Do you want to learn how your funeral services business can organically gain more new customers with SEO? In this article, we will discuss how SEO for funeral services can help you outrank local competitors, achieve long-term results that will drive more clicks and organic traffic toward your funeral services website, and overall gain more new customers for your funeral services business.
1. What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
SEO or Search Engine Optimization works by optimizing a website’s online content so it ranks higher on search engine result pages. Optimizing content relevance, along with link popularity and technical configuration will make a website or web page easier to find, more popular, and more relevant to a user’s search query. This in return will help drive more organic traffic to your funeral service website, bringing you more new customers for your business.
Understanding SEO is key to helping your funeral service website rank higher organically:
On-page SEO or on-site SEO focuses on optimizing your web pages to rank higher using title tags, relevant keywords, internal links, meta descriptions, and URL slugs.
Off-page SEO focuses on elements outside your funeral service website, like building backlinks and making efforts to gain exposure using different channels and platforms.
Technical SEO focuses on the optimization of technical aspects of your funeral service website for search engines. These will usually involve fixing indexing issues, duplicate content, page speed, and ensuring your site is mobile-friendly.
2. Local SEO
In addition to on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO, another strategy you can implement to improve your funeral service website ranking is local SEO. This is also an ideal option if your funeral service business operates in one or more locations.
Local SEO for funeral services can help your funeral business appear at the top of local search results, or when it includes a specific location, for example, searches like “funeral service near me” or “funeral service in New York City”. Local SEO can also be used to help attract leads in your local area by encouraging feedback or online reviews from previous customers who used your funeral services.
3. How does SEO work?
It’s important to understand how SEO for funeral services works so that your website can thrive in the online competitive landscape, and to ensure relevant and quality content.
- Crawling – This is when search engine bots or web crawlers find new and updated content on your funeral business website. This can be a webpage, a PDF, images or videos, and other file formats that are accessible and can be discovered through links by these search engine bots.
- Indexing – This is when a website or webpage URL is indexed. This is usually the step after the crawling stage, and it stores, analyzes, and organizes the content and connections between pages. You need to ensure that your URL is indexed so search engines can find it, and rank it on SERP or Search Engine Results Pages.
- Ranking – This is the third step after crawling and indexing, and the ranking of your web pages is processed using intricate algorithms. Your ranking will depend on your content quality, relevance, and overall user experience.
Not sure how to get started with SEO for funeral services?
4. Why SEO for Funeral Services?
Many businesses take advantage of using SEO as part of their marketing campaign because it involves less advertising costs. It can also improve your digital ROI or return on investment, and the chance to promote your funeral service business every day. Consider investing in SEO for funeral services if you want to rank higher on search result pages and increase brand visibility. SEO can also help build credibility because having a high rank on SERP signals users that search engines trust your funeral business website.
Search Engine Optimization is a long-term strategy that will give you positive results in the long run, such as more organic leads and sales, high-quality traffic, and a competitive advantage over local competitors.
Let’s look at a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) for “Funeral Service New York”:
5. On-Page SEO Strategies
Just like we mentioned at the beginning of this article, on-page SEO works by optimizing your web pages to rank higher. Let’s look at on-page SEO strategies you can apply for your SEO for funeral services campaign.
5.1 URL Slugs, Meta Descriptions, and Title Tags
URL slugs or website slugs can be found at the end of the URL address. This is a great place to include the target or primary keyword of a page on your site, and it will also be used as a unique identifier.
- Example: https://www.firstavenuefuneral.com/cremation
This first example uses “cremation” as its URL slug. This keyword gives a clear indication to the website visitor that the content of the page will have information about cremation services.
- Example: https://greenwichvillagefuneralhome.com/products-merchandise/keepsakes-urns-jewelry/
The second example uses a much longer and more detailed URL slug. This can help target more than one keyword, and allow the website visitor to distinguish the type of content the page consists of. This is also useful for specific pages that explain a product or service from your funeral services website.
Optimize your URL slugs:
- Be specific and descriptive.
- It should be concise and easy to read.
- Try to use less than 5 words.
- Use hyphens. Don’t use underscores.
- Use lowercase characters.
- Avoid weird or special characters like *%#.
- Don’t use numbers that will need to be changed in the future (e.g. publishing year).
Meta Descriptions are usually HTML tags with the main purpose of informing and spiking interest in a user to click on your page. The meta description should provide short information about what the page is about, and it should be concise, unique, and relevant.
The example below uses a meta-description that highlights how they offer “A full-service funeral home designed to help you ease your pain”, which addresses the user’s problems and solutions. It also provides information that the funeral service business is “dedicated to serving all faiths”.
