I’ve been working with a number of ministries and organizations in terms of Search Engine Optimization lately and it’s quite apparent that there is a general ignorance that exists out there about what SEO really is.
In addition to the general lack of knowledge (which isn’t anyone’s fault, by the way), there’s always a number of myths that come up as well that I typically need to correct. I don’t mind this process and it makes for some great conversation, and in the end the organization or SEO manager is better suited for future success.
But, for the rest of you I’ve decided to list out 10 SEO Myths that ministries need to avoid. Here they are:
1. The Better Your Content the Better Your Rankings
Unfortunately this is a myth but it’s rampant everywhere. And most people, when they give themselves a second, really know it’s a myth but it just sounds too good and it’s too easy to believe.
You see, SEO is a complicated mix of a number of different factors, and content is just one of many factors. Content alone will not produce better ratings but it can certainly help. Some of the best stuff out there is never read and yet some of the “stupidest” stuff out there get’s a billion hits.
Go figure.
2. Church Domain Names with Dashes are Awesome for SEO
No.
I have no idea where you were told that there is nothing better than a domain like www.Grace-Community-Baptist-Fellowship-of-Spokane.com.
Heresy.
😉
3. Clicking on Your SERPs Increases Your Church’s SEO
Again, I have no idea who came up with this idea.
Essentially someone told someone who was sold the idea that clicking on your Search Engine Results will “tell” Google that that specific site is “better” than the rest. How this played out was that a lay leader suggested to a Pastor that he should tell the congregation to go click on search results for a week (or two) so they could rank “higher.”
No. Please stop. You’re hurting the internet.
4. Tons of Keywords on the Church Home Page
No. This isn’t even funny and it makes your front page look like poo. Keyword “density,” as it’s professionally called is not a strategy at all – it’s poor design.
5. Jesus Cares About Our Home Page PageRank
No, He doesn’t, and neither does Google.
Organizations are mislead all the time with the idea that if their home page has a high Google PR rating then the rest of their site doesn’t really matter (or that it carries the same weight internally). This is, at best, a cruel joke from whomever told you that.
You’re effort needs to be put in just as much on the home page as the internal pages too. Strategic linking inside is also very important too.
6. Paying to Register Your Church Site to 1,000 “Other” Sites
This is categorically untrue for too many reasons to really mention.
Don’t waste your time, money, or resources paying someone to submit and/or “register” your site in listings of any kind. If anything it’ll probably reduce your SEO.
7. We Shouldn’t Have a Search Page or Box
It’s been a known fact that since about 2008 Google has been able to crawl and submit queries into search boxes for indexing, so who ever told you that you shouldn’t have a Search feature is lame.
In addition, having a search feature is just plain smart and respectful to your visitors. Make it easy for them!
8. Leave Old Ministry Pages Up is Good
Wrong. Try again. Orphaned pages can hurt you, so take them down. If the event or pot luck dinner is over then please take down the page.
This is also a simple courtesy to your congregation and visitors who still think you’re having those potlucks in the movie theater you rented 5 years ago when you launched…
9. We’ve Already SEO’d Our Ministry Site
Nope.
SEO is a spiritual endeavor. It’s a marathon race, and a long one. In fact, you can never really be done with optimization. It’s a process, not an end.
If a business promises to ‘SEO’ your ministry site make sure they have a continual check-up associate with it too!
10. We Need A Lot of Social Media
Nah.
Some ministries have been told that they need to sign up for tons and tons of social media sites and networks so they can get all this “link juice” from those sites.
Untrue. In fact, it’s just a waste of time and could dilute your results (and sap your energy). Social Media can help in terms of SEO but make sure it’s a targeted approach rather than a shotgun.
joanna says
Putting dashes in a domain name is just not a good idea in general. It sounds awkward when you say the address out loud.
Jared Erickson says
great post john! glad i’m on your side… Can’t tell you how many times I have kindly “suggested” that a client take out “Clients name is …. ” out of every sentence they have on the home page.. I watched a video about google rankings (by the google guys) and they said they are actually giving worse rankings for keyword density.. so not only will it look like poo it will get you set back a few pages… and make you sound redundant.
same goes with social media, just because you have twitter, dig, facebook, myspace, youtube.. does not mean you will do any better.. ESPECIALLY if you don’t use any of them with greatness.
Kyle Reed says
ditto to everything Jared said
Sean Sabourin says
Great read. Thanks for sharing. I am still trying to figure out the whole SEO ‘thing’. Keep up the good work.
dannyjbixby says
I am disappointed by the lack of ogre references in this article. I feel deceived by the picture! 😉
Jon Jordan says
Great read – a small part of my job is running the website for our non-profit and this was a great eye opener to clear up some myths I’ve picked up along the way!
