The world of marketing your business online can sometimes seem like a daunting one, and as 2015 rolls around it is one area that many small business owners resolve to do better this year…for real this time.

The truth is, there are some very simple steps that every website owner or small business should do to ensure that they are being found when their potential customers are looking for them. In the case of marketing your funeral home on Google, here are 5 steps that are simple and make a tremendous impact if they have been ignored for too long.

Some of these tips may require some outside consult to get implemented but all are considered basic implementation and should NOT require any great monetary expenditure. Others are as simple as signing up. Let’s start with the simple:

Step #1 – Sign up with Google My Business

google-my-businessAs a business, it is important that people can find accurate information about you no matter where they’re looking. The key here is that you are going to want to ensure that you business name, address, and phone number are accurate in Google. Google My Business is a tool that will help you make sure your funeral home information is consistent across Google search, Google maps or Google+.

This step is the starting point and centers around consistency, a relevant theme as we go along. Consistency in your NAP (name, address, phone) is simple fix that goes along way when getting Google to rank your site.

Pro Tip – Make sure your category of business is set to “Funeral Home.”

Step #2 – Claim your Listings

moz-screen-shotThere are many factors that determine search engine rankings across common searches for funeral homes. One of these factors is your presence in a local directory. There are numerous local directories like Yelp, YP, Dex, Yellowbook, and the Legacy.com Funeral Home Directory that in many cases already has a listing for your business.

If you do a search on Google and you see these directories popping up, make sure you go there and claim your listing. Update as much information as you can and remember consistency is key. For a one stop shop to updating your listing information, check out Moz.com and their local submission tool.

Pro Tip – Upload photos and videos to show off your funeral home. Be sure to include your website URL and an email address to make your listing more attractive to potential customers.
Pro Tip #2 – Local directories are not all created equal! Factors such as their traffic volume, traffic relevance, category strength etc. contribute to how much SEO power you gain from being in any given directory. Before paying for a directory, be sure to do your research. Find out more.

Step #3 – Verify your site in Google Webmaster Tools

google-webmaster-toolsThis one may be a bit advanced but could be as easy as a couple clicks if your site is already using Google Analytics or if you know your login for your hosting provider. In Webmaster Tools, click on “Add a New Site.” Type in the URL of your homepage and you will be presented with options to verify. If you are using Google Analytics or if the recommended method is “Domain Name Provider” just follow the login steps and you are good to go! If these two methods don’t work, explore the alternate methods of verification listed on the same page. Find out more.

Pro Tip – Pay attention to the Site Messages in Webmaster Tools as they provide useful tips and tools to optimize your site.

Step #4 – Include City/State in your Title Tags

title-tag-codeThe title tag is a very important element in terms of SEO. The title tag is contains the text that shows up when Google lists your site in its search results. It is also the same text that shows on the top of the browser when someone is on your site.

By including your City/State in your title tag you are optimizing for local relevancy. For example, if I owned a funeral home located in Geneva, IL, I would make my title tag “Tom Brems Funeral Home – Geneva, IL.” That way, if someone does a search for “Geneva, IL Funeral Homes,” my website have a much better chance of ranking highly.

Not sure where to find or change your title tag? Check with your website provider or contact [email protected] for individual assistance.
Pro Tip – Don’t limit the City/State inclusion to just the title tag. Make sure you are placing your name, address, phone number on all your pages in either the header or footer of the website.

Step #5 – Build Easy Local Links

Links are still the biggest determiner of rank in Google and the better quality links you can get the better off your site will do in search. Building links can be a difficult process but there are some easy ways to get some high power links pointing back to you site. Setting up a social media account for your business is an easy way to do both social media outreach and build links. Be sure to create a Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, Twitter, Google+ account for your funeral home when it makes sense.

Legacy’s Funeral Home Directory also gives you the opportunity to increase the number of high power links pointing back to your site. You can get up to 7 “follow” links with the Funeral Home Directory that point directly to your website. Learn more.

Pro Tip – You don’t need to populate each social media account all the time, just make sure to fill out as much as you can about your business (remember- be consistent with your NAP), add some pictures, and then include the link to your website.

These simple steps will help you get started down the path of marketing your business online. You may find that you actually enjoy doing the work to drive more traffic. If that’s the case, there are numerous online forums and sites to guide you along the way. Check out moz.com and searchengineland.com for some of the best expert guides and tips.