Optimize your meta descriptions:
- Always include your primary target keyword.
- It should encourage the user to click on your page, for example, by triggering a personal response.
- Your meta descriptions should be kept between 155 to 160 characters max.
- It should satisfy the user’s search query.
A Title Tag is usually an HTML code tag that gives your webpage a title. This can be seen in the browser and the search results page. For your title tag to be effective, you want to optimize it by ensuring it meets the search intent of a user. Make it exciting for the user to read, and it should also support your keyword ranking efforts.
Below is an example of a title tag seen in search results:
The second example shows the title tag in the browser tabs:
Optimize Title Tags:
- It should accurately describe your page.
- Keep the length between 50 to 60 characters.
- Avoid keyword stuffing.
- Focus on targeting one primary keyword,
- Make your title tags unique on your website and the SERP.
- Ensure the title element is present in your page’s HTML.
5.2 Alt Tags
Alt Tags describe the appearance or purpose of an image that is used on your funeral service website. Alt tags also allow search engines to crawl and rank your website. In addition, they help screen reading tools describe the images on your webpage for visually impaired readers, so make sure you use alt tags accurately. This way website crawlers and users can understand the content of your site.
Best practices for alt tags:
- Don’t copy the image caption.
- It should be descriptive but also short.
- Use up to 125 characters or less.
- Keep it relevant to the topic discussed on the page.
- Avoid keyword stuffing.
- Include primary keywords.
- Don’t include “image of” or “picture of”.
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5.3 Internal and External Links
Internal links are the hyperlinks on a page of your funeral services website that direct the reader to another page of your site. On the other hand, an external link is a hyperlink that directs the reader to a reputable page but on a different website.
The internal links on your website pages should provide additional and relevant information, and the external links used on your pages should help search engines have a better understanding of the content on your page, and boost the ranking and reputation of your funeral business website when you use authoritative and relevant sources.
Best Practices for Internal Links:
- Your pages should each have at least have 3 to 5 internal links.
- Don’t use phrases like “click here” or “read here” and use anchor texts instead.
- Use plenty of internal links throughout your funeral services website.
- Use authoritative and relevant sources only. This will improve your website ranking and the website visitor’s experience.
Best Practices for External Links:
- Link relevant sources.
- Use credible and professional sources.
- Don’t link your competitor’s website.
- Use keyword anchor texts.
- Ensure that your external links open to a new tab.
5.4 Update Old Blog Posts
If your funeral service website has a blog post section, and you have plenty of blog posts or articles already, update these to help support your on-page SEO efforts. It will help maximize your reach, support your site in ranking higher on relevant searches, and it will also signal search engines that your funeral service website and content are relevant and up-to-date.
How to update blog posts?
- Check and remove outdated features and trends from your posts.
- Ensure that all internal and external links on your blog posts work. They shouldn’t redirect users to dead links or broken links.
- Consider using other formats to promote your blog posts, such as using infographics.
- Share your blog posts on social media platforms, like LinkedIn and Pinterest.
6. Keyword Research
Keyword research is essential to support your SEO efforts and to ensure that your SEO for funeral services marketing strategy is effective. You will need to research keywords relevant to your business, to be able to understand the terms users use to search for your specific products and services.
Choose the right target keywords:
When you conduct your keyword research, check the keyword’s data insights to help you choose the right keywords and support your SEO for funeral services efforts:
- Monthly search volume – This will indicate the demand for a specific keyword.
- Keyword difficulty – This will show you how difficult it is for a keyword to rank organically, and it will usually be categorized into low, medium, or high.
- Relevance to your business – This will indicate how relevant the keywords being used on your funeral service website are. Include keywords like specific products and services you offer.
- Search intent – Think about what type of search intent is being used by the user. These can be either informational, navigational, transactional, or commercial.
6.1 Understanding Search Intent
Search intent is an important factor to consider when choosing the right target keywords since it can potentially impact your website’s ability to rank in search results.
- Informational intent is when a user needs more information about something, and these searches usually include terms like “how”, “why”, “tips” and “solution”.
- Navigational intent is when a user is actively looking for a specific page, and indicates that the user already knows what they are looking for, like “cremation services”.
- Commercial intent is when a user uses keywords with the intent to make a purchase, after previously researching about the product or service. Commercial intent searches can also look like searches for a product or service with testimonials or feedback from previous customers, for instance “funeral service near me x reviews”
- Transactional intent is when a user already knows that they want to make a purchase, avail of a service, or any other conversion action, for example “funeral service pre-planning” or “urns and caskets for funeral service”.
