How to Supercharge Funeral Home Website Conversions

“Conversions” is a term I use a lot in my line of work, but I’ve come to realize it’s not as familiar to everyone as it is to me — and that’s especially true in the death care industry.

I’m helping a lot of funeral home owners now, and it’s a pretty even split: About half understand the concept of website conversions fairly well and are focused on supercharging conversions in 2018 and beyond. The other half, at least at first, tend to have no idea what I’m talking about.

I want you to be in that first group. Website conversions are incredibly important to your funeral home’s success in this new year, so let’s make sure we’re all on the same page regarding the terminology.

Conversions 101

In a general sense, you create a conversion when someone visiting your website takes an action that moves that person forward to becoming a paying client.

However, the actual determination of what constitutes a “conversion” can vary.

A retail business might specifically define a conversion as a purchase. A service business might define it as setting an appointment, with the hopes of closing on a contract. Depending on the particular website, a successful conversion (to that business) might be as simple as the visitor filling out a form to receive more information or calling you to discuss services.

In other words, a conversion doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve completed the entire process of contracting (for example) with a family or individual for pre-need services. It can be as basic as engaging with a website visitor to the degree that he or she becomes an actionable lead, someone with whom you can continue with the process of finalizing a contract for services.

Obviously, this particular situation is most likely with pre-need services, when (unlike at-need services) time isn’t necessarily of the essence.

As I always explain to my clients, a website doesn’t merely exist to provide you with an online presence. It’s not simply there to show people where you’re located and how to reach you. It exists as a marketing tool for your business. Its purpose is to convert visitors.

Every aspect of your website should be designed with the goal of ultimately turning visitors into paying clientele (“converting” them) — and that’s as true of a funeral home website as one for any other type of business.

If your website gets plenty of visitors, but you’re not getting many conversions, there are simple steps you can take. At the end of the day, the number of clicks to your website is meaningless. All that matters is the number of leads the website generates.

Implementing the following suggestions can increase your leads without your having to spend any more money on advertising.

Include Prominent Calls to Action

Any website promoting a business needs to have a clear call to action, aka a CTA. This simply means an action the visitor can easily, immediately take to move forward in the process.

A basic example would be “Contact Us Now at 1-888-777-5555.” (A clickable email address is also strongly recommended.) Many funeral homes also have a clickable button for “Send Flowers Now,” which provides an immediate way for friends and family to access floral services.

Have a Unique Selling Proposition

To convert online visitors, it’s beneficial to give them a clear reason why they should turn to your funeral home for pre-need or at-need services.

When you consider your local competition, what makes you special? What can you offer that the others do not? Is it better general pricing, more locations, special pricing for veterans, or something else?

Whatever you would pick as the main two or three reasons a visitor should choose you over other options, make sure they’re clearly defined on your website. You want to every visitor to immediately understand why you are the best choice.

Answer and Raise Questions

Too many businesses I see online — including quite a few funeral homes — use too much of their valuable website space on generic information. A high-converting website also answers and raises questions for its visitors.

The more informative content on your site, the better it will convert visitors, and the better you’ll rank among your local competition. Consider the main questions people have when pre-planning for a funeral, and create articles that answer those questions. Do the same for visitors who have suffered an unexpected loss and are considering at-need services.

Strong, smart content is a cornerstone for all high-converting websites, regardless of the industry. By utilizing all your insight and experience, you let visitors know they’re in good hands with your funeral home.

Include Testimonials

There’s nothing like the words of real people to inspire visitors to contract with you. You can have a testimonials form on your website where families can send them in, although we strongly suggest you review them before they “go live.” (So they can be edited for spelling and clarity as needed.)

Have a Clear, Attractive Design

Aesthetics really do matter. Visitors who pull up an unattractive, hard-to-navigate site will very likely click out and look somewhere else. That’s true for any business, but it’s especially true in death care. You should put as much care into the look and feel of your website as you would for any of your services.

While you want the site to look good, be careful to ensure it’s also intuitive and easy to navigate. A high-converting funeral home site balances aesthetics and ease of use, creating an experience that’s warm but also clear and direct.

(NOTE:  All the traffic in the world doesn€™t help if your website doesn€™t efficiently convert visitors into clientele. Test your site with our free Website Analyzer now and learn how to improve conversion rates.)