It’s almost Sunday again, and someone in your city is looking for a church to attend. They take out their phone to search for a church. Where do you think they’ll go first?
It’s most likely not going to be Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. For most people, it’ll be Google.
While your church’s social media is filled with sermon clips, encouraging quotes, and funny reels, their first impression of your church won’t come from that—it’ll come from your Google Business Profile.
This isn’t to say that social media isn’t effective. It is. It’s great for building community and sharing content, but it shouldn’t be your church’s primary online priority.
This article will show you why your church should prioritize Google Business Profile over social media.
First Impressions Start with Google
Did you know that the phrase ‘church near me’ is searched over a million times every month on Google, according to SE Ranking?
And that’s only a broad search. People do more specific searches like: Church in Atlanta (about 8100 searches per month), Church Nashville TN (about 6600 searches per month), or non-denominational churches in Dallas, Texas (about 1300 searches per month).
What does this mean? People are actively searching for churches on Google. As popular as social media is, a lot of people still use Google to find information.
When someone searches for churches on Google, what shows up first? A Google Map search (The map pack). It normally has three churches listed and a map. There’s also a button below where you can view more churches (more places). Each listing is a church’s Google Business Profile.
Google Business Profiles gives users a quick snapshot of your church. They can see your church’s name, address, service times, photos, website link, reviews, and more. This is essentially the first impression most people will get of your church. People will either engage with your profile by clicking on one of the buttons, or they will scroll on past to the next church on the list.
If your profile is up to date, has welcoming photos, and a consistent amount of positive reviews, more people will engage with it. If it is outdated, has missing information, and has negative reviews or a low number of reviews, more people will avoid it.
Google Business Profile Caters to Your Local Audience
Ultimately, the purpose of posting on social media platforms is to reach people. You’re hoping that the people who see your posts will show up at your church on Sunday.
Social media has a wide reach. You can potentially reach millions of people with one post. That potential alone causes most churches to go all in on social media. While it’s definitely possible to reach that many people, it’s unlikely that your church will do it. Even if your church did, most of those people aren’t coming to your church on Sunday because they don’t live anywhere near your church.
This is where Google Business Profile shines. Your church’s goal shouldn’t be to reach everyone, it should be to reach as many people in your local community. Google Business Profile is directly connected to Google Maps and local search results. By focusing more on your profile, you can improve your local SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
If your church is located in Boise, Idaho, and someone who is currently in Boise searches ‘church near me’ or ‘church in Boise,’ Google looks through all the data from Business Profiles to determine what churches should show up first. Having a profile that is well-optimized (accurate information, photos, 5-star reviews, regular updates, etc) increases your chances of ranking higher and being seen by the right people.
Your social media posts might reach more people, but a lot of those people are the wrong people. A sermon clip might show up on someone’s Instagram, but that doesn’t mean that person was looking for a church. They’re simply browsing; there was no intent. Even if they like the clip that they see, they might not take the next step.
On Google, there’s always intent. Whatever you type or speak in the search bar is what will appear on the results page. If someone is looking for a church in Seattle, churches in Seattle will appear.
Google Business Profile reaches people at a more critical moment. You’re showing up when someone is ready to make a decision—not just when they’re killing time.
Easily Access Important Information
A big advantage of Google Business Profile is how quickly it can give people information. Instead of scrolling through your church’s Facebook or website to find things like: service times, address, phone number, upcoming events, etc, people can find all of this easily on your Business Profile.
If people can’t easily find information, they’re going to leave your social media page or website and find a church that does have this information easily available.
Reviews are Key to Building Trust
People read reviews about everything these days. Whether it’s deciding on which restaurant to eat at, finding out which SUV is the safest, or which plumber is the best, people value other people’s opinions.
Your church is no different. A lot of people will read reviews of your church before ever stepping foot into your building. They want to know if your church is friendly, has a great kids' ministry, if the worship sounds good, if the pastor teaches sound doctrine, etc.
They don’t know anything about your church, so they’re a little skeptical. Reviews can help build their trust. It allows people to get a glimpse of what others have experienced.
If your church has no reviews—or worse, only one or two from years ago—it could raise doubts for a potential visitor.
Your church needs a strategy to get people to leave reviews on a consistent basis. I believe the best time to ask for reviews is when people are about to join your church. They already see something good about your church since they are about to join, why not get them to leave a review about how their experience has been? This method allows your church to get a steady flow of reviews, and it prevents bad reviews from coming in.
Better Understanding of How People are Finding Your Church
Your Google Business Profile can show you how people are finding your church through Google Insights. You can see the top-searched terms that people use to find your profile. You can also see how many people asked for directions, viewed your profile, called your church, and even visited your website.
This data helps you understand what’s working and where you can improve. It helps you make smarter decisions about your outreach and visibility.
Analytics are also available on social media, but they focus more on who liked, commented, and shared your content, rather than search-driven intent. Finding out who’s actively looking for a church might be more valuable than seeing who enjoyed your post on Instagram.
Social Media Still Has a Role
While this has been an article about why churches should use Google Business Profile over social media, it’s not about choosing one over the other. It’s more about choosing the right order. Both social media and Google are valuable to your church, you just need to tweak your approach to them.
- Google Business Profile helps people find your church.
- Social media helps people follow your church.
When someone finds your church on Google, social media can help them stay connected. But if they can’t find you on Google, they may never get to that point.
Keep on posting on social media, but also keep on improving your profile. Remember, a more optimized profile will increase the chances of people finding your church.
Conclusion
Your Google Business Profile is often the first step someone takes toward visiting your church. It’s free, easy to manage, and more effective at reaching local seekers than social media alone. Social media supports connection, but Google helps people find you. Start there, and let everything else build from it.
Evan Smith is the owner of Two Ten Creatives, a creative design company specifically for churches. He strategically finds ways to bring more visitors to churches by designing church websites and focusing on local SEO. He is a follower of Jesus, a husband, and a father.