Not sure how to choose the right keywords for your SEO campaign?
6.2 Keyword Tools for Keyword Research
Google Autocomplete Predictions – This feature can be useful for keyword research since it works by using an automated system to generate real and trending predictions. These are usually based on relevant queries that consider the location and language of the search query.
Google Related Searches – These can be found at the end of the results page, and it is a feature that can help you better understand the search intent of your target audience. It also generates SEO-related search keywords based on Google’s algorithm.
Google Keyword Planner – This is a free tool that you can access from the Google Ads Dashboard. It provides keywords relevant to your search query, and it can provide data insights on a keyword, such as its popularity and its competition level. Keyword planner can be very useful for keyword research since it can help you find the right high-intent keywords to use, and for potential leads to find your funeral service website.
Browser Extensions
There are plenty of browser extensions that are free to use, to help with your keyword research. Here are some examples we recommend:
Keywords Everywhere is a browser extension that doesn’t require you to sign up or log in to any SEO tools online. It offers a “freemium” plan that will give you enough data on keywords you search for, such as volume searches, CPC or cost per click, relevant keywords, and even long-tail keywords.
Here is an example and the results using the search “funeral services new york”:
Whatsmyserp is another browser extension we recommend using to help with your keyword research. This is also a free tool but it requires you to create an account to access its keyword analytics, CPC, and collection of search terms. An advantage of this free tool is that it also offers a free SERP checker tool.
7. Off-Page SEO Strategies
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, off-page SEO will support your SEO for funeral services efforts from the outside through factors like backlinks, and gaining exposure for your website using different channels and platforms.
Let’s look at off-page SEO strategies you can implement for your funeral service website.
7.1 Guest Posting
Guest posting is an effective strategy to build backlinks on your funeral service website, and drive more organic traffic. Link building can also contribute towards improving your ranking on SERP, and gaining high-quality backlinks which signals search engines that you are an industry expert.
To find guesting opportunities, you can search “write for us + funeral services”. This will then provide you with websites accepting guest posts, like the example below.
Best practices for writing guest posts:
- Strictly follow the guest post guidelines.
- Ensure that you meet the requirements, and terms and conditions for the guest posting opportunity.
- Follow the style of writing.
- Add internal links from their website.
- Proofread for grammar and spelling mistakes.
- Work on your author’s bio. Mention things about yourself that will highlight your expertise and include the social channels where people can reach you.
7.2 Content Marketing
Content Marketing is another off-page strategy to consider implementing in your SEO for funeral services campaign, because it can help nurture and convert leads into customers, and it can also help attract and retain your target audience.
For content marketing to be effective, the written content needs to be enjoyable and informative, but also provide a solution for your target audience. You can distribute and share your content through some of the following options:
- Online Forums
- Social Media
- Email Marketing
- Ebooks
- Podcasts
- Newsletter
- Press Releases
- Video Marketing
- Influencer Marketing
- Content Syndication
Unsure which content marketing channels will be most beneficial for your funeral services business?
7.3 Social Media Marketing
Social Media Marketing involves engaging with your target audience, and this will help increase organic clicks, establish authority, improve local ranking, drive on-site engagement, generate backlinks, and gain insights from your social media metrics.
Best practices for social media marketing:
- Identify your target goals first.
- Content planning per month will be essential.
- Use social media marketing tools like content calendar tools to stay organized and on track.
- Create visually engaging posts and use target keywords in your captions.
- Publish authentic and relevant content.
- Share customer feedback/testimonials.
- Share on social media groups like Facebook and LinkedIn. These groups should be relevant to your niche or industry.
7.4 Online Forums
Online Forums can help with your off-page SEO optimization efforts, by building authority, gaining more backlinks, and driving website traffic which will in turn bring you more potential new customers. Additionally, participating in online forums will not only help your funeral services website be more popular online, but it will also improve your ranking on SERP.
When joining online forums, you want to establish your expertise in the funeral services industry, and you will need to link relevant sources (such as your funeral services pages) to support your answers.
Some of the online forums you could join are Reddit, Quora, LinkedIn and Facebook. You will need to provide accurate answers and follow the platform’s policies. Avoid adding links in every single answer you provide, and don’t spam the comment section only to get more links. This is because spamming will diminish your credibility and can potentially ruin your reputation.
8. Technical SEO Strategies
The third SEO strategy you must implement is technical SEO since this will ensure that all technical aspects of your SEO for funeral services will run smoothly on search engines. First and foremost, you will need to secure your funeral services website.
