SEO may be the most powerful form of digital marketing available to funeral homes. Funeral services are, by their nature, hyper local – and SEO can be designed to target specific cities, or even neighbourhoods within those cities.
There can be problems, however – SEO is extremely complicated, and there are a lot of less-than-reputable actors in the industry. So how do you know whether or not an SEO agency can move the needle and generate sales for your business?
Let’s find out:
They understand your niche
SEO is industry specific. Google’s algorithms are complex – and so are its users. You need content that accurately represents your services, and caters to your audience.
Data is essential to SEO – the more information you have about a given niche, the better your understanding of which techniques work to boost your rank, and which ones don’t. By finding an agency that has worked with other companies in your niche (in this case, other funeral homes), you’ll be more likely to see the results you want.
They know where you live
Understanding the place where you do business is just as important as understanding your niche. The content that will rank well in Winnipeg may be quite different from the content that will rank well in Toronto. You can get even more specific, too. You can start targeting individual neighbourhoods within a city – great for funeral homes, who are often competing for clients from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.
They’re not promising you results
We’re not saying you shouldn’t expect results from your SEO agency – if that were the case, why would you bother hiring one at all?
What we’re saying is this: Google’s algorithm is a tricky beast to tame. If someone says they can get you to the top of search results for “funeral home” in a month, run in the opposite direction. No one can guarantee specific results for keyword performance.
In fact, there are SEOs out there who use what we call black hat tactics – they use strategies that violate Google’s terms of service in order to increase your ranking quickly. The problem with that strategy is that when Google finds out – and they always do – your site can be blacklisted. That means it will no longer show up in any searches.
So don’t sign on for instant gratification. Instead, watch how the keywords you’re targeting trend. A good SEO agency will get your keywords trending upward over time – and eventually, if all goes well, you’ll get the number one spot for relevant keywords.
They have proven results
When results can’t be promised, you need some kind of reassurance that the agency you’re hiring is worth the money. The best way of doing this is to look at case studies.
And with the traits to look for that we’ve already discussed, you should have a good idea of the kinds of case studies you’ll want to look for! Ask them to show you how they’ve helped other funeral homes perform, and how they’ve helped other businesses in your city perform. They should be able to deliver concrete statistics – like how keywords they’ve targeted have trended over time, for example.
Of course, these are just a few of the many traits you should look for in an SEO agency. You’ll also want to find an agency that’s been in business for a number of years, and one with people who take a genuine interest in your business.
We offer SEO services for funeral homes – and we have proven, positive results. If you’re looking for an agency that truly understands the niche of funeral services, get in touch with us.