Website Analytics: Top Posts and Funky Keywords from November

Hello and welcome to December.  November has come to a close and you know what that means…

It’s time to check our website analytics for traffic, trends, and our favorite – funky keywords.

Top 10 Search Phrases

1. facemail
2. bookmark tweet this
3. facebook churches
4. facebook for churches
5. thanksgiving videos
6. pastor bans facebook
7. jesus facebook
8. thanksgiving inspiration
9. church communications
10. christmas church signs

Observations:

• Only 4 of the top 10 search phrases were in October’s top 10 – facebook churches, facebook for churches, jesus facebook, church communications . In October, 9 of the top 10 were repeats from September.
• 3 of the top 10 were seasonal – thanksgiving videos, thanksgiving inspiration, christmas church signs – which shows the value of writing about seasonal topics.
• 2 of the top 10 were news releated. Searches for “facemail” spiked after Facebook announced they are launching a new messaging system, and searches for “pastor bans facebook” spiked after a New Jersey pastor made national headlines for banning his church’s leaders from Facebook.
• 5 of the top 10 search phrases were related to Facebook

Top 10 Blog Posts

1. Pastor Bans Church Leaders from Facebook
2. 12 Funny and Inspiring Thanksgiving Videos
3. Google Buzz Fires at Facebook. Facemal to Battle Gmail. Who Will Survive?
4. 167 Symbols to Spice up your Twitter and Facebook Updates
5. Facebook-Banning Pastor Admits Extramarital Sex, Resigns
6. 8 Ways to Improve Church Communications with No Money
7. 12 Ways to Promote your Band and its Website.
8. 9 Bloggers I’m Thankful for
9. 1 x 10 x 100 Thanksgiving Thank You Notes
10. Church Facebook Survey Points to Opportunities for Churches in Social Media

Observations:

• Only 4 of the top 10 were published last month (1, 2, 5, 9), which points to the importance of search engines and optimizing your blog and its posts.
• Facebook continues to be a hot topic. 5 of the top 10 posts were about Facebook.
• As with the search phrases, the top posts show the value of blogging about seasonal and news topics.

Funky Keywords

Last but not least, the 5 most interesting search phrases that took people to Christian Web Trends. This is our fun way of encouraging you to look at the search phrases that led people to your site.

• (not set)  // ready… go!
• “christmas play”+elevator // I’ve always thought if some church would just add an elevator to their Christmas play, that would put it over the top.
• day of the week undies password // No comment
• “airport jet airplane” type  // ???
• “light continent” europe // I’ve heard Africa referred to as the dark continent, but…

What did you learn from looking at your website’s analytics?  What was your most popular page/post in November? Got any funky search phrases to share?

Paul Steinbrueck

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.