Recently, I offered you a free copy of My Digital Toolbox. Inside the toolbox was the online tools that I use to run my day to day digital life. Today, I want to share with you a set of free tools that your church can use. You heard me, every one of these tools is absolutely free.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but these are tools that I think every church should be using. These tools will help you see how Google sees your church’s website, track important analytics and even create an online campus. Hopefully, you’ll find something that your church can use to improve its online presence.
1. Google PageSpeed Tools
Your church website has to be fast. The longer your website takes to load, the more likely it is that your visitors will go somewhere else. With Google PageSpeed Tools, you can test how fast your website loads and determine what you need to do to fix it. Google PageSpeed Tools will score your website and then give you custom recommendations on how you can speed up your church’s website.
2. Moz Local Search
Moz Local Search checks how your church is listed on local search engines for Google, Bing and other services. You can verify to make sure your church name is correct along with your church’s address and phone number.
3. Google Webmaster Tools
Google Webmaster Tools lets you see how Google sees your church’s website. You can see which pages Google has indexed, what websites are linking to you and what errors Google is seeing on your website. You can also see what search terms people are using to find your church’s website as well.
4. Open Site Explorer
Open Site Explorer is a lot like Google Webmaster Tools, however I think it is a lot easier to use from a visual standpoint. You can see your top pages, domain authority and compare your church’s website to another church’s website.
5. Uptime Robot
If our church website goes down, I want to be the first to know. With Uptime Robot, you get an email anytime your website goes and when it comes back up. I can’t tell you the number of times this has saved our team by alerting us of potential problems before they started.
6. Church Online
Are you thinking about an online campus? If so, the Church Online Platform is the way to go. It offers the ability customize the look, real-time chat and offer your viewers someone to pray with. There are similar platforms out there, but they can’t compare in terms of costs and features.
7. Church Metrics
Church Metrics is an online dashboard that lets you track attendance, giving, volunteers and decisions. It gives you charts that help you track trends from your desktop or your mobile device. (You want an easy win with your pastor? Set up an account today.)
Is there a free online tool that your church uses that you want to share? Click here to share below.