Martin Hathaway says
I would argue the well written content, which incorporates organic and unobtrusive use of keywords, will actually improve your SEO. By the way, it’s not all doom and gloom, as the good stuff does still rise to the top.
Being lazy, I agree with about hyphenated URLs. Personally, I find it much easier to say, “churchname, all one word, .com”.
A few, targeted uses of social media can help your site. With search engines locked in their latest battle, real-time search, tweets are often indexed within minutes. So, tweeting about new blog posts, for instance, can result in quicker indexing.
andrew says
good content. yes. thanks for saying it. even without the ranking its important
Andrew says
“SEO is a spiritual endeavor.” Love it. No leader in my ministry will know what I’m talking about, but I’m totally dropping that line the first chance I get.
Sam Duregger says
good stuff john.
it’s crazy how many marketing companies are out there spreading around bad website strategy/design all for the sake of greater SEO… and promising the moon to boot. good to see a post dispelling the myths!
Vince Marotte says
Church Plants need some SEO at first and using a few ‘techniques’ to get your page in front people in your town is kinda necessary. But yeah, after about 6-9 months you just need to focus on your content.
PaulSteinbrueck says
John, it’s good to see you talking about search engine optimization issues. While I agree that some of these are myths. Several of the items mentioned are actually true. Additionally, several of them are not really SEO myths but rather reveal a deeper tension in the website development process.
Kurt (my brother & director of search marketing at OurChurch.Com) and I put together this article in response:
http://blog.ourchurch.com/2010/04/20/putting-the-truth-o-meter-to-10-seo-myths/
Are you ready to rumble. 😉
Mark Alves says
Paul — thanks for posting your rebuttal. I was shaking my head at a few of these and I like the alternative views you’ve offered.
You wisely suggested a 301 redirect for #8 instead of creating broken links and losing link juice by pulling down pages for expired events. Sometimes there’s some value, though, in maintaining the historical record of what you’ve offered in the past. Just make it clear, such as in the headline, that the event has passed or that the ministry has been replaced with something else. Another option is to go back and add photos from the event (or a recap) to the original page, particularly if you’re getting traffic to that page.
John Saddington says
mark, can you be more specific? i’ve done my research and have been doing this for a while.
Mark Alves says
Hey John, I’ve been enjoying your stuff for a while, too.
A couple of points stuck out for me:
#4 Agree that keyword density isn’t a strategy and stuffing is bad. But, using keywords strategically on a home page as anchor text to an interior page that needs a lift can deliver SEO results.
#8 Leaving up old pages — this actually can be good. Why give up the links and traffic? Handle with a 301 redirect if necessary or with a text update on the page. If people are actually finding these pages then your SEO is working (yay! take advantage of it) or you’re linking to it prominently elsewhere on your site (take down the link to the abandoned potlucks from your main calendar).
Other than that, #2 and #3 were probably a matter of splitting hairs. But since you asked…
#2 Agree that hyphens in the domain name are bad and I wouldn’t recommend it. But it’s bad for users, not because of SEO. In a subdirectory name, though, it might help a bit with getting your keywords in. (Granted, that wasn’t your point.)
#3 Clicking your own links — I think click-thru rate and traffic are a factor in the algorithm (think of all that Google Analytics data!), but a few people clicking on their own junk will never be enough to move the needle. So, I guess I agree that it’s not worth trying, but perhaps disagree on the reason why.
PaulSteinbrueck says
Mark, thanks for your comment. And that’s a good point that “Sometimes there’s some value… in maintaining the historical record of what you’ve offered in the past” It’s an option to consider in certain circumstances.
Steve Manatt says
Agree totally and the list could be much, much longer – maybe even a series of lists…
At any rate, SEO, like you say, is a process that can and should be measured over time. Metrics are the only way you will be able to find what is working and what is a waste of time. Pick something you care about – page view, unique visitors, keyword searches, whatever – and start plotting those over time.
Be careful about tweaking too many things at one time because you won’t be able to tell which of them is having the impact. Take it slow and remember that progress is what you are after – even it it is gradual, it’s still progress.
Nick Shoemaker says
thanks for the confirmation! Now I can send peeps to this post when they question what I have to say. 🙂
Stephen Bateman says
Sweet this was an awesome post, probably one of the Crunches best…
What would you say are ~5 SEO truth’s that could guide ministries?
Paul Andrew says
This is really helpful stuff, even for people in small business!