SEO Improvement Plan — Full Checklist from Search Console Audit

[felixztang]

SEO Audit Summary (March 2026)

Current metrics (3 months): 25 clicks | 1,390 impressions | 1.8% CTR | Avg position 8.6
Indexing: 138 indexed / 110 not indexed (6 reasons)
Backlinks: Only 5 external links (4 Reddit, 1 X)

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Completed (PR #21)

• Fix meta titles to <60 chars (homepage, /ai/, switch pages)
• Fix meta descriptions to <160 chars (homepage, /ai/, churchtrac)
• Consolidate robots.txt to single sitemap reference
• Add Disallow rules for app URLs causing 404s

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Phase 1: Fix Remaining Technical Issues (Priority: Critical)

404 Errors (26 pages)

• Create redirects or pages for: /resources/switching-from-another-system, /resources/videos, /demo/
• Redirect or create: /resources/docs/events/calendar/, /resources/docs/events/rentals/
• Redirect or create: /resources/docs/giving/tax-receipts/, /resources/docs/administration/integrations/, /resources/docs/giving/donation-tracking
• Block or redirect app URLs: /people, /people/:id, /groups, /groups/:id/members, /donations, /training/
• Fix /docs/releases and /docs/releases/ 404s

Redirect Cleanup (41 pages)

• Audit all 41 redirect pages and update internal links to point directly to final destinations
• Remove redirect chains to save crawl budget

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Phase 2: Fix Brand Ranking (Priority: High)

• Investigate why "relius" query ranks at position 7.5 (competing with Relius retirement plan company?)
• Add Google Business Profile for Relius AI
• Ensure consistent brand mentions across directories
• Consider adding "Relius AI" or "Relius Church" as clarifying brand terms

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Phase 3: Get 37 "Discovered" Pages Indexed (Priority: High)

• Add contextual internal links from high-authority pages (homepage, features, pricing) to unindexed blog posts
• Add "Related Articles" component to each blog post
• Manually request indexing via URL Inspection tool for key pages
• Share blog posts on social channels with links

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Phase 4: Backlink Building (Priority: Highest Long-term Impact)

• Submit to directories: Capterra, G2, GetApp, SaaSWorthy
• Submit to church tech directories: ChurchTechToday, ChurchLeaders
• Guest post on church leadership blogs
• Engage in Reddit communities: r/pastors, r/church
• Set up HARO for church technology topics
• Create shareable resources (infographics, checklists) to earn natural backlinks

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Phase 5: Content Strategy (Priority: High)

New Landing Pages to Create

• "Free Church Management Software" dedicated landing page
• "Best Church CRM" comparison page
• "Church 360 Alternative" switch page (already ranking for "church 360 cost")
• "Breeze Church Management Alternative" switch page
• "Pushpay Alternative" switch page

Blog Posts to Target Long-tail Keywords

• "How to migrate from Planning Center" (how-to guide)
• "Best free church database software [2026]"
• "Church volunteer scheduling software free"
• "Church giving platform with no fees"

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Phase 6: CTR Optimization (Priority: Medium, Ongoing)

• A/B test title tags on high-impression, low-CTR pages
• Add FAQ schema to more pages (beyond switch pages)
• Add review/testimonial schema when customer reviews are available

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Key Metrics to Track

• Brand query "relius" position (target: top 3)
• Total indexed pages (target: 200+)
• External backlinks (target: 50+ in 3 months)
• Total clicks (target: 200+/month)
• CTR (target: 3-5%)