Elevate: Funeral Service Insights

Google Isn’t Dead. But the Way Families Find Funeral Homes Is Changing

By Welton Hong, founder and CEO of Ring Ring Marketing

For years, the playbook for getting a funeral home found online was straightforward: Show up in Google, build a strong Google Business Profile, collect reviews, optimize the website and try to rank as highly as possible for the searches families are making.

That playbook still works.

But something important has changed: Increasingly, families are asking artificial intelligence platforms the questions they once typed directly into Google.

Instead of searching for “funeral homes near me” and scrolling through a page of results, someone might ask ChatGPT, Gemini or another AI platform questions like:

• What are the best funeral homes in Phoenix?
• Who offers affordable cremation services in Springfield?
• What should I expect to pay for a cremation?

The answers may include several funeral homes — and if yours isn’t among them, the prospective customer may never know you exist.

That doesn’t mean Google is going away. Far from it. Google still generates vastly more website traffic than ChatGPT, and people who use AI to narrow their choices often turn back to Google to examine maps, star ratings, reviews and websites before deciding who to give their business.

What is changing is the role of AI, which I recently addressed in detail on this webinar.

AI increasingly acts as a filter between consumers and the businesses they ultimately consider. And that means funeral homes need to think not only about how they rank in search engines, but also about whether they provide the information and credibility signals that AI systems can understand and trust.

The good news is that much of what works for traditional search engine optimization — SEO — also works for what is sometimes called generative engine optimization, or GEO.

You don’t necessarily need an entirely new marketing strategy.

You need to execute the fundamentals better.

Welton Hong shares how to execute those fundamentals, step by step, in this article he wrote for FuneralVision.com.

Kaiser-Corson Funeral Homes Marks 125 Years with Opening of On-Site Crematory

Kaiser-Corson Funeral Homes, with locations in Waverly, Readlyn, Shell Rock and Denver, Iowa, is celebrating 125 years of serving families while entering a new chapter with the opening of its own on-site crematory, Waverly Newspapers reported.

The crematory, completed in early July, allows the funeral home to provide cremation services directly rather than relying on an outside facility in Waterloo. The investment reflects the growing popularity of cremation and the funeral home’s efforts to maintain control over the process while serving local families.

Ryan Tucker, funeral director and co-owner, said the company’s longevity reflects the continued trust placed in it by the families and communities it serves. He expressed gratitude for the relationships that have sustained the business across generations.

Kaiser-Corson has offered cremation services for years, but the increasing number of families choosing cremation eventually made an in-house facility a practical consideration. Approximately half of the families served by the funeral home now select cremation as their final disposition, a proportion that has gradually risen over time.

Although the funeral home had a positive working relationship with its third-party cremation provider, its leadership determined that bringing the operation on-site would better support its service goals. Keeping the process under its own roof has already made a meaningful difference in how the team serves families and oversees their loved ones’ care.

The new crematory is situated on Kaiser-Corson’s Waverly property, adjacent to the funeral home, with direct access to the existing building. The company had acquired the additional lot several years earlier without a specific project in mind. As the crematory plans took shape, the property offered an opportunity to establish a facility close to the funeral home’s operations.

Read the full article.

Proposed Crematory in California Draws Concerns

A proposed crematory in Anderson, California, is facing opposition from nearby residents who question whether the facility’s location is appropriate given its proximity to homes, schools and a childcare business, KRCR ABC 7 reported.

Adams Affordable Cremation and Burial purchased the 0.2-acre property at 2846 East Street earlier this year and submitted applications for a crematory in March. In July, residents living within 1,000 feet of the proposed facility received a 30-day air quality notice inviting public comment. The notice classified the crematory as having an intermediate emissions level.

The notification prompted some residents to organize a petition and begin attending Anderson City Council meetings. Their concerns center on the facility’s proximity to residential properties, potential air quality and health effects and the suitability of the proposed location.

Sandra Rivera, who has lived in Anderson for 25 years, resides directly next to the property, approximately 100 feet from the proposed crematory. She is among the neighbors seeking greater clarity about what the intermediate emissions classification could mean for the surrounding community.

Although the property is located in a mixed-use area, residents maintain that its immediate surroundings make it an unsuitable location for a crematory.

Residents have emphasized that their opposition is directed at the proposed location rather than the concept of a crematory serving Anderson. They maintain that the city could accommodate such a facility elsewhere without placing it so close to homes and areas where children spend time.

Read the full story.

Funeral Home Launches Internal Review After Woman Is Mistakenly Cremated

Hutchison Funeral Home in Detroit has begun an internal investigation after the family of a woman who died of endometrial cancer alleged that she was mistakenly cremated before her scheduled viewing, Click on Detroit reported.

In a statement, the funeral home said it was communicating with the family and examining the circumstances surrounding the incident. The business expressed profound sorrow for the family’s experience, pledged to address the matter appropriately based on the findings of its review, and asked that the family’s privacy be respected. The funeral home said it would provide additional information when possible.

The family of Kimberlly Moore, a mother of five and grandmother of 28, said she died Sept. 3. Her relatives were scheduled to attend a viewing at Hutchison Funeral Home from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 18.

Moore’s daughter, Bianca Robinson, said she visited the funeral home before the viewing to apply makeup to her mother. When she asked to see Moore’s body, an employee unzipped the body bag, and Robinson noticed that a mole on her mother’s toe was missing.

