When’s the last time you checked on your church’s Google profile?

It may be the single most important thing you can do to get discovered by visitors…

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A Google profile is the little card that pops up when you search for a business or institution with a physical address - also called your Google My Business profile.

EXAMPLE (from my favorite coffee place in Milwaukee):

We’ve all encountered these when we’re searching for “Dentist near me” or “Nearest gas station” or “Walmart in (insert city).”

Churches and schools have these profiles, too! So track down your login information and apply these 4 tips.

((Fun experiment: Open a new tab right now and see if your church comes up when you search “Church in your city.”

If you come up, note how far down the list you are.

Apply these tips, then check again in 30 days.))

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1) When typing out your business description, include your location and other concrete descriptors.

EXAMPLE:

Abiding Word Lutheran Church exists to proclaim the gospel in the local community. We offer multiple worship opportunities.

VS.

Abiding Word Lutheran Church exists to proclaim the gospel in southeastern Milwaukee, offering contemporary worship on Saturday nights and traditional worship on Sunday mornings.

OR:

Faith Lutheran School provides quality education for God’s little lambs.

VS.

Faith Lutheran School provides quality PreK-8 education for the children of Appleton, WI and surrounding areas. Before and after school care is available.

Basically, include the words that people are likely to actually type into a Google search bar.

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2) Add good pictures and videos.

Include ONE logo, ONE cover photo, 10-12 general photos (of happy, smiling faces!), and 1-2 videos. Don’t skip the videos!

Image quality does matter, but don’t overthink it. An iPhone in portrait mode will absolutely suffice.

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3) Make frequent updates.

Google will push the businesses that act like real businesses… so add a new picture or post an update at least once a month. Nothing huge, just log on and be active for a few minutes to show Google you’re still alive.

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4) Get some reviews.

Ask your staff and/or core members to add a positive, authentic review.

Of course, you don’t want the reviews to seem scripted (Google actually has very sensitive sensors for “fake” reviews - they will get removed), but bonus points for them if they can include some high-quality keywords in their review.

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Do you have a Google My Business profile? Which tip intimidates you the most? Reply and tell me! 📧