We discussed earlier in the article Church SEO: What to Optimize for Better Organic Search Results that to improve a church’s organic search rankings, one has to take steps to improve two categories of search ranking factors:
- Relevance – how closely a web page relates to the targeted keyword
- Authority – how reliable, reputable and important a web page is
In that article I wrote…
“All 200+ search ranking factors can be put into one of two categories – relevance or authority.”
Actually, that’s not exactly true…
There’s one thing that impacts both relevance AND authority.
Quality Content
Content is any information or media. It can be web pages, blog posts, images, audio, or video.
When a church adds content to its website about a specific topic, its website becomes more relevant to that topic. Additionally, the more quality content published on a website, the more authority it gains.
For that reason…
One SEO advantage churches have is they already produce at least one unique piece of content every week: the Sunday sermon.
The Sunday Sermon
Most pastors put a considerable amount of time, effort, thought, and prayer into their sermon each week. Most try to reveal something significant about God through the scriptures, and then explain how that impacts the way we live for God.
This is life-changing content!
You could allow it to be spoken once and for the Holy Spirit to use it however he chooses for just those in the room who are paying attention.
Or you could put that sermon onto the church website in a format that is useful for human visitors and readable by search engines.
People like to listen to sermon audio and watch sermon videos, and many churches are already embedding sermon audio files and/or video files onto web pages. This is a good first step.
However, search engines don’t understand the topics addressed, questions answered, and scripture passages referenced in audio or video. They are using AI to get better at this, but they still need help.
So, when you put audio or video of a sermon onto a web page or blog post, it’s helpful to also include a relevant title, summary, and scripture references.
Producing Additional Content from the Sunday Sermon
In addition to putting sermon audio or video on your website, there are many other ways you can use your sermons to create additional content. Some include:
- Sermon audio can be put into a podcast
- The most meaningful parts of the sermon video can be spliced into short-form videos like Reals and TikToks
- Quotes and scripture references from the sermon can be used to create images that can be shared on social media
- ChatGPT can create a blog article summarizing the sermon, given a transcript
- Bible study or devotional questions can be created from the sermon
These are just a few ideas. You can probably come up with others. Or as an AI tool like ChatGPT, “Give me 10 ideas for ways I can repurpose sermon content.”
Other Church Content Ideas
Chances are your church is already creating other content beyond the sermon that can be also published to your church website regularly, including:
- Weekly bulletin or program
- Announcements given during the Sunday service
- Weekly or monthly newsletter
- Stories of life transformation by those who trust in Christ and are baptized
- Daily devotionals related to the sermon theme
- Thoughts (blog posts) from the pastor
Adding quality content to your church website doesn’t have to take a lot of extra time if you start by publishing the content you’re already creating.
Partner with an experienced Church Website Design and Church SEO company
If you would like some help with your church website design so that your church can add sermons, blog posts, newsletters, or other content, complete the form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to request a free phone consultation.
If you’d like our team of church SEO experts to help your church improve its search rankings and reach more people in your community, we’d love to talk with you about that as well.
Comment Below and Discuss:
- What content is your church already creating? Are you getting it on your website?
Read more about church SEO in The Ultimate Guide to Church SEO
Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.