8.1 Website Security
Website security is an essential technical aspect you need for your website, to gain the trust of users or website visitors.
If your funeral services website lacks website security, you will be signaling search engines to rank your site lower, since this can risk a user’s personal information getting stolen by hackers. One way to ensure website security is by using HTTPS. This will help protect sensitive information from being compromised, and it will also ensure a “secure encrypted connection”.
Best practices for website security:
- Use a reliable hosting provider.
- Schedule regular website backups.
- Keep your website updated to the latest version.
- Use anti-malware software and a web application firewall.
- Install an SSL certificate to authenticate the identity of your site.
8.2 Single Website Version
Ensure that your funeral services website only has one accessible version. This will avoid duplicate issues and errors, and it will also avoid potential negative effects on your SEO for funeral services.
The example below shows two versions of the website, and although the only difference is that one has “www” at the beginning and the other doesn’t, this would be considered as more than a single website version.
- Example: https://manhattanfuneralservice.com
- Example: https://www.manhattanfuneralservice.com
If your funeral services website has more than one accessible version, it will negatively affect the performance of your site on Google. This could also reduce the effectiveness of your backlinking profile.
8.3 Page Speed
Page Speed is the time it takes for a page to be completely loaded in the browser. You want to ensure that your funeral services website will seamlessly load fast enough from the moment a user clicks on your page, and this should be applicable for both mobile and desktop devices, to avoid the user having a negative experience.
8.4 Mobile Friendly Website
Another technical SEO element that will support your SEO for funeral services efforts is ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly.
The majority of users use their mobile devices on an everyday basis to search and browse the internet. You will want to ensure that your funeral services website will be compatible with all the different mobile devices available in the market, especially since Google uses mobile-first indexing.
Mobile indexing is done to check your website’s compatibility on mobile devices, which can affect the rank of your website’s content. You can use free tools like Mobile-Friendly Test on Google Search Console to check if your website is mobile-friendly.
8.5 Keyword Cannibalization
Avoid keyword cannibalization on your funeral services website, since this can harm your SEO for funeral services efforts. This can happen when multiple pages on your website are optimized for the same keyword. Keyword cannibalization essentially means that you are competing with yourself, therefore this will cause all your pages to rank poorly.
Fixing keyword cannibalization:
- Use a targeted keyword strategy.
- Track your keyword’s rankings and performance.
- Do regular content audits.
- Organize all URLs and target keywords from your funeral services website (for example, using spreadsheets).
- Reduce the number of times a keyword is used.
- Consider removing the keyword completely if reducing the number of times a keyword is used is not effective.
- Work on improving the quality of the content of your pages.
- Check if any pages cannibalize each other and why.
8.6 Fix Duplicate Content
Finding duplicate content on your funeral services website and fixing it can help avoid backing dilution and wasted crawling spending. Keeping duplicate content and not fixing it will make it hard for bots or website crawlers to decide which page should rank, which in short will affect your rank on SERP.
To find and fix duplicate content on your funeral services website, use tools like Semrush. Tools like these can also provide you with real-time performance reports that will be able to identify your rank on search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and YouTube.
8.7. Fix Broken links
Another technical aspect you may need to find and fix to ensure your SEO for funeral services efforts are effective is broken links. A broken link is when a user or website visitor is unable to access a link on your webpage. This can happen when there has been a change in the URL if the page has been removed, or if you have forgotten to redirect the outdated URL to its new domain.
Make sure that you update or remove any broken or dead links in your funeral services webpage, to avoid negatively affecting the user experience on your site. This will also avoid discouraging users from taking an action of conversion.
Find and fix broken links by using tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs’ Broken Link Checker. Tools like these will also help you track the ranking and performance of your website on Google’s search results pages.
9. Key Takeaways
You will want to invest in SEO for funeral services to be able to stand out over your local competitors and establish a stronger online presence. An effective SEO campaign for your funeral services business will be able to rank your site high on search engine results pages for new customers to easily find your products and services. This will involve the implementation of on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO, which will also help boost your online visibility, credibility, and trust.
Here at YoYoFumedia, we have been successful at running over a thousand SEO campaigns for our clients. By carefully implementing the SEO strategies that have been discussed in this article, you will be able to successfully run your SEO for funeral services campaign and gain more new customers for your business.
If you want faster results, check how Google Ads for Funeral Services can help you achieve this. Learn more about our successful Google Ads and SEO campaigns by visiting YoYoFuMedia’s page.
If you need help managing and optimizing your SEO for funeral services, our friendly team of experts can help you! Book a free consultation and experience your return on investment growing exponentially once your SEO campaign is up and running.