Robinson said she immediately realized the body was not her mother’s.

According to Robinson, an employee subsequently told her that Moore might have been cremated after arriving at the funeral home. The family has raised questions about how the apparent mix-up occurred and said it has received inconsistent information about whether Moore’s cremated remains were available.

Read the full article.

Brian Lindquist to Lead National Preneed Sales Team at Wellabe

Wellabe has named Brian Lindquist assistant vice president, national sales distribution – preneed. In this role, Lindquist will lead the preneed sales team and advance Wellabe’s strategy for sustainable growth and innovation.

“Brian is a trusted strategic advisor with a deep understanding of our business,” said Dennis Case, chief sales officer at Wellabe. “His passion for Preneed, 12 years of insurance industry experience, strong negotiation and problem-solving skills, and ability to build collaborative relationships make him exceptionally qualified to lead the team and advance our long-term strategy.”

Lindquist has deep personal and professional roots in the funeral service industry. His family has operated Lindquist Mortuaries and Cemeteries in Utah for five generations, and he grew up working at the cemetery managed by his father. In 2014, he joined Great Western Insurance Company, a life insurance company founded by his uncle and funeral director John E. Lindquist. Serving as General Counsel, he established and managed the company’s first legal department and helped facilitate the company’s sale to Wellabe in 2018. At Wellabe, he has provided legal counsel across operations, product, and distribution, most recently serving as assistant vice president, associate general counsel.

“My experience has taught me the importance of solutions-oriented counsel, strong partnerships, and a clear understanding of the regulatory environment,” Lindquist said. “I look forward to bringing that perspective to our sales team, strengthening relationships, and helping grow Wellabe’s Preneed business.”

Lindquist has been a licensed member of the Utah Bar since 2012. He earned his Juris Doctor, with Dean’s Honors, from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas, and his undergraduate degree from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

Milestone Funeral Partners Acquires Lind Funeral Home of Jamestown, New York

Lind Funeral Home has spent more than eight decades helping families in Jamestown, New York, navigate some of life’s most difficult moments. Now, the multigenerational family-operated funeral home is beginning a new chapter after joining Milestone Funeral Partners.

Milestone announced the partnership in a Sept. 19, 2026, LinkedIn post, welcoming the Lind team into its growing organization and describing the funeral home’s history as a remarkable legacy built across four generations.

The partnership brings together a funeral home with deep roots in its community and a company that has made supporting local funeral professionals and preserving established businesses central to its growth strategy.

“We are honored that they have entrusted Milestone with the stewardship of a firm, reputation and legacy built with such care over generations,” Milestone said in its announcement.

The company said it looks forward to supporting the Lind team as it continues serving Jamestown and surrounding communities, with familiar faces, local relationships and a commitment to families remaining central to the funeral home’s identity.

Chptr and NFDA Launch $1 Million National Radio Campaign Honoring Funeral Directors

Chptr and the National Funeral Directors Association have announced a $1 million national radio campaign honoring funeral directors and the essential role they play in communities across the country. Running Sept. 22 through Sept. 30 across iHeartMedia’s nationwide network, the campaign marks the next phase of #TheFirstCall, a public-awareness initiative created to bring greater recognition and understanding to a profession whose work is often carried out far from public view.

Every year, millions of families make a call they never expected to make. On the other end is often a funeral director helping them make decisions, coordinate services, navigate grief and bring a community together. Yet despite the deeply personal and essential nature of that work, funeral professionals remain among the least publicly recognized people serving their communities.

The national radio campaign is designed to change that by putting the focus on the care funeral directors provide every day. Over the course of eight days, messages of gratitude and recognition will air across iHeartMedia stations nationwide, inviting families who have been supported by a funeral director to share what that care meant to them at thankyoufuneraldirectors.com.

“Funeral directors are there for families on days they will remember for the rest of their lives, but most of that work happens quietly and without recognition,” said Rehan Choudhry, founder and CEO of Chptr. “#TheFirstCall is about making that work visible. This campaign gives families across the country a chance to say thank you and gives funeral directors something they rarely receive at this scale: public recognition for the care, steadiness and humanity they bring to their communities every day.”

The radio campaign follows the April launch of #TheFirstCall in Times Square, where funeral professionals from across the country were recognized during a public tribute that featured 143 members of the profession, drew more than 150 attendees and reached thousands more through a national livestream. For one night, funeral directors were seen publicly, together and at scale.

That first event established the broader purpose of #TheFirstCall: to reshape public understanding of funeral service by showing the people behind the profession and the compassion, professionalism and humanity that define their work. Rather than focusing on products or companies, the campaign centers funeral directors themselves and the role they play in helping families through some of life’s most difficult moments.

“Funeral service is deeply woven into the life of every community, but the people doing this work are too often noticed only when someone needs them,” said Christine Pepper, chief executive officer of NFDA. “This campaign gives the public an opportunity to see and acknowledge the care funeral directors provide every day. Recognition like this matters because it helps people better understand the profession before they ever need its services.”

The $1 million radio campaign extends #TheFirstCall from a single national moment into communities across the country, using one of America’s broadest-reaching media platforms to carry the message directly to the public. The initiative continues a broader effort to elevate funeral directors as essential, community-first professionals and create more opportunities for the people they serve to recognize the impact of their work.

Families who would like to thank a funeral director who was there for them can visit thankyoufuneraldirectors.com.