According to Identity DigitalTM, a market leader in domain names and related technologies, one-third of the churches included in this year's Outreach Magazine's Outreach 100 lists are using the .church domain extension to help them stand out as churches, align with their branding, and more easily start engaging with members and visitors online and in person.
Local Churches Use .church Domain to Match Branding
Over the past few years, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of .church domains registered by churches included on the Outreach 100 lists.
According to PR Newswire, the pandemic has emphasized the need and importance of digital interaction and spiritual ties with people well beyond the boundaries of the church.
More and more churches are realizing the potential of .church domain names as a means to expand their internet presence and connect with their communities.
Connor Wood, Eastview Christian Church's Online Campus Pastor, said that when they advertise a CTA on stage or on film, presenting the domain name and a short URL has always been an easy task that helps the audience remember the promotion.
According to him, this provides them with the ideal opportunity to put simple measures that may be taken by their members and guests in front of them.
Meanwhile, the Life Church, which is located in Oklahoma, decided to talk and share information about the church using the domain name life.church.
For Rachel Feuerborn, the PR Manager of Life Church, using the domain name .church enabled the church to establish a unique name and brand that is distinctive from the other locations of Life Church located all over the world.
In addition, the church chose youversion.church as the platform for its Bible App, which currently has more than 500 million installations all over the world.
Feuerborn stated that the youversion.church domain name enables them to communicate to churches that they have services and products that are tailored to meet their unique needs.
As per the report, websites of churches have emerged as an essential point of contact for individuals looking for a place of worship to attend.
People looking for a church will frequently start their search online and conduct more than 823,000 searches per month using the phrase "churches near me" as they look to connect with others.
Also, the practice of making tithes and donations online has become increasingly prevalent in recent years.
.church, Easy-to-Remember Domain
As reported by Christianity Today, 45 percent of Americans attended an online church service when the pandemic was going on. This number includes almost 50 million Americans who do not routinely attend worship services in person.
Sadly, a large number of congregations are unable to create a favorable initial impression.
Their websites are either cumbersome and out of current, or else they are slow to load and lack crucial information. The majority of church websites give the impression that they were created as an afterthought rather than the doorway through which many people are passing.
Christianity Today also explained the purpose of developing a website for a church should be to ultimately assist those individuals who are looking for information, and the first step in achieving this objective is to select a domain name that is simple to recall.
Through the use of promotional redirects, social connections, and shortcut URLs for contribution or giving campaigns, a .church domain can help maximize engagement with the target audience.
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