optimization and increasing your influence in your local community.
Google Maps | Tithe.ly
Listing your church on Google Maps is a great way to boost your church’s online presence–and it’s not as difficult as you might think to get your church listed.
. Enter Your Church in the Search Box
○ After you have successfully logged in, enter your church name or address in the search box. ○ Make sure to enter your zip code or city in the search box, otherwise your church may not come up in the results or other churches with similar names might.
- Select Your Church
○ If your church appears in the suggested matches, go ahead and click on it. If not, Google may have incorrect information on file. If that’s the case, click on the option that says “This does not match” or “Add your Business” and then enter your church’s correct information.
○ While entering your information, keep in mind how it will appear across the web. The information you enter will become your default address online. Remember that consistency is important. Provide Google with specific and accurate information so that it will display correctly under search results for your church.
How to Put Your Church on Google Maps
The Internet is a powerful tool to share the Gospel and bring more people to your congregation. From social media to live-streamed sermons, there are many ways to use the Internet to your advantage. But one of the most convenient and most powerful methods is to literally put your church on the map.
In this guide, you’ll learn everything about putting your church on Google Maps. We’ll cover the ways to put your church on the popular database, the benefits of doing so, and a few ways to further build your church’s online presence.
What Is Google My Business?
If you’ve ever checked Google Maps, you would know that restaurants and shops list not just their location but also information like opening hours, phone numbers, and even website links. These business profiles are created through Google My Business.
A Google Business Profile shows the essential contact details, customer reviews, and even busy times for a business or organization. Some benefits offered by Google My Business include:
- Improve customer engagement by allowing them to post reviews and chat with the business account
- Boost business visibility by making it easy to search on Google Maps ● Show business highlights like product promotions and photos
Benefits of Putting Your Church on Google Maps
Google My Business is free, so there’s no reason not to put your church on Google Maps. If you’re still hesitating, however, here are several reasons Google My Business for churches is a good idea:
Promote Your Church For Free
Unlike online advertising, physical ads, or landing pages, Google My Business is free and only takes a couple of minutes to set up, but the results can be felt for a long time. Because of this, it’s one of the cheapest yet most effective ways to tell the world about your church.
List Important Information
Not everyone can look through your church website to get the information they need quickly. Your church’s Google Maps page should contain all the basic information so people can easily find what they need to know.
Below are some examples of what to include:
- Church service times
- Contact number
- Photos of your church building and activities
- Link to your church website
Improve Your Church’s Legitimacy
Some people rely on Google Business profiles to determine whether a place is legitimate or not. A professional-looking Google Maps listing goes a long way in establishing your credibility because people can leave reviews about your church and its activities. If your congregation shares stories about great sermons and enjoyable activities, your church’s reputation will improve and potentially attract a larger congregation.
A legitimate online presence also makes people more inclined to donate and can even make it easier to get a bank loan for church activities.
Attract More Newcomers
Newcomers to an area tend to look for the businesses and services they need via Google Maps, and churches are no different. Typically, the first thing people who are looking for church services do is type “church” on Google Maps and look at the top results. Then, they’ll choose whichever church they think best suits them.
A well-polished Google business profile works much like a lure when fishing. If the profile catches the eye of these newcomers, they may call a contact person or visit your website for more details and potentially join the congregation.
Engage With The Community
Google My Business provides many ways for the owner to engage with their customer base. One of the most common ways of interaction on a Google Business profile is through its reviews page, where congregation members can post stories about their church experience. Not only do reviews catch the eyes of people looking for a new church, but they also help you get feedback from existing church members.
There are other communication methods like direct messaging through Google as well as a Q&A section where you can answer questions about your church.
How to Put Your Church on Google Maps
Now that we’ve covered the reasons why you should put your church on Google Maps, it’s time to learn how. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to put your church on Google Maps:
- Make a Google Business Profile
First, sign in to your church Google account. If you don’t have one yet, we recommend creating one to make it easier for your church staff to access the business profile.
Once in, go to the Google My Business page and sign up for a free account.
- Input Your Church Name
The Google My Business sign-up profile will ask for your church’s name. Use your church’s official registered name and don’t use any abbreviations. If your church is also known by a different name, add it in parentheses.
- Fill in Location Details
Your location details should include the country, state, city, street address, and zip code. Make sure you enter this accurately and double-check before submitting.
Once you submit the location, you’ll see a marker placed on the address you entered previously. If the marker is exactly where it should be, continue. If it’s not, move the marker to where your church actually is.
- Describe Your Church
GMB will ask what kind of business you are running. Write down a short description of what your church does, including whether your church is of a certain denomination. This allows people who are searching for a specific kind of church to find you.
- Add Contact Details
Input the number of your primary contact person and church website, if applicable. People will be calling this number to inquire, so make sure it’s an active one and regularly manned.
- Verify Your Church
Once everything is filled out, verify your account. Google offers verification through phone calls and mailed postcards.
Other Ways to Build Your Church’s Online Presence
In addition to a Google My Business profile, there are other ways to expand your church’s presence on the Internet. Here are some popular methods:
Church Website
A good website is like an online version of your church. Your website should be the place that contains all the information potential churchgoers need to know about your church, and your entire online presence (e.g. social media accounts, live streams) should all link to and from your website.
You don’t have to pay professional web developers for a legitimate website. With Tithe.ly Websites, you can create and maintain a beautiful, SEO-optimized church website with a super-low cost and effort.
Service Live Streams
Because of the pandemic, live streaming sermons has become a viable option for many churches. Streaming services with Tithe.ly is a great way to involve congregation members who are sick or otherwise can’t come to church. Enabling chat also helps congregation members stay connected and communicate during the service.
Social Media Accounts
Having a social media account for your church is a must these days. A great social media presence makes it easier for you to announce church events, look for volunteers, and ask for feedback from your congregation.
Every social media site has something different to offer. For instance, Instagram lets you share photos of church activities while Facebook provides an online gathering spot for your congregation to connect.
The good news is that creating awesome social media graphics for all your accounts doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. Tithe.ly Media provides you with free, customizable graphics for social media accounts, sermon slides, and more.
Conclusion
Putting your church on Google Maps is a great way to boost its online presence. Your Google My Business profile won’t just help newcomers find a new church, but it’s also a great way to connect and sustain your existing congregation.