For so many years, funeral service has been what we like to call a “business card profession.”

What this means is that many funeral professionals in the past (and still even now) would rely on their business cards to be their primary networking tool or marketing method.

Think about it — 10 years ago when you met someone in your community who was in need of your services, you would typically hand them your card and and tell them to call you to learn more about what you offered. Or, better yet, you would pass along multiple business cards to the families that you served and encourage them to refer you to their own network.

So what’s so wrong with this “business card profession” way of doing things? After all, it’s what most professionals did for decades when it came to successfully marketing their small business.

Well, several things… the biggest of which being that families no longer use your business card as a reminder to call your funeral home and learn more about your products and services. They are using the information you provided on the card to look you up online and learn about your products and services for themselves.

In short, families today are going online to uncover something more that what a business card could ever provide… and when it comes to funeral home websites in particular, they are looking for very specific resources.

Here are just examples of what families are expecting from your funeral home website:

1. Their loved one’s service information

Without a doubt, the most common reason that families go online to a funeral home website is because they have recently lost a loved one and they are looking for service information. Therefore, this content needs to be front and center on your website.

Just take a look at Pray Funeral Home’s website (above). Because they know that most people visiting their website are looking for obituaries or service times, they put the links to their Tribute Pages in bold, large images right on the homepage of their website. This ensures that friends and family can find the tribute that they are looking for as quickly as possible, and will have an overall better experience on the website, as they don’t have to go clicking through link after linking trying to find the information they are seeking.

2. Quick and easy pricing information

The internet has quickly turned the average shopper into a comparison-shopping ninja. It’s never been easier to find the average cost of a good or service, look up local deals in your community, or even talk to other consumers about whether or not they got a great value for their purchase. But this isn’t something that should scare funeral professionals… in fact, you should look at it as an opportunity to break down all of the value that comes with planning a funeral service at your firm.

For example, O’Connor Mortuary (above) is using the pricing page on their website to not only inform families of the cost of their burial services, but to also show off the different value that a higher-priced package can bring. This is ideal for families who want to comparison shop, because they can see first hand the value that they are getting for their money.

3. Advice or suggestions

Another common reason that the average person ends up on a funeral home website is because they are looking for answers. Maybe they have a loved one’s funeral service coming up and they’re not really sure what’s appropriate. Or maybe they want to learn how to write a beautiful eulogy that will do justice to their loved one. Whatever questions families might have about funerals, they want to be able to have a safe, easy place to go and find answers – and your funeral home website is the perfect place.

Sunset Memorial Park’s Resource Page on their website (above) does a great job at being an all-encompassing educational resource for the families who are visiting their website. It covers all things funerals, from what to do when a death occurs, what is proper funeral etiquette, and even breaks down different funeral customs and traditions. They can even add new frequently asked questions regularly, based on the new products and services that they bring in.

4. Educational Information

Last, but not least, one of the most common reasons why people visit a funeral home website is simply to be educated and learn more. One example might be someone who needs help or has questions for your funeral home, but wants to have a baseline of knowledge before they call to learn more. Or maybe someone who has already began looking into planning a funeral service, but they want to explore more unique products and services that are available to them.

Whatever the reason, it’s important to understand that it’s not enough to only list basic funeral service information on your website – families want to see their options, see how they can customize different details, learn about which options will be most valuable for them, and even see inspiration about how they could take a funeral service to the next level.

Just take a look at Schoedinger’s Funeral and Cremation Services website (above). They have an entire section of their website dedicated to helping families learn more about what kind of possibilities are out there for their funeral service, and they even have a funeral exploration tool that inspires families to think outside of the box when it comes to how they can honor life. This is the kind of ultimate funeral resource your families are looking for.

Are you ready to learn about how you can get the four website features that we talked about above on your own funeral home website? Click here for a free demo with our website success specialists! Before you know it, you’ll be ready to say goodbye to the boring business card-marketing ways of the past and get on the path to funeral success!

Rilee Chastain

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