Your website makes your job easier. It advertises for you, it helps you get information about potential families, it houses all of your obituary information in one place, and it’s sometimes even how you get paid.

But, at the end of the day, your website isn’t just for you. You should be looking at your website as a tool your client families can use to get what they need.

So what do your families want from your website? We did some research, and came up with a list of things they’d like to see when they visit your page:

• According to Wired, your families don’t just want your page to load fast. More than 47% of them expect your page to load in two seconds or less.
• According to Dex Media, consumers aged 18 to 34 expect local businesses to have a website that looks professional, 35- to 54-year-olds are more likely to contact businesses with active sites, and those 55 and older think a smart website gives a business credibility in the community.
• Dex Media also says younger consumers prioritize both the appearance of the website and whether it is mobile-friendly, consumers 35 to 54 expect to be able to find key information about the business, and older consumers want core information about products, phone numbers, and addresses.
• According to Entrepreneur, people want smaller businesses to have a website with personality, flavor, and sensibility. They expect a more personal touch than the websites of bigger corporations.
• Entrepreneur also suggests having third-party validation through testimonials, awards, positive news, case studies, etc. Reviews are another good way to show potential client families what others have thought of your service.
• Consumers also want a website that’s easy to use and navigate, according to Entrepreneur. And according to Hubspot, 76% of consumers say the most important factor in a website’s design is “the website makes it easy for me to find what I want.” For funeral homes, that means obituaries should be easy to find since that’s what most visitors want to see. They shouldn’t have to search for the obituaries or click on multiple menus to get to them; recent obituaries should be right there on the front page.
• According to Bright Local, the “four Ps” for local business website success are Product, Price, Place, and Phone number. These are the four pieces of information consumers of every age expect to easily find on your website.