How families may find information about your funeral business online

In 2024, more than half of registered deaths in Australia were of people aged 80 and over (ABS, Deaths, Australia). So the person arranging a funeral is often a son or daughter in their 50s or 60s, or a partner aged 65 or over. That is our reading of the figures, not a survey of funeral arrangers.

AI is not only for the young. About half of Australians aged 50 to 64, and 31% of those aged 65 and over, used an AI tool in an average four weeks early this year (Roy Morgan, 2026). Older Australians still use AI less than younger people, and that figure measures AI use generally, not how anyone chooses a funeral director. At the same time, when Ahrefs checked 25 common funeral searches in Australia in April and May 2026, Google showed an AI summary at the top for 18 of them (Ahrefs, 2026).

The same groundwork helps on Google and in AI answers. Here are seven checks you can make on your own website and profiles, whether or not you ever pay us anything.

1. Put key details on the page as plain text

Put your services, prices and the areas you cover on the page as text, not only in a PDF or a picture. Google says the normal basics apply to its AI features, including making important content available as text, and that no special markup is needed (Google Search Central). Microsoft says details kept only in PDFs or images, or hidden in tabs and expanding menus, are harder for AI answers to read (Microsoft, 2025).

In NSW, your price information already has to be shown prominently on any website you maintain, so this may just mean moving it onto the page (NSW Fair Trading).

2. Keep your name, address and phone number the same everywhere

Check that your business name, address, phone number and service area match on your own website, your Google Business Profile and every directory that lists you. Google says complete, accurate information helps a business profile show for the right local searches (Google Business Profile Help).

3. Ask trusted local places to name you and link to you

Google says local results depend partly on how well known a business is, including how many websites link to it and how many reviews it has (Google Business Profile Help). A link is simply another website pointing to yours, and links from other websites are one of the main ways Google finds pages (Google SEO Starter Guide). Research on AI summaries points the same way: in a study of large brands, those mentioned often across the web appeared in Google's AI summaries more, although that shows a link between the two, not a cause (Ahrefs, 2025).

For a funeral director, the places that count are usually local: your council or community directory, the cemeteries and crematoriums you work with, your industry association, the local paper, and the clubs and churches you support. Check that each one names you, shows the same details, and links to your website.

4. Look after your Google Business Profile

Open your profile and check your hours, phone number, website link, photographs and recent reviews. Google says complete information and replying to reviews both help local ranking, and that there is no way to pay for a better local ranking (Google Business Profile Help).

5. Answer the questions families actually ask

Add a short questions-and-answers section with the questions families ask you: what to do when someone dies at home, what a simple cremation costs, or whether you can arrange a service in another town. Microsoft says direct questions with clear answers are the easiest for AI answers to use (Microsoft, 2025).

6. Label your details for search engines

Structured data is a short hidden label that tells search engines, in effect, “this is a funeral home, at this address, with this phone number”; Google says it gives clear clues about what a page means, and it must match what the page shows (Google Search Central). Most website builders have a setting or plug-in for it, so ask whoever looks after your site (Google: local business).

7. Check how you appear, then fix the weakest spot first

On your phone, search Google for “funeral directors” and “cremation” with your town name, and note whether you appear in the map, the AI summary and the results below it. Then ask ChatGPT or Copilot who the funeral directors in your town are, twice, because the answers change from one try to the next. Whatever is missing or wrong is the place to start.

Your Funerals Direct listing

Your Funerals Direct listing is one more of those places, free or paid. It will not move you up Google on its own, but it adds to the picture. A paid profile lets you add more approved information and appear in an agreed, clearly labelled local section, and Nailea sets it up with you at no charge. You can check your free details or compare the listing options. Neither option guarantees an AI recommendation or a funeral enquiry.

If you would like a hand with any of this, get in touch or book a call.