I want to shift gears for a second and talk about something that's changing really fast in the digital space — specifically how people search for churches now. Are you seeing any changes in where your website traffic comes from?

I hear you — and I'm not here to tell you you're doing it wrong. Can I just show you one data point that's been surprising a lot of Comms Directors lately?

(shares screen) So we analyzed High Point's 5-mile radius. 15,500 people are actively searching for a church in your area right now. Not someday — now. And the way they search has shifted. A lot of them aren't even clicking Google results anymore — they're asking AI. ChatGPT, the AI box at the top of Google, Perplexity. And those AI tools don't rank websites the same way Google did. They pull from sites structured in a specific way.

Totally fair. Here's the practical question: if I type "find me a church in Madison that's good for young families" into ChatGPT right now — does High Point come up?

(searches live) It doesn't. And I want to be clear — that's not a reflection of your work. It's a structural issue with how the site is built. Most church websites weren't designed with AI visibility in mind because this shift happened in the last 18–24 months.

Great question — and honestly, that's exactly what I'd love to have our FoundFirst executive walk you through. The short version: it's built around the actual phrases people type when they're spiritually searching, not just your church name. AI learns to associate High Point with those searches.

That's the right instinct — and we can show you that with your specific market data before you make any decision. What I'd suggest is a follow-up call that includes your executive or senior pastor. Our FoundFirst executive would walk through your numbers and what findability could mean in terms of first-time guests. No pressure to decide anything — just information.

Absolutely — you'd be a key part of it. You're the one who'd actually work with us day-to-day. Can we find a time in the next two weeks that works for you and your pastor?

Before we wrap up today, I want to share something with you — kind of a big-picture look at the opportunity that exists for High Point right now. Is that okay?

I appreciate you saying that — and I promise I'm not going to pitch you anything today. I just want to make sure you have the right information, because what I'm about to show you is honestly about mission more than marketing. Fair?

(shares screen) Within 5 miles of High Point, there are about 155,000 people. Of those, roughly 49,000 are spiritually open — not hostile to faith, just not connected to a church. And about 15,500 are actively searching for a church right now.

And here's the part that tends to stop people: High Point's current market penetration is under 0.4%. So the question isn't really a budget question at the core — it's a mission question. If 15,500 people are searching and can't find you, what does that cost?

That's really helpful to know. And honestly, that's exactly why I'd love to bring in our FoundFirst executive for a follow-up — they can speak to both the mission and the stewardship side. The goal of that meeting isn't to close a deal — it's to show your team what's possible and let you decide if the investment makes sense.

About 45 minutes. We'd walk through your specific market data, show a comparison of your current site's findability versus a FoundFirst site in a real AI and Google search environment, then open it up for questions. Your pastor and anyone from leadership would be welcome.

That's exactly what this is about. And here's something I can send you beforehand — a one-page summary that frames this around the Great Commission and good stewardship. Gives him context before the call so you're not starting from scratch.

Great. Let's find two or three times that might work and I'll get it on the calendar. This is genuinely one of those conversations where the data does the heavy lifting — you just have to get everyone in the room.

I want to shift to something I think will be really relevant for where High Point is right now. Can I share a quick market snapshot we pulled for your area?

I really appreciate you telling me that upfront. That's not an unusual story, unfortunately — and I think it's worth understanding why that happens, because it's relevant to what I'm about to show you. Was that agency doing traditional Google SEO, paid ads, or something else?

That's the gap. And what I'm going to show you is a direct response to that problem, not a repeat of it. Can I explain the difference before I show you the data?

Traditional SEO optimizes for Google rankings. The problem is two-fold for churches: search behavior has shifted, and rankings alone don't tell you if a real person showed up on Sunday. What we build is different in two ways. First, it's optimized for AI search — how ChatGPT, Google's AI Overview, and Perplexity surface a church when someone asks "what's a good church for someone who's been out of church for a while?" Second, we tie everything back to first-time guest metrics, not impressions.

Fair. Let me show you rather than describe it. (shares screen) I'm going to type "welcoming church in Madison for someone who's been hurt by church before" into ChatGPT right now, live. (searches) High Point doesn't appear. Now watch what happens when I do the same search for a church we've built a FoundFirst site for in a comparable market. (shows result) They surface in the first response. The AI is essentially recommending them by name.

The site is structured around the specific language spiritually curious people use when they search — not the church's internal language or tagline, but the actual phrases real people type. The AI learns to associate that church with those searches because the content is built to answer those questions directly.

That's exactly the right question — and yes. We use a combination of first-time guest surveys, QR tracking, and campaign-specific landing pages so you're not just looking at impressions and hoping something happened. Vanity metrics are easy to produce. Accountability to what actually matters — people walking through the door — is harder, and that's what separates vendors who last from those who don't.

(shares data slide) Within 5 miles of your building, there are roughly 155,000 people. About 49,000 are spiritually open but unchurched. And 15,500 are actively searching for a church right now — this month. High Point's current market penetration is under 0.4%.

Good question. It's a combination of U.S. Census data, Pew Research religious landscape data, and third-party search volume tools we use to analyze local query behavior. We can walk you through the methodology in detail — our FoundFirst executive does that in every market evaluation meeting. I don't want to gloss over it, because I know you've been burned by data that turned out to mean nothing.

No pitch. What I'd suggest is a 45-minute call with our FoundFirst executive, you, and your senior or executive pastor. They'd walk through the full market evaluation, show a live comparison of your current site's AI findability versus a FoundFirst site, and answer every technical question either of you has. If it doesn't make sense for High Point, we'll tell you that too.

I'll send you a one-page summary you can forward to her — it frames the market data around the Great Commission and good stewardship. And if it's helpful, I can include a brief note on how this differs from traditional SEO so she's not walking in with the same skepticism you had.

Done. I'll get that over to you today.