When it comes to Church SEO, there isn't an exact formula to instantly send your Church's website off to the #1 search result on Google. However, there are some basic principles you should follow for a wonderful starting point.

Here are the top 5 Church SEO practices to start with:

#1 Write for your community, not for search engines
Always write original, interesting, high quality content that's relevant to your local community. Search engines like Google can easily detect content that is duplicated from elsewhere online, that contains grammatical errors, or that is stuffed with keywords.

#2 Add a blog to your site
To capture an audience who may not be searching for 'local church near me', try creating posts that include answers to local questions. And in your posts, include media like photos, videos, or original visualizations (infographics). Having that extra content (especially if it's relevant) will increase organic traffic, and the amount of time visitors spend on your church website. It is also likely they will share your post with others in the community.

#3 Offer a positive user experience throughout your site
Google will know if you're site is not mobile friendly, or difficult to navigate. Always aim to offer site visitors a pleasant experience on your site. That means an easy navigation, clear content, ample contact information, and always an option to go back using breadcrumbs if possible.

#4 Create a network of internal links

Add links between different pages of your site and your blog, but try to follow a process that feels organic rather than heavy linking meant just for search engine crawlers. Link between pages that make sense, for example, on your church's service time page, link to your location page, and link it to a blog post about upcoming events.

#5 Always check your site's Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a standard site performance standard initially created by Google. The report shows site owners how their site pages perform 'for real,' how long it takes for site visitors to load site pages, and it offers ways to fix issues, if there are any.