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How a Church Can Boost Their Online Presence Using Google Business Profile 🔗
By FJ Snijman - He writes about divorce, electronics, passive income, ZX14R, local SEO and small businesses
Churches thrive on community—but in today's digital world, the community starts online. One of the most powerful free tools for churches is Google Business Profile (GBP). It puts your church on the map, helps new visitors find you, and shows your congregation is active and alive. Let's dive into how churches can use GBP like a digital outreach ministry.
1. Use the "Events" Feature for Weekly Church Services
Don't just wait for Sunday to spread the Word—schedule it online.
By listing your Sunday services as Events in GBP, your church appears active and current. Create the event ahead of time—each Friday or earlier in the week. Include:
- Time and date
- Location
- Preacher or theme
- Special focus (e.g., youth-led service, communion)
This helps both regular members and new visitors know exactly what's happening and when. Google pushes events to local searchers, so your service might show up when someone searches "churches near me."
2. Use "Special Offers" for Baptisms and Weddings
Google's "Special Offers" tab isn't just for discounts. Churches can creatively use it to highlight spiritual milestones:
- "Free Baptism Sign-Up – Join our monthly baptism Sundays!"
- "Book a Wedding Blessing – Beautiful Church Venue Available"
This taps into people actively searching for spiritual ceremonies. It makes your church look organized, open, and welcoming—online and offline.
3. Build an Ongoing Review Strategy
Reviews matter. They're modern testimonies.
Start with five trusted members. Ask them to write short, sincere reviews about recent sermons or church experiences. Then:
- Reply to each review as the church—thank them, reflect briefly on their comments.
- Get five other members to like those reviews—this boosts visibility.
- Rotate new reviewers and likers each month.
This shows steady activity and gives Google fresh content to serve potential visitors. A GBP with regular engagement ranks higher in search results.
4. Post Weekly Photos Taken by Church Members
Visual proof of life is gold.
Ask one or two reliable members to take photos during services or community gatherings—moments of worship, people connecting, behind-the-scenes volunteers. Upload them weekly to your GBP.
Photos humanize your church. They add warmth and color to your profile and catch the attention of people scrolling through local search results.
5. Encourage Short Video Content from the Congregation
People trust people.
Encourage members to take short videos—20 to 60 seconds is perfect. A snippet of singing, a clip of the preacher's message, a welcome from the pastor, or even a quick "Why I love my church" from a teen.
Post these to GBP regularly. Videos are more engaging than images, and they increase the time visitors spend on your listing. Google notices that.
Conclusion
Google Business Profile is a gift for churches wanting to grow. It's your digital welcome mat. With just a bit of weekly effort—events, offers, reviews, photos, and videos—your church can become more discoverable, more relevant, and more inviting to both search engines and souls.
Start small, stay consistent, and let the light shine.