Is your funeral home website helping your funeral business, or hurting it?

Chances are, if you’re not receiving thank yous from families on how helpful or educational your website is, it might actually be hurting your funeral business.

It’s always good to do a check-in and make sure that your website is still relevant, functioning, and helping your families navigate through the grueling process of losing a loved one.

And thankfully, we’ve created 5 questions for you to help you get a better picture of where your website is at:

1. Is your website providing true value?

The first thing your potential client families are hoping your website will do for them is… drum roll please… help them! A recent survey found that 47% of buyers consume anywhere from 3 to 5 pieces of content before deciding to make a purchase. That means that if your families aren’t in an immediate at-need situation, they’ll likely be doing  some research on your website before they pick up the phone to call you.

How to do it: Note what questions your families often call asking, and put that content on your website as much as possible.  Fill your website with guides, FAQ’s and other relevant information for families before, during and after the funeral service.

Hegarty-Scalia Funeral Home has a full page of resources for families to dive into if they need them (see below) that includes helpful links and content that answers questions they get asked everyday by families.

Click the image to view the full resources page.

2. Are you taking advantage of the power of video?

Statistics shows that 60% of website visitors will click on a video on your funeral home website if one is available. Video is arguably the easiest and most effective way to educate families, especially on an emotional level. Video is also proven to keep families on your website longer, which in turn leads to higher conversion rates, which is internet speak for more people purchasing from you.

How to do it: Engage client families from the get-go by placing a video on your website, front and center, on your homepage. Sullivan & Son Funeral Directors does a really great job of emotionally engaging their client families and educating them on the value of a celebration of life with a Hollywood-quality video on their homepage (see below).

Click the image to watch the video and check out Sullivan Funeral Home’s website.

3. Make your website social

41% of Americans say it’s important that the companies they engage with have a strong social media presence. With that in mind, infusing your social media presence into your website will help you build trust with families, and allows them a chance to get to know you before they walk through your doors.

How to do this: This one can be as simple as putting your Facebook and Twitter handles on your site in a place that’s easy to find them. Being on social media is a competitive advantage for you, so make sure you let families know that you’re there to engage with them!

4. Is your website content fresh?

If you saw a website that wasn’t publishing regular content, you’d likely wonder about the legitimacy of the business. Are they still open? Are they trustworthy? Do they care about their business? If your funeral home website isn’t regularly posting new content, consider making it a priority so that families feel safe when they land on your site. Make sure you keep your website fresh by updating it with new content like obituaries and tributes, articles, updates and more.

How to do this: If you really want to stand out among your competitors, and combine the power of the first three points in this post, consider starting a blog that you update at least once a week. This will allow Google to favor your website (they like when websites publish value-driven content regularly), build social trust with your families, and help you offer them value right off the bat.

5. Set yourself apart from your competition

Your potential client families want to know why you’re unique from your competitors, and they don’t want to search very hard to find out why. This is really where you can connect with your potential families on an emotional level. Don’t be shy – share you unique story, your strengths, and what you feel makes you different from other funeral homes in town.

How to do this: Dedicate an area of your website to your unique value. Schoedinger Funeral Home does a really good job tastefully describing their difference by listing their unique services and special offerings. This gives families a chance to educate themselves, rather than simply being sold to. Note that Schoedinger never mentions anything about their price – but rather focuses on their unique value in this section.

Click the image to view Schoedinger’s website.

Finally, don’t forget that your website doesn’t have to be a headache

Everyone knows funeral professionals are busy, and you are no exception. Find a website platform that does all of this busy work for you – like f1Connect. If you’re interested in learning more about the f1Connect website platform, reach out to one of our Funeral Success Specialists today!

Ps. Drop a link to your funeral home website below if you’re feeling proud of how it’s helping your biz!

Skip Willoughby

funeralOne

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