How do you make it easy for people to find your church online? When someone new moves into town and searches "churches near me" on Google, you want your church to be at the top of that list — not buried on page three. The good news is that showing up on Google does not take a marketing degree or a big budget. It comes down to three things: a Google Business Profile, a website, and a Facebook page.
If you had to sum up the entire story of the Bible in one verse, you would probably choose John 3:16. If you wanted to share vital information about your church to the internet, you start with a Google Business Profile.
A Google Business Profile controls the information that is shown on Google Search and Google Maps. It makes it possible for you to set service times, provide a summary of your church, and add other important details. It is as easy as going to business.google.com, making an account, and setting up your church's information. Best of all, it is completely free.
If there was a person in the Bible who would double check that the information on your Business Profile was correct, it would be Gideon. Sometimes it isn't enough for a person to only see the Business Profile, because often information is outdated and incorrect. The best way to confirm that your church is alive and active is to have your website linked to your Google Business Profile.
I am biased, but fwbsite makes it easy to keep your church website up to date for as little as $5 per month. If you don't have a website, email me at jonathan.lewis@fwbchurch.org.
Out of these three options, maintaining an active Facebook page is the most difficult, because posting high quality content just does not come naturally. But honestly, using Facebook as a way of sharing information and communicating with church members is a perfectly valid use of Facebook — and it shows people that your church is alive and active.
You do not need to be a professional photographer or a gifted writer. Post the announcement from the bulletin. Share pictures from the church picnic. Remind people when service times change during the holidays. When someone visits your page and sees activity from this month, they know your church is a real, living congregation worth visiting.
Jonathan Lewis is the founder of fwbsite and a dedicated church leader. He created fwbsite to simplify web hosting for FWB churches, allowing them to focus on ministry rather than technical details.
fwbsite is your first step to launching a church website in an affordable way.