As we look ahead to public events such as Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas, have you given thought to how people might find out what your church has to offer?
Many churches use banners and noticeboards, emails and social media, as well as keeping their website up to date, but it's important to know that every parish and benefice has a listing on the Church of England’s AChurchNearYou.com too, and for potential visitors this may be the first place they find your church on the internet.
There are several reasons for this. AChurchNearYou is a popular site so it may come above your own in search results. In addition to this, every promotional campaign from the national Church of England - including their widespread Christmas adverts - will direct people to AChurchNearYou, and there are links there from our diocese 'Find a Church' pages too.
Because it's easy to use, easy to find, and free, some churches use AChurchNearYou as their primary webpage. It's designed to let you easily add services, events and your own custom pages. Even if you use it alongside your own website, it’s helpful to make sure it's up to date, clear and inviting. You never know who might decide to look for information about their local church.
You can learn more about AChurchNearYou, including how to access and edit your church pages on the Church of England's Digital Labs website.