Did you know there are multiple ways to get onto the first page of the Google search results pages (SERPs)?
That’s because there are 3 different types of listings shown on each page. (Actually, in some cases there’s a 4th, which we’ll address towards the end.)
Let’s start by taking a look at a screenshot of what I saw when I searched Google for “Church in Tampa” (without the quotes).
3 Types of Google Search Listings for Churches
1) Paid Ads
The first items displayed at the top of the search results are paid ads. (Note the bold “Ad” displayed to the left of the web address. You may also see “Sponsored” above the ad.) Mission Hill Church is using Google’s paid advertising platform, Google Ads. For this search there is just one ad.
With Google Ads, churches pay Google each time someone clicks on their ad.
Google uses an auction to determine which ads appear and where. The amount an advertiser is willing to pay is one factor, along with the quality and relevance of the ad and landing page.
Sometimes Google shows as many as 4 ads at the top of the search results. If nobody in your area is bidding on church keywords in your city, there may be no ads.
Google Ads is a good way to get to the top of the search results if you’re willing to pay for each person who clicks.
2) Local 3 Pack
Immediately below the ads is a map, along side 3 local listings, and a link to “More Places.” Collectively, these items are referred to as the “local 3 pack.”
The information here comes from Google Business Profiles (formerly known as Google My Business).
For a church to get into the local 3 pack, it must create and verify a Google Business Profile. Although, sometimes Google creates a church’s Google Business Profile using other data sources (which are not always accurate), and then the church has to claim the listing before it can update it.
Clicking on the map or the “More Places” link will take you to Google Maps where more local listings are shown.
We’ll explain the specific things you can do to improve your local search rankings in a future article in this series.
Also note, Google now offers Local Search Ads which display at the top of the local 3 pack as seen below.
3) Organic Search Results
Below the Local 3 Pack, are shown the organic search results (sometimes also called general search results). Google usually shows 10 organic search listings per page. (We’re only showing 2 here for the sake of brevity.)
Notice that not all the organic search listings are for actual churches. The second one is a Yelp page showing their church listings. Sometimes Facebook pages come up in the search results.
We’ll explain the specific things you can do to improve your organic search rankings in a future article in this series.
Bonus: What About AI Search Results?
Google may also display AI Overviews and other AI-generated answers for some searches. These results can reference and link to websites that Google considers useful and relevant.
While AI search is changing how search results look, the fundamentals of SEO still matter. Creating helpful, original content and making your website easy for search engines to understand can help your church gain visibility in both traditional and AI-powered search results.
Why Does This Matter?
First, each of these 3 areas (Ads, Local 3 Pack, Organic Listings) provides an opportunity to get onto the first page of the search results. Yes, it’s possible for a church to be in all 3 places.
Second, each of these 3 areas has a different search ranking algorithm. Therefore, the church SEO tactics for ads, local, and organic listings are all different.
Google is the highway to your church. -Paul Steinbrueck
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Stay tuned… in our next article we’ll explain the things that can cause search engines to penalize your website or not list it at all!
Partner with our SEO and/or Google Ads team
And if you’re interested in possibly having our team of church SEO experts improve your search rankings or help with Google Ads Management so you can reach more people in your community, we’d love to talk!
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Comment and Discuss:
- What comments and questions do you have about the three main parts of the search engine results pages?
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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.
