By Welton Hong, founder and CEO of Ring Ring Marketing
When funeral home owners ask me whether they should invest in Google Ads or Google Local Services Ads, my answer is always the same:
You’re asking the wrong question.
The real question isn’t which platform is better. It’s where a family is in their journey when they begin searching online.
Some families are just starting to gather information. They’re researching cremation versus burial, comparing funeral homes, reading reviews and trying to determine whom they can trust during one of life’s most difficult moments.
Others simply need someone to answer the phone.
Those are two very different types of searches, which is why Google Ads and Google Local Services Ads aren’t competing marketing tools — they’re complementary ones. Each reaches families at a different stage of the decision-making process, and together they create a stronger digital marketing strategy than either could alone.
Google Local Services Ads may be relatively new to the funeral profession, but the platform itself certainly isn’t. Google first introduced it in 2015 for home service businesses such as plumbers, electricians, and locksmiths, refining the program for more than a decade before expanding it to additional industries, including funeral service.
That’s good news for funeral homes. Rather than experimenting with an unproven platform, they’re gaining access to a mature advertising product that Google has spent years improving.
Google Ads Help You Tell Your Story
Think of traditional Google Ads as a spotlight you control.
You decide which keywords trigger your ads. You write the message. You determine exactly where visitors land on your website.
If someone searches for “cremation services,” for example, you can direct them to a dedicated cremation page that explains your services, answers common questions, showcases testimonials and helps families understand what makes your funeral home different.
Your website becomes part of the sales process: It educates, builds trust and answers objections before someone ever picks up the phone.
By the time many families call after visiting your website, they already know something about your funeral home. They’ve seen your facilities. They’ve read your reviews. They’ve begun forming confidence in your business.
Those are often very productive conversations because much of the relationship-building has already happened online.
Local Services Ads Are Built for Speed
Google Local Services Ads work very differently.
Instead of encouraging someone to visit your website, they create a much faster path.
When someone performs a qualifying search, Google displays verified local providers near the top of the search results. Families can call directly from the ad without ever visiting your website.
That’s incredibly valuable during urgent situations.
Unlike someone researching funeral planning months in advance, many families searching today need immediate assistance. They aren’t casually browsing the internet. They’re trying to solve a very real problem.
For those searches, reducing friction matters.
The easier you make it for someone to contact you, the more opportunities you have to serve them.
Of course, that creates a different challenge.
Because callers may know very little about your funeral home, your staff’s ability to answer the phone, build rapport and guide the conversation becomes even more important. Local Services Ads often deliver highly motivated callers, but they haven’t necessarily spent time learning your story beforehand.
At first, these leads may not seem as warm, but it’s only because the people who call you may not know much about you yet and you need to persuade them to choose your firm. Working in your favor is this: Their need is typically urgent.
One Doesn’t Replace the Other
This is why I encourage funeral homes to stop viewing these two options from Google as competitors. In fact, they are teammates.
Google Ads help cultivate understanding while Local Services Ads capture immediate intent.
One helps educate families before they call, and the other helps generate the call in the first place.
Expecting either platform to handle the entire customer journey is like expecting one employee to manage every responsibility inside your funeral home. That’s simply not how effective marketing works.
Each tool has a specific job.
Together, they’re much stronger than either one alone.
Why Now Is a Good Time
One advantage funeral homes currently have is that relatively few firms are running Local Services Ads.
Whenever Google expands a platform into a new industry, early adopters often benefit from lower competition and attractive pricing while participation remains limited.
That opportunity won’t last forever.
As more funeral homes begin using the platform, competition will naturally increase.
That’s one reason I encourage funeral homes to begin the verification process now — even if they aren’t ready to launch campaigns immediately.
The verification process itself can take several weeks, depending on Google’s requirements. Completing that step now gives you flexibility later. Once approved, you can turn campaigns on or off as they fit your marketing strategy.
Building a Stronger Digital Presence
At Ring Ring Marketing, we’ve helped funeral homes maximize Google Ads for years, and we’re now helping clients integrate Google Local Services Ads into a broader lead generation strategy.
That includes guiding funeral homes through Google’s verification process, launching and optimizing campaigns, tracking qualified leads and making sure incoming calls are handled effectively.
The goal isn’t simply generating more clicks.
It’s generating more conversations with families who need your services.
Ultimately, that’s why I believe the future isn’t Google Ads or Google Local Services Ads.
It’s Google Ads and Google Local Services Ads.
Because families don’t all begin their journey at the same place.
Some need information.
Some need reassurance.
And some simply need someone to answer the phone.
The funeral homes that position themselves to meet families at each of those moments will be the ones best positioned to earn both their trust—and their business.
I invite you to learn more