Executive Summary
Obituaries represent some of the highest-value search queries a funeral home can capture. When someone searches the deceased's name plus "obituary" or "funeral," your obituary appears in search results—but only if it's properly optimized. This guide covers technical and strategic approaches to maximize obituary search visibility, driving traffic to your funeral home and generating referrals.
Key Finding: SEO-optimized obituaries receive 3-5x more search engine traffic than unoptimized ones. Additionally, increased visibility correlates with 18% higher website traffic overall and improved search rankings for funeral home location pages.
Understanding Obituary Search Behavior
People search for obituaries in highly specific ways. Understanding these search patterns is key to optimization:
- Name + "Obituary": Most common—people searching for a specific person
- Name + City + "Obituary": Location refinement, narrowing results
- Name + "Funeral": Variation, sometimes used interchangeably
- Name + Date + "Death": Specific searches by journalists or genealogists
- Funeral Home Name + City: People finding the funeral home's obituaries
Keyword Strategy for Obituaries
Primary Keywords
- Deceased's full legal name (most important)
- Common variations or nicknames if applicable
- City/town where they lived
- State
- Age and notable accomplishments/titles
Keyword Placement Best Practices
- Title Tag: "[Name], [Age], of [City] | [Funeral Home Name]"
- Meta Description: Include name, dates, location, brief life summary
- Heading (H1): Full name prominently
- First Paragraph: Name + location + key identifying information
- URL Structure: Use deceased's name and location if possible
Technical Optimization
Page Formatting for Search Visibility
- Use proper heading hierarchy (H1 for name, H2 for sections)
- Include structured data markup for people/articles
- Add alt text to photographs with deceased's name
- Use natural language rather than abbreviations initially
- Include dates in standard formats
Schema Markup
Implement schema.org markup to improve search visibility:
- Article Schema: Identifies content as article, includes author, date published
- Person Schema: Identifies the subject as a person with biographical data
- LocalBusiness Schema: Links to your funeral home information
Content Strategy for Obituary SEO
Comprehensive Biographical Content
More detailed obituaries rank better than brief ones. Aim for 800-1,500 words for maximum SEO impact (don't artificially inflate, but provide comprehensive information).
Specific Details Improve Ranking
- Full names of survivors (natural keyword inclusion)
- Schools attended and graduation years
- Career positions and accomplishments
- Military service details
- Community involvement and organizations
- Hobbies and specific interests
Link Building for Obituary SEO
Internal Links
- Link from obituary to funeral home home page
- Link from funeral home services pages to relevant obituaries
- Link related obituaries together
- Link to service information and arrangements
External Links (Outbound)
- Link to burial location/cemetery website
- Link to alma mater or employer websites (if relevant)
- Link to organizations they were involved with
- Link to relevant causes/charities for donations
Platform-Specific SEO Optimization
| Platform | SEO Optimization Priority |
|---|---|
| Your Website | Highest—full control, canonical URLs, schema markup, internal linking |
| Legacy.com | High—high domain authority, syndicates to search engines |
| Google Search | Automatically indexed from website and Legacy.com |
| Social Media | Lower—primarily for sharing and engagement |
Mobile Optimization for Obituaries
- Ensure responsive design that works on all devices
- Use readable font sizes (minimum 14-16px body text)
- Ensure buttons and links are easily clickable on mobile
- Optimize page load speed (aim for under 3 seconds)
- Test readability on mobile devices
Analytics: Measuring Obituary SEO Success
Track key performance indicators to measure SEO effectiveness:
- Organic Search Traffic: Visitors arriving via Google, Bing, other search engines
- Keyword Rankings: Positions for name + obituary searches
- Click-Through Rate: Percentage of search impressions that result in clicks
- Average Session Duration: Time spent reading obituary
- Bounce Rate: Percentage leaving without other interaction
- Conversions: Inquiries or service requests traced to obituary page
Common Obituary SEO Mistakes to Avoid
- Generic Titles: "Obituary" instead of "[Name] Obituary"
- Sparse Content: Too-brief obituaries don't rank as well
- Poor Formatting: Dense text without headings reduces ranking
- Missing Keywords: Not including full name or location early
- Duplicate Content: Identical text across platforms without canonicalization
- Slow Page Speed: Oversized images or poor hosting
- No Mobile Optimization: Poor mobile experience hurts rankings
Sacred Grounds automatically implements SEO best practices for all obituaries: optimized titles, proper heading structure, schema markup, and mobile-responsive design. Every obituary is a search engine marketing asset.
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