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.
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2. 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 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.
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3. Why SEO for Funeral Services?
Many businesses take advantage of using SEO as part of their marketing campaign because it involves lower 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 to 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”:
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3.1. SEO vs. Google Ads
Google Ads and SEO are two different ways to help people find your funeral service online, but they work in very different ways. With Google Ads, you pay money to show up at the very top of the search results right away. It’s kind of like renting a billboard on a busy street; you get seen quickly, but once you stop paying, your ad disappears. You can check out our Google Ads For Funeral Services for more information!
SEO, on the other hand, is like planting a garden. It takes time, effort, and care to grow, but once your website is well-optimized, it can keep bringing in visitors without paying for every single click.
For funeral services, Ads can be useful if you want to reach families immediately during urgent situations, while SEO is better for building long-term trust and helping people find you when they’re planning. Using both together can give your funeral home quick visibility now and steady growth in the future.
3.2. 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.
3.3. Google Business Profile (Previously Called Google My Business)
Google Business Profile, which used to be called Google My Business, is one of the most important tools for funeral homes to show up online when local families are searching for help.
Think of it as your online business card that appears right in Google Search and Google Maps. It lets people quickly see your funeral home’s name, address, phone number, website, and even photos without needing to click around. Families can also read reviews from others, check their hours, and get directions instantly.
Keeping your profile up to date is especially important for funeral services because people often need clear, accurate information right away during emotional times. By adding compassionate descriptions, high-quality photos, and responding kindly to reviews, you not only improve your chances of showing up higher in local searches but also build trust with the families who need you most.
3.4. Competitive Offer
A competitive offer means showing families why your funeral home is the best choice compared to others in your area, but doing it in a caring and respectful way. Instead of focusing only on price, think about the unique value you provide.
For example, do you offer flexible payment options, personalized memorial services, or special support programs for grieving families? Highlighting these details on your website makes your funeral home stand out without sounding pushy. Families looking for funeral services often feel overwhelmed, so a clear explanation of what makes your services trustworthy and compassionate can give them comfort. By combining fair pricing with meaningful benefits like 24/7 availability, beautiful facilities, or experienced staff who guide families through every step, your competitive offer helps people feel confident that they are choosing the right place for their loved ones.
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4. 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.
4.1. 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 fewer 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 sparking 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.
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4.2. Alt Tags
Alt tags, also called alternative text, are short descriptions you add to pictures on your website so search engines and people using screen readers can understand what the image is showing. For funeral services, this is especially important because families often search for visuals like flower arrangements, memorial chapels, or urns, and alt tags help those images appear in Google search results.
For example, instead of naming a photo “image123.jpg,” you could write an alt tag like “elegant white funeral flower arrangement” or “lady crying in a funeral.” This not only improves your website’s accessibility for people with vision difficulties but also makes your site more likely to rank higher in searches. Using thoughtful, respectful descriptions in your alt tags ensures that your images support your SEO while still showing care and dignity for the sensitive nature of funeral services.
4.3. Improving Readability
Improving readability means making sure the words on your website are easy for anyone to understand, even during stressful times. When families visit a funeral home’s website, they may already feel overwhelmed, so long, complicated sentences or confusing terms can make things harder.
To improve readability, it helps to use simple words, shorter paragraphs, and clear headings so visitors can quickly find the information they need, such as service options, costs, or what steps to take after a loss. Adding bullet points, FAQs, and gentle, conversational language also makes the content easier to read. Search engines, like Google, also prefer websites that are easy to understand, so improving readability not only helps families but also boosts your SEO.
For funeral services especially, a website that feels clear, calm, and compassionate gives families comfort and makes them more likely to trust your funeral home.
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4.4. 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 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 visitors’ experience.
Best Practices for External Links:
- Link relevant sources.
- Use credible and professional sources.
- Don’t link to your competitor’s website.
- Use keyword anchor texts.
- Ensure that your external links open to a new tab.
4.5. 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.
4.6. Compressing Large Images
Compressing large images means reducing the file size of photos on your website so they load faster without losing their quality. This is very important for funeral service websites because families often visit during emotional or urgent times, and a slow-loading page can add to their frustration.
For example, if you share pictures of your memorial services, or flower arrangements, the images should look beautiful but also load quickly on phones and computers. By compressing images, you keep your website fast, which improves the experience for visitors and also helps your site rank better on Google since speed is part of SEO. There are many free tools that can compress photos without making them look blurry, and once done, your site will feel smoother, more professional, and more welcoming to families searching for help.
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5. 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.
5.1. 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 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”.
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5.2. 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, 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”:
What’s My Serp
What’s My Serp 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.
Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator
Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator is a helpful online tool that shows you what people are actually typing into Google when they search for things like funeral services, cremation, or memorial planning. By typing in a word or phrase, the tool gives you a list of related keywords along with how many people search for them each month and how difficult it might be to rank for them.
