In this article, you are going to learn how to optimize your website for the search engines (aka SEO). This is considered an intermediate (e.g. 201 level) article. If you have not already done so, read How to Optimize Your Amplify Website SEO for your specific website type before continuing with this article.
Who Should Read this Article?
If your website falls into one of these categories, it's advisable to read and implement the steps outlined in this article:
- Your site has been launched or relaunched for two months or more, yet it fails to appear on the first page of search engine results on Google, Yahoo, or Bing.
- Your site does appear on the first page but ranks towards the bottom, and you aim to improve its ranking.
If you reside in a small town with a limited number of churches and your site already ranks within the top 3 or 4 positions, optimization might not be imperative. However, optimizing could potentially elevate your ranking to the first or second position. The decision rests with you!
First Things First: Keywords
Understanding the significance of keywords is essential when optimizing your church website for search engines. When individuals search for a Baptist Church in Normal, IL, they typically use specific terms like "Baptist Church Normal" or "Baptist Church, Normal, IL." These terms are what search engines identify as "keywords."
Search engines prioritize relevance, meaning they won't display unrelated content, like information about fishing, when someone searches for "Baptist Church, Normal, IL."
Therefore, to ensure your website is discoverable, it's crucial to include relevant keywords that people might use when searching for your church website.
What Kind of Keywords Should You Use?
While you could conduct "keyword research" (see below), consider adding these singular keywords to your site if they're relevant:
- Christian (Christianity)
- Church
- Fellowship
- Ministry
- Mission
- Sermons
- Your denomination (e.g., Pentecostal, Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Church)
- Your city's name
Combining these keywords can yield more relevant results, such as:
- Christian Ministry
- Christian School, Seattle
- Christian Youth Ministry
- Christian Fellowship
- Church Service (Church Bulletin)
- Christian Sermons
- Christian Audio Sermons
- Belize Mission Trip
- Calvary Baptist Church
These suggestions aim to spark ideas for suitable keywords for your site.
Keyword Research
If you are serious, you can perform “keyword research” using a tool like Google Keyword Planner tool to find out what kinds of keywords people use to find churches.
Amplify WordPress Website Users | Configure Yoast SEO
Your Amplify WordPress site comes with the WordPress SEO by Yoast Plugin already installed. We recommend following the steps to configure this plugin for use on your site.
- From your Amplify WordPress dashboard, click Yoast SEO in the sidebar
- Click the First-TIme configuration tab
- Click Continue
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