This document discusses developing a vision for web ministry at a church. It outlines three parts to the vision: ministering to the local church body through communication and administration online; reaching the local community for outreach and encouraging the regional body; and having a global reach through driving large traffic and developing multiple content streams. For each part, it provides goals, budgets, required resources and tools/skills. It also covers executing the vision through analytics, search engine optimization basics and best practices, local SEO including Google listings, and content SEO such as developing text-based sermon content.

1. Developing a Vision for Web
Ministry

2. Web Ministry
Understanding the Vision
Why Should We Care?
1
Developing the Vision
Goals & Strategic Planning
2
Executing the Vision
Getting Down to Business
3

3. one
UNDERSTANDING THE VISION
Part

4. The Church absolutely has to stop looking
at their website as an online version of a
Church Bulletin, and must start using it as
a tool for evangelism and ministry.
“
”
one

5. one
Why Should we care about
web ministry
The People You Want to Reach & Minister
to Are Spending Time Online

6. one
Why Should we care about
web ministry
Churches need to start thinking about web traffic
the same way they think about a person that sits in
a chair in the Church on a Sunday morning.
As a real person, with real needs.
“
”

7. one
Why Should we care about
web ministry
We make large investments to minister to the
Church goer, but often Churches barely consider
their online audience, which frankly is much
larger, easier to access, and often times easier to
communicate with.
“
”

8. Internet Penetrationone

9. The Internet is taking over
our lives
72% Use Social Media
Average Time Online Per Day!
one

10. Mobile Stats
140 Million Smart
Phone Users in the
U.S.
one

11. one
63% Use their phone to
access the internet
regularly
MOBILE STATS

12. Search stats
59% of Americans use a search engine Every Day
one

13. 5 Billion Searches on Google Per Day (67% Share)
one SEARCH STATS

14. +
Mobile Search Is Increasing by 200% Y.O.Y.
• Will Outpace Desktop Search in 2014
• 55% of Mobile Search Converts Within 1 Hour
one SEARCH STATS

15. Castle Rock
50k People
2,000+ Church Searches Per Month
one

16. Colorado Springs
450k People
27,000+ Church Searches Per Month
one

17. Scary...one

18. one

19. It’s an uphill battle but...
3 MILLION Decisions
since May 2011
one

20. DEVELOPING THE VISION
twoPart

21. CHURCH
BODY
two
(Jerusalem)

22. CHURCH
BODY
Why:
Minister to the Local Church Body
Communicate, Administer, Bless
Goals:
Communicate Effectively
- Email List, Facebook, Website
Administration
- Online donations
- Online forms (signups, prayer, etc)
• Bless & Encourage
- Basic audio sermons
two
(Jerusalem)

23. CHURCH
BODY
Budget:
Up front: $0 - $1,000
Monthly: $5 - $100
Resources:
Volunteers
Tools & Skills Needed:
Good Website Platform
Good Email Platform
Facebook
Basic Design
Basic Web Technology
two
(Jerusalem)

24. LOCAL
COMMUNITY
two
(Judea & Samaria)

25. LOCAL
COMMUNITY
two
Why:
Reach the Local Community for Christ
Bless the Body on a Regional Level
Goals:
Get Non-Church Member Traffic
- Search (Organic/Paid), Social, etc
- Service Times & Directions
• Effective Outreach
- Event Promotion
- Gospel Message w/Calls to Action
• Bless & Encourage the Regional Body
- More Advanced Sermon Distribution
(Judea & Samaria)

26. two
Budget:
Up front: $500 - $2,500
Monthly: $100 - $750
Resources:
Volunteers, Staff
Tools & Skills Needed:
Google Adwords, Facebook Ads
Basic SEO Knowledge
Media Creation/Editing
Design
LOCAL
COMMUNITY
(Judea & Samaria)

27. GLOBAL
REACH
two
(Ends of the
Earth)

28. GLOBAL
REACH
two Why:
Reach the World for Christ!
Bless the Body Globally
Kingdom ROI!
Goals:
Drive Large Volume of Traffic (Goal?)
- Search (Organic/Paid), Social, etc
• Develop Multiple Content Streams
- Sermons, Devos, Newsletters, Blog Post
• Optimize Content & Media
- Increase Visibility in Search Engines
- Content Distributed in Many Forms
(Ends of the
Earth)

29. two
Budget:
Up front: $2,500 - $A LOT
Monthly: $1,000 - $10,000+
Resources:
Volunteers, Staff, Agency
Tools & Skills Needed:
Google Adwords, Facebook Ads
Basic-Advanced SEO Knowledge
Media Creation/Editing
Design
Project Management
• Content Marketing/Optimization
Medium - Advanced Web Technology
GLOBAL
REACH
(Ends of the
Earth)

30. three
EXECUTING THE VISION
Part

31. thre
e Analytics
Measure Everything!
# of Visitors
New vs. Returning
Time Spent on the Site
Geographic Area
Search Terms Used to Find the Website
Resources:
Google Analytics

32. Basics
Basic SEO
Unique Keyword-Rich Meta Title Tags for Each
Page
Build as Many Quality Links as Possible
Develop New Content in Text Form Regularly
Make Sure Your Site is Not Blocking Search
Engines
Optimize Homepage for “Church in mycity”
Things to Avoid
Multiple Domain Names (all with same content)
Duplicate Content (On & Offsite)
• Proprietary Website Platforms
thre
e

33. Local seothre
e

34. Local seo
Google Local Listing
Claim Your Church Listing (G+) or Set One Up
Make Sure The Title/Address/Phone Match
EXACTLY
Eliminate Duplicate Listings
Add Service Times, Pictures, Video, Description
Get Listed on Church Directories (NAP)
Reviews When Necessary
thre
e

35. Content SEO
Content Must Exist For SEO to Work
Sermons MUST have individual pages
Your Content is Invisible!
TEXT Based Content!
Transcription of Each Sermon
Sermon Notes in Text
Investment in Text Before Video
Endless Possibilities
thre
e

36. Content SEO
Challenge:
Turn 10 Sermons Into Text
In 30 Days...
You Should See a 50-100% Increase in Traffic
thre
e

37. More Resources:
- ChurchSEO.org

38. THANKYOU!
Get a Recording of This Presentation at:
ChurchSEO.org/refresh
Get in touch with me if you need a site review!