For a funeral home, this can be very useful because you can discover the exact phrases families use, such as “affordable funeral services near me” or “cremation cost in Los Angeles.” This saves you from guessing and helps you create website pages, blog posts, and FAQs that answer real questions people have. The best part is that the generator is free, easy to use, and doesn’t require advanced SEO skills, making it a great way for funeral homes to find new keyword ideas that bring in more visitors while staying compassionate and informative.
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5.3. Using Relevant Keywords For Funeral Sevices
Using relevant keywords means choosing the exact words and phrases that families are likely to type into Google when they are looking for funeral services, and then naturally including them in your website content.
For example, instead of just writing “we provide services,” you could use a more specific keyword like “affordable funeral services in Los Angeles” or “compassionate cremation options.” This makes it easier for search engines to connect your website with the people who need it most.
The key is to use these keywords in a natural way, within your page titles, headings, meta descriptions, and paragraphs, without forcing them or repeating them too many times. For a funeral home, using relevant keywords is not just about ranking higher on Google, it’s about making sure families can quickly find clear, helpful information during an important time in their lives. By matching your words with their search terms, you build trust and make your website a welcoming.
5.4. Choosing The Right Target Keywords
Choosing the right target keywords means carefully selecting the words and phrases that will bring the most meaningful visitors to your funeral home’s website. Not every keyword is worth chasing, some may get lots of searches but don’t match what families are really looking for, while others may be too competitive to rank for.
For funeral services, it’s important to balance short, broad terms like “funeral home” or “cremation services” with longer, more specific phrases such as “affordable funeral home in Los Angeles”or “prepaid funeral plan options.”
The right keywords should reflect both urgent needs, like finding a service immediately, and long-term needs, like planning ahead. When you focus on keywords that match the real intent behind a family’s search, your website is more likely to attract people who not only visit but also choose your services. This way, you’re not just bringing in traffic, you’re connecting with families at the exact moment they need guidance and support.
5.5. Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that people type into Google when they know exactly what they are looking for. Unlike short, broad terms like “funeral home” or “cremation,” long-tail keywords usually have three or more words, such as “affordable cremation service in Los Angeles” or “funeral home with chapel near Los Angeles.”
These keywords may get fewer searches each month, but they are very valuable because they attract people who are closer to making a decision and need a specific service. For funeral homes, long-tail keywords are especially powerful because they allow you to reach families with different needs from urgent situations, like “funeral services open today,” to pre-planning searches, like “how much does a prepaid funeral cost.”
By adding these kinds of phrases naturally into your website pages, blog posts, and FAQs, you not only improve your chances of ranking higher on Google but also connect with families in a more personal and helpful way.
5.6. Short-Tail Keywords
Short-tail keywords are short and broad search terms, usually made up of one or two words, such as “funeral”, “funeral home”, or “cremation”. These keywords often have a very high search volume because many people type them into Google, but they are also very competitive since almost every funeral service provider is trying to rank for them.
While short-tail keywords can bring more traffic, they don’t always tell you exactly what the person is looking for. For example, someone searching “funeral” might want to know about funeral costs, traditions, or services in their area. Even though they are less specific, short-tail keywords are still important for funeral homes because they build visibility and let Google know what your website is about.
The best approach is to use short-tail keywords along with more detailed long-tail keywords, so you can capture both general searches and specific ones, reaching families whether they are just starting their search or ready to make a decision.
6. 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.
6.1 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.
6.2 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
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6.3 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.
6.4 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.
6.5. Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites that point back to your own, and they act like a vote of confidence in the eyes of Google. When trusted websites link to your funeral home’s site, it tells search engines that your business is reliable and worth showing higher in search results.
For funeral services, backlinks can come from places like local news sites, church websites, hospice care organizations, or community groups that you partner with. For example, if your funeral home sponsors a local charity event and the event’s website links back to you, that backlink helps both your reputation and your SEO.
The key is to focus on quality, not just quantity a few backlinks from trusted, local, and relevant sources are far more valuable than dozens from random websites. By building relationships in your community and sharing helpful resources online, you can earn backlinks naturally while showing families that your funeral home is active, caring, and connected.
6.6. Local Listings
Local listings are online directories where your funeral home’s name, address, phone number, and other details are published so families in your area can easily find you.
Think of them as modern-day phone books, but digital and searchable. For funeral services, being listed in the right places is very important because families often search for help close to home, and local listings help your business show up in those searches.
Examples of local listings include Google Business Profile, Yelp, Yellow Pages, Bing Places, and local community directories. The most important thing is to make sure your information especially your name, address, and phone number is consistent everywhere, because even small mistakes can confuse search engines and make your website rank lower.
Adding photos, service descriptions, and hours of operation to these listings can also make your funeral home stand out and feel more trustworthy. By keeping your local listings accurate and up to date, you make it easier for families to find you during their time of need.
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7. 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.
7.1 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.
7.2 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.
7.3 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.
You can improve the page speed of your funeral services website by compressing all images on your page and by minimizing the use of JavaScript files. Consider using a content distribution network or CDN so that requested files will require less distance travel by using the nearest server. This will improve the overall speed of your page.
7.4 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 is 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.
7.5 Keyword Cannibalization
Avoid keyword cannibalization on your funeral services website, since this can harm your SEO efforts for funeral services. 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 keywords’ 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.
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7.6 Fix Duplicate Content
Finding duplicate content on your funeral services website and fixing it can help avoid duplicate content 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.
7.7. 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 the 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.
7.8. Improving User Experience (UX)
Improving user experience, often called UX, means making your funeral home’s website easy, comfortable, and reassuring for families to use. When someone visits your site, they should be able to find what they need quickly whether it’s your contact number, service options, pricing, or directions to your funeral home.
A good user experience includes simple menus, clear headings, readable fonts, and pages that load quickly on both phones and computers. For funeral services especially, a calm and respectful design can help families feel less stressed during a difficult time.
Adding helpful features like FAQs, step-by-step guides on what to do after a loved one passes, or even a clear “Call Now” button can make your website more supportive and trustworthy. Search engines also pay attention to user experience, so when families stay longer on your site and easily find what they need, it can help your SEO rankings.
In short, improving user experience is about combining compassion with clear design, so visitors feel guided and cared for from the moment they arrive on your website.
7.9. Monitoring Your Website
Monitoring your website means regularly checking how well it is performing so you can keep improving both the experience for families and your search engine rankings. For a funeral home, this can include looking at how many people visit your site, which pages they read the most, how quickly your site loads, and whether visitors are contacting you after browsing.
Free tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console make this easier by showing you important details, such as what keywords people use to find your site or if there are any technical problems, like broken links. By monitoring your website, you can see what is working well, for example, if a blog post on “what to do when a loved one passes away” is attracting many readers — and what needs fixing.
This ongoing attention ensures your website stays accurate, helpful, and visible in search results, which is especially important in funeral services where families rely on clear, trustworthy information at critical moments.
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8. Common SEO Mistakes To Avoid
When working on SEO for a funeral home, it’s just as important to know what mistakes to avoid as it is to know what strategies to use. One of the biggest mistakes is keyword stuffing, which means cramming too many keywords into a page in an unnatural way.
8.1. Keyword Stuffing and Over Optimization
Keyword stuffing and over-optimization happen when a website tries too hard to rank on Google by repeating the same words or phrases too many times.
For example, if every sentence on a funeral home’s page says “funeral services in Los Angeles,” it will sound robotic and unnatural. Not only does this make the writing feel cold and unhelpful, but search engines can also penalize the site, pushing it lower in search results. For funeral services, this mistake can be even more damaging because families looking for help need warmth and compassion in the words they read, not something that feels forced or spammy.
The better approach is to use keywords naturally, mixing them into sentences in a way that flows, and combining them with related terms like “cremation,” “memorial,” or “burial services.” This makes your content feel genuine, supportive, and trustworthy, while still signaling to Google what your page is about.
In short, writing for people first and search engines second is the best way to avoid keyword stuffing and keep your website helpful and respectful.
8.2. Neglecting Mobile Optimization
Neglecting mobile optimization is one of the biggest mistakes a funeral home can make with its website. Today, most people search for services directly on their phones, especially in urgent situations when they need quick answers. If your website isn’t designed to work well on mobile devices, families may struggle with tiny text, buttons that are hard to tap, or pages that take too long to load.
This can leave them feeling frustrated and even push them to look for another funeral home with a smoother online experience. Search engines like Google also rank mobile-friendly websites higher, so ignoring mobile optimization can hurt your visibility in search results. For funeral services, where compassion and clarity matter most, having a mobile-friendly website ensures that families can easily find information, contact you, or get directions no matter what device they’re using.
Making your site responsive, fast, and simple on mobile shows that you care about making the process as easy as possible during a difficult time.
8.3. Ignoring User Experience
Ignoring user experience, often called UX, is a serious mistake that can hurt both your search rankings and the way families feel when visiting your funeral home’s website.
User experience is all about how easy, clear, and supportive your website feels. If a site is cluttered, loads slowly, has confusing menus, or makes it hard to find important details like contact information or service options, families may feel even more stressed during an already difficult time.
On the other hand, a well-designed website with clear navigation, gentle language, calming visuals, and quick access to help not only improves SEO but also shows families that your funeral home truly cares about their needs.
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.
