A pastor learns from Google at smAlbany

A minister, an IT consultant, and a small business owner walk into an auditorium…

No, no. It’s not the start of a joke, but what really what happened at the 6th annual smAlbany expo for Capital Area Small businesses. Every year hundreds of business minded folks gather to hear speakers, pick up tips, check out vendors, and connect with new businesses. So you might be wondering, does a pastor have any business being a business expo?

The answer is a resounding, yes!

This year the key-note speaker was Google’s Joe DeMike. Joe is a great presenter and has a really interesting background as a West Point grad and tech guy with Google. I have always known of Google’s importance since it’s inception in 1998, but yesterday I really saw the impact that Google has on business. If you want to move your product, business, or idea forward you need to be using Google. The tools, tricks, SEO, social media and apps really do rule the way we search for things. Check out the Times Union social media panel reflection on Twitter.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting and eating lunch at Chicago O’Hare Airport, when a very polite gentlemen asked if he could sit next to me. I said, “Sure.” and we starting talking. I discovered he worked for Google, in some sort of sales. I started to tell him my woes of my church‘s Google search engine results and mapping. He quickly helped me correct a few problems.

Google’s motto is “Don’t be evil.” It makes sense. Since Google is so powerful, they don’t want to end up as a big-bad tech company. Their employees live by that motto and it shows. Google wants to help you.

According to DeMike, 97% of people search online for a product or service online before buying it. And, most use Google to find what they are looking for. Hearing all the facts about how Google is used in business made me a believer in how much churches and faith communities are missing out on the power of Google.

Here’s what I learned from Google’s presentation that churches need to implement now:

Use Google.com/Webmaster to analyze how people search and click on your website. You’ll need to know a little website management in order to do this. Have your tech person or website manager help. This will show you how people are finding your church online. I learned how many people searched for my church in the past 30 days!

Keep content fresh. This is a no brainer, but you can’t have last year’s Easter pictures be the last website update. You need to be posting pictures, stories, blog post, and anything that keeps readers interested. Google’s SEO knows if your website is a deadbeat and thus will not bring your site up as high on search results.

Use Adwords Express. Stop wasting money with those Yellow page ads. Google Adwords Express helps place your church’s website or organization at the top of search results. You only pay when people click. The best part is you can set a limit to how much you want to spend.

About 80% of the people who come to my church come because of use internet information (Google search, website, Facebook, Twitter, etc…) Very few people use the phone book anymore. According to trends, 43% of church technology leaders said participation in social networking sites is one of the most effective online strategies for a church to use. This all means that churches and family communities should be using what Google offers.

The smAlbany expo was a great way to learn and connect businesses and organizations to constituents. Churches need to advertise what their community offers using just a few basic online tools.