Planning a funeral is a difficult time in anyone’s life. Make it easier from the get-go with a warm and welcoming funeral website that shows customers that choosing you means they’ll be in good hands. Your website, after all, is often your “first meeting” with customers and therefore your first chance to make an impression.

So, what elements does a funeral home website need to show customers they’ve found the right place? Here are our top eight tips.

1. An Inviting Design

Inevitably, the first thing people are going to notice about your website is its design. Keep your design beautiful and simple with clear navigation, striking images and fonts that are easy to read. Don’t overwhelm already overwhelmed customers with clunky images, busy graphics or cheesy music. Instead, choose something uncomplicated that reminds them that your process will be the same. Choose a color palette that’s known to be calming or is associated with grief, such as purple, or connected to the celebration of life, such as green.

2. Fuss-Free User Experience

People who are grieving are already going through enough. Make things as easy as possible for them with an intuitive website that offers a seamless way to find everything they need and take the next steps. This means a clear layout with a straightforward menu and key information front and centre.

3. Clear And Conspicuous Information

On that same note, make it easy for your customers to find vital information as quickly as possible. Keep your contact details accessible and straightforward and be sure to welcome customers to get in touch with you. If you include pricing on your website, make that available in just one click. Your location is something else they’ll need to know, so keep this somewhere obvious. You can also include an FAQ section to give customer fast answers to things they might be wondering about.

4. Feature-Rich Obituaries

Obituaries are an essential part of any funeral home website. Adding an interactive element to your website, an obituary section gives your customers something to come back to time and time again. WordPress plugins such as Funeral Tributes Pro are designed to make adding obituaries to your funeral home website possible in a matter of clicks. The Funeral Tributes Pro WordPress plugin includes a range of features that allow you to offer extra value to your customers, such as the ability to view obituaries and leave guestbook messages as well as see funeral details including maps of the location. As an added bonus for you, obituaries will bring in significant traffic to your site and may even lead to referrals.

5. A Meaningful About Us Page

An About page gives you the opportunity to add a personal and human touch to your website. Ensure that customers get a good sense of who you are and know that you are approachable and worth reaching out to by crafting a good description of your company. You could also use this page to add photos and descriptions of your team members, making it even more personal.

6. A Look Inside

Show customers what they can expect with clear images of your premises. If you can offer a virtual tour or 360-degree photos, this is even better.

7. Useful Content

Including a blog on your website offers your customers something extra and is a sure-fire way to make them see that you are not just a warm and giving funeral home, but a company that knows what they’re doing. Share your knowledge and expertise with articles offering advice on things like dealing with loss, how to plan a funeral and choosing the right life insurance policy.

8. Reassurance

Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, reassurance that you have your customers best interests at heart is vital. Use your headers, banners or slider images as well as your website content to let your customers know they’ll be in the very best hands. Be sure to convey yourself as sincerely as possible.

For more information on Funeral Tributes Pro and adding value to your funeral home website, click here.