To help people searching for a church find their way to your church, we've built the best church directory on the Internet. But there are many other ways to get people (think: potential visitors!) to your church Website.
Here are several effective and low-cost tips for driving traffic to your church's Web site:
1. Add keywords to get search engines to bring up your Website. A keyword is used to describe your Website, and allow search engines to more easily locate it. For example, keywords for your church site could include: the name of your city, your denomination, and words such as "church" and "Christian". Find out more about adding keywords.
2. Add a short signature to all of your outgoing email messages. This should include (1) your church's name, (2) your church's Web address, and (3) your church's telephone number and email address. Your email program will automatically add this signature to all your outgoing mail. Ask all your staff to set up their signature with your church's Web address.
3. Make sure you include your Web address in all your printed communication and marketing materials: bulletins, business cards, letterhead, envelopes, newsletters, flyers, Yellow Page ads, newspaper ads, brochures, window signage, bumper stickers. The things you do on terra firma can bring your Website a lot of added exposure and traffic.
4. If you distribute promotional freebies like bookmarks, pens, mouse pads, t-shirts, etc., make sure your domain name is a part of the regular address block on any printed item.
5. Use your after-hours voice messaging system to suggest that potential church visitors go to your Website. Be sure to clearly state your Web address in your outgoing message, spelling it out if necessary.
6. Whenever an opportunity for publicity arises - an interview, a guest lecture, a booth at a conference, a community outreach event - mention your Website and mention it in a way that suggests that everyone should know about it and visit it. Get everyone in your church to do the same.
7. Use your Website as you would your church brochure. For prospective visitors who want an overview of your ministries and don't have specific questions in mind, point them to your Website. When those people do visit your church, they will already have a good idea of who you are -- thanks to your Website. And, the one great advantage of your ForMinistry.com Website over your church brochure is that you can easily update it at anytime
8. Plan a churchwide promotional campaign around the launch of your Website. You may want to hang a large banner on your church building announcing your presence in Cyberspace. You may want to submit a press release to your local newspaper - or pass out flyers. Learn to think on both sides of the digital divide. Remember that the Internet's biggest online brand, Amazon.com, is the result of Amazon.com's offline advertising and promotional activities, that is, in the world of traditional media.
9. Contact church members who are owners of businesses in your community who have Websites and ask them to link to you. Ask church members who have access to the Internet to invite their friends to church by email. Tell them that they can send a hyperlink in the email that will take them to your church's Website.
10. Get in touch with your denomination and make sure your church's Web address is listed at your denomination's Website.
11. List your Website on the community directories of the local Chamber of Commerce or real estate agencies in your community.
Copyright ©2004
