December 22, 2025
Published by 
Welton Hong on December 22, 2025
Welton Hong on December 22, 2025What Funeral Homes Must Do Now to Stay Visible in an AI-Driven World Over the past two decades, families searching for funeral services have overwhelmingly relied on Google’s links. But in the last 18 months, the foundation of online search has shifted more dramatically than at any other point in the internet era. Artificial-intelligence-driven summaries, conversational search results, and new platform economics are reshaping how consumers discover businesses—including funeral homes. For funeral service leaders, this moment may feel disorienting, but it is also a strategic inflection point. Those who adapt early will be far better positioned than those who assume today’s search landscape will remain intact. A Different Kind of Search Result—Powered by AI Google’s AI Overviews, which now appear on a rapidly growing share of consumer queries, function like ChatGPT built directly into search. Instead of presenting a list […]
November 25, 2025
Published by Welton Hong on November 25, 2025
Welton Hong on November 25, 2025Written By Welton Hong, founder and CEO of Ring Ring Marketing A profound change is taking place in how families discover and evaluate funeral homes, crematories and cemeteries online. For years, digital visibility revolved almost entirely around SEO — appearing prominently in Google’s traditional search results. But with the rapid rise of AI-driven search assistants and generative answer engines, a new discipline is becoming essential for deathcare professionals: GEO, or generative engine optimization. As consumers increasingly rely on conversational tools to ask questions like “What should I know before choosing a funeral home?” or “How does cremation work in my state?”, funeral businesses must ensure their expertise is recognized understood and mentioned d by these systems. GEO is not a replacement for SEO, but a necessary evolution of it — organizations that take steps now will be better positioned to […]
November 25, 2025
Published by 
Matt Blackwell on November 25, 2025
Matt Blackwell on November 25, 2025A sale is one of the most significant moments you can experience in your career as a business owner in this profession. So many factors are important when it comes time to sell, including the final purchase price. But for so many owners, it’s not the only thing. Reputation, legacy, and the relationships built in the community matter just as much, often times more. In fact, the 2023 NFDA Member Succession Study found that only 13% of owners said price was the most important thing to consider when selling or transferring the business. Leading that poll was “Maintaining Presence in the Community”, and “Family Legacy” at 30.8% and 26.6% respectively. This study shows that a successful transition is not just a financial decision, but also about protecting your name on the side of the building. At Foresight, we view every […]
November 25, 2025
Published by 
Luke Potter on November 25, 2025
Luke Potter on November 25, 2025In the funeral profession, operational issues rarely appear overnight. Most red flags emerge slowly, but with quiet signs that something is slipping. For owners juggling families, staffing, community obligations, day-to-day operations, and life in general, it’s easy for these warning signs to go unnoticed, but identifying them early can be the difference. Red flags aren’t failures; they are signals. And the most successful owners are the ones who recognize and address them before they become irreversible. One of the biggest warning signs is inconsistent call volume. Whether calls are declining, stagnating, or shifting toward lower-margin services, the trend matters far more than any single year’s performance. A weak or unclear understanding of market share is another major indicator of a red flag, especially when competition increases or consumer preferences shift. Cremation mix, pricing position, and your alignment with community demographics […]
November 25, 2025
Published by 
Chris Cruger on November 25, 2025
Chris Cruger on November 25, 2025Each November, business leaders in every profession pause to look ahead. For funeral home owners and cemetery operators, this isn’t just an annual exercise in forecasting; it’s an opportunity to figure out whether the next year will bring growth, stability or stagnation. If 2025 taught funeral home owners anything, it’s that they can no longer afford to coast. Consumer expectations are evolving faster than the profession can respond. Competition is intensifying. Technology– particularly artificial intelligence – is advancing at breakneck speed. The firms that thrive in 2026 will be those that prepare with clarity, intentionality and discipline right now. This past year, in this column for The Director, I’ve explored themes that point toward this moment. These include the education gap with families, the role of valuations as business self-care, the complexities of succession, the digital avalanche that’s shaping consumer […]