Local SEO Opportunities For Churches
Have you looked at your listing on Apple Maps recently? We talk a lot about Google Maps and using Google Business Profile to show up locally, but you should also consider other methods, too! When it comes to showing up online locally, there are a variety of websites and apps that users might prefer. It’s best practice to ensure these are all optimized to their fullest.
Recently, Apple released Apple Business Connect, a tool that allows you to optimize your Apple Maps listing. Similar to GBP, you can verify your account and optimize your listing from this website. Let’s look at how we can get started using this tool to improve our church’s local SEO!
Verify Your Account
The first step in getting started with Apple Business Connect is to verify your listing. You can log into Business Connect with your Apple ID. Once Logged in, you can add a new location in the top corner. Click the “Add” button and follow the instructions to search for your church’s name or address.
If you don’t see your church’s listing, that’s okay. The first option allows you to add a new one. If you do see your church, select it. Be sure to only create new listings when one doesn’t exist.
The next step is to complete information about your church. From there, you will be prompted to verify your account. Apple’s verification process is different than Google’s. Where Google requires you to verify information you provided or via video, Apple verifies listings with an official document. Here are the documents Apple asks you to choose from:
- Lease agreement
- Insurance letter
- Utility bill
- Business license
These document types allow them to confirm you’re affiliated with the organization and location you’ve listed on their maps.
Optimize Your Listings
After selecting your address, you’ll be prompted to provide more information. This is where the optimizations begin! Starting with Categories, select your primary and secondary categories. Apple doesn’t have as many options here as Google. This means we will need to be more precise. For the primary category, find the option that best fits you. For most churches, this category should be “Church.”
Next, you will need to input a phone number and website. The phone number is required, but the website is optional. If you have a website, it is highly encouraged to put the homepage here.
Next, you will select your hours. I recommend including office hours or any hours where staff is available. If you have a service or open-door hours, this would be included here from the earliest the church is open to the latest it closes. If your website displays any hours, be sure these hours match those listed exactly!
An important note: until you verify your listing, any changes you’ve made here won’t go live. Be sure to have any documentation ready to upload once you’ve completed these details!
Related: Optimizing Your Church’s Google Business Profile Listing
Use Showcases
Now that you’ve completed the details, you can start having fun with your Business Connect Listing! Apple has introduced Showcases to highlight events and services within your church!
This feature allows you to show a card with a headline, summary, image, and a call-to-action. Use this space to tell viewers what’s going on around your church!
Whether it’s a special event, ministry, or just a campaign to get more reviews, Showcases is a great way to elevate your listing!
Analysis and More
Now that we’re verified, finished with our details, and posting regular showcases, we can look at how things are going for our listing. Use the integrated analytics tool, Insights, to see how users engage with your church!
You can use Insights to review how your church gets discovered, where users search for you, and what call-to-actions users click the most! Seeing this data helps you better understand your audience and can help you know what catches their attention.
Tools like Apple Business Connect and Google Business Profile help churches show up for their community. Whether it’s users looking for a church to call home in a new city or one they have lived in for a while, we can use this tool to be Great Commission-driven communities! Together, we can use these tools and effectively reach our communities for Christ.