You know how important location is for any organization. We hear it all the time: location, location, location. In fact, you’ve probably seen good businesses in your community close simply because of poor locations.

What if you could position your church in a much better location with little cost and without even moving? I’m talking about your digital location, which may be more important these days than your physical locale.

If cost were not an issue, wouldn’t it be fantastic to have your building located right on the highway, with high visibility, where everyone in your community passes by? That’s prime real estate! Now let’s consider how this translates to the online world, where Google is the highway, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is your digital location.

Most guests visit your website first. Many don’t even know where your church is physically located.

To a great extent, you can help determine your digital location. So how can you create a useful church website that will increase the number of guests coming to your church? Follow these 13 tips, and claim your digital real estate.

1. Invest in a website platform designed for search engines. If someone runs a Google search for “churches in [your city],” for example, your church will rank higher in the listings if the website platform is built for search engines.

2. Make sure Google recognizes your website as mobile friendly. You can determine that by doing a Google search for your church on your smartphone and looking for the “mobile-friendly” to the left of the website description.

3. Make it easy for visitors to the site to provide their contact information. Capturing names and email addresses is an absolute must. This can happen right on your website, giving you the opportunity to follow up with prospective guests and start relationships with them even before they step through the doors of your facility.

4. Make sure your service times, contact information and physical address are listed on your home page. Make it easy for guests to find this crucial information quickly. Otherwise, people are likely to navigate away.

Most guests visit your website first. Many don’t even know where your church is physically located.

5. Include an overview video of your church on the home page. A welcoming video from the pastor can give prospective guests an idea of what they will experience upon visiting.

6. Have a place for families to preregister their kids. This helps people take a first step toward attending your church. Not only does it show visitors you’re thinking of them, but it also helps the church staff maintain a sense of expectancy for guests to come each week.

7. Show photos of real people who attend your church. People don’t want to see stock images. They want to see who you really are.

8. Dedicate a place for potential visitors to find out more about your church. A “New Here” section on your website geared specifically for guests could include some of the highlights already mentioned.

9. Use easy-to-understand headings. Use names like Kids and Students when referring to specific departments or ministries. Even for regular attendees, names like Butterflies or Elevate are unclear and don’t express what those ministries really are. The clearer, the better.

10. Provide a platform for online giving. Over the last five years, online giving has dramatically increased. It’s how people do many of their financial transactions these days. Churches that offer online giving options often see a massive increase in giving. The key is making it easy for people to give.

11. List your events online, and keep them up to date. An events page can be a great place for people to find the latest information on what is happening at your church. But don’t forget to keep it updated. Having events from the past listed online makes your site look neglected.

12. Include a place to watch previous messages. This helps church members catch up if they miss a week, and it lets potential guests watch a message and get a better feel for what they’ll experience when they visit.

13. Share what you believe. Some people will want more in-depth information about your church, including what you believe. Posting your doctrinal positions online helps clarify this for potential guests.

Your church’s website clearly has an impact on your digital location, and how you steward your website will help direct the growth of your church.

Ultimately, your church’s website isn’t just for guests, but welcoming newcomers should be at the heart of it. This mindset will help you reach more people as you proclaim the unchanging message of Christ in a rapidly changing world.

This article originally appeared in the February/March 2017 issue of Influence Magazine and has been adapted with permission. For more print content, subscribe.