Funeral Home Website SEO: What You Need to Know

SEO layers

Have you ever wondered about SEO, or search engine optimization, for your funeral home website? Do you know if your site has SEO built into it so people can find it by searching Google or another online search engine? Or, has someone worked on SEO for you, but you’re not sure if it’s working? 


Owners of funeral homes and crematories should have general knowledge about SEO and how it works. While some SEO work is technical in nature, some of it is related to the words used on your website. Some SEO steps also involve how your website is listed in Google Business and other websites and search engines.


Local Search 101

Local search is the main reason funeral homes need SEO. An example of a local search would be “Burlington Iowa funeral home” or “[neighborhood] cremation.” At least 30 percent of all mobile searches are location related. A whopping 92 percent of searchers will choose a business that appears on the first page of results, so improving your local SEO will help you enhance your position in searches.


Funeral homes and cremation services are local services, serving an area of a certain number of miles from the location. In rural areas, this can be a larger area, but for fewer potential customers. In densely populated cities, funeral homes are competing with neighboring funeral homes and crematories for online search position. Localization of SEO content makes it easier for people to find your crematory or funeral home.


SEO Layers

SEO content should be found on every page of your website, including behind the scenes in tagging, naming and saving photos and graphics. The SEO work involves three main layers or elements, usually starting with an SEO audit and progressing to research and content development.


An SEO audit provides an analysis of the existing website, including how quickly it loads and which pages might be missing SEO content. The SEO audit includes SEO recommendations for the website, which may include editing and adding content, creating a blog, and correcting technical issues to improve the user experience.


After the audit is complete, additional layers of the SEO work can be pursued with greater confidence. That includes on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and SEO research. SEO research can help identify funeral home competitors and the keywords local residents use to search for funeral home and cremation services. SEO research can enhance SEO content, but it can be done at a later time, when budgets allow. Off-page SEO includes managing Google Business Profile and other directory listings as well as reviews.


Developing on-page SEO content comprises a critically important layer in improving local search for a funeral home website. This includes adding local search terms, completing copy on pages that are lacking, tagging photos with local search terms, providing localized metatags to be placed in the website code, and so on.


Following the SEO audit recommendations, SEO content work often focuses on key pages, such as the home and contact pages. Filling in missing content is a priority, because the quantity of content as well as the quality both contribute to local SEO results. Ideally, all pages would have on-page SEO content work completed—another task that can be done over time as budgets allow.


Funeral Home Website SEO

SEO serves an important role in improving your website’s position in search results. Please let FAC Marketing know if you have questions about SEO and the affordable SEO packages we offer funeral homes and crematories.

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