The Future of Online Search

What 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 of links for families to sort through, Google synthesizes information from across the web and presents a single, conversational answer. Bing, backed by Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI, is fully embracing a similar model, placing ChatGPT-style answers at the top of many searches.

For searchers, this feels efficient and intuitive. But for businesses, including funeral homes, it represents a profound disruption. As AI tools summarize content rather than funneling users to individual websites, referral traffic drops—and so does the ability to control one’s narrative.

Free Tools, High Stakes

At first glance, this new wave of AI feels like an opportunity. Google, Microsoft and OpenAI are giving away extraordinarily powerful tools at no cost. But the economics underpinning these tools are not sustainable in their current form. AI engines are expensive to run, and the major platforms must ultimately monetize them to satisfy shareholders.

That means two things:

1. Today’s version of search may not resemble next year’s version.
2. Advertising, visibility, and placement inside AI search experiences will likely become paid products.

If your funeral home is building its entire marketing strategy on how search works in this moment, you risk being blindsided as the platforms shift—just as many businesses were when Google Local Pack reduced organic visibility years ago.

The Danger of Over-Committing to One Channel

Funeral homes have traditionally depended heavily on Google as the primary source of leads and visibility. And for good reason: Google has been the most dominant discovery engine in human history. But dominance has led to complacency.

As alternative channels emerge—from Bing’s new AI chat to platform-native answers in ChatGPT—funeral homes need to diversify their visibility strategy. Relying on a single platform in a volatile period is risky, especially when algorithms change overnight.

What Funeral Homes Should Do Now

1. Stay flexible—do not over-commit to a single platform or approach.
   Marketing strategies that bet exclusively on one stream of traffic (e.g., Google organic rankings) will be the most vulnerable. Instead, create a diversified ecosystem: search, social, community partnerships, email, paid ads, preneed campaigns and reputation management.
2. Build multiple lead-generation streams.
   If conversational AI becomes a primary interface for search, paid placement within those AI systems could become extraordinarily effective. Ask yourself: if families start asking ChatGPT or Bing Chat for “funeral homes near me,” where would your firm appear? Would it recognize your brand at all?
3. Strengthen your website content and brand authority.
   Even in an AI-driven world, these systems still depend on the open web. They scrape websites to build their answers. They rely on credible, trustworthy, authoritative content.
   If your funeral home’s website is outdated, thin on content, or lacking clear differentiation, AI systems will have nothing authoritative to pull from.

Content quality still matters—more than ever.

4. Balance brand marketing and performance marketing.
   Visibility is shifting from linear funnels to integrated ecosystems. Strong funeral home marketing now requires a balance:

• Brand marketing: educational articles, community involvement, storytelling, video, consistent messaging.
• Performance marketing: paid ads, lead-capture workflows, retargeting, SEO, and review management.

When the two work together, your visibility becomes platform-agnostic. Your brand becomes recognizable regardless of where a family begins their search.

5. Monitor emerging search channels.
   We are entering an era of search fragmentation. Google will remain important—but families will increasingly gather information from:

• Bing’s AI chat.
• ChatGPT.
• Apple-powered search (rumored to expand).
• Social search (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram).
• AI-native devices and assistants.

Funeral homes should begin testing, monitoring and learning from these platforms rather than waiting for competitors to do so first.

A Final Word: Agility Is a Competitive Advantage

One funeral home owner recently described the current search environment as “trying to hit a moving target in the dark.” While the analogy is apt, the situation is not bleak. In fact, the funeral homes that develop flexible, resilient marketing systems will gain an advantage as competitors remain stuck in old assumptions.

Online search is not disappearing—it is simply transforming. Families will always need help, and they will always look for trustworthy guides. The funeral homes that stay adaptive, invest in their digital presence and diversify their visibility will remain discoverable no matter what shape search takes next.

Welton Hong is the founder & CEO of Ring Ring Marketing, which has helped over 600 small businesses grow their revenue through online marketing strategies. He is also the author of “Making Your Phone Ring with Internet Marketing for Funeral Homes.” Visit ringringmarketing.com and follow the company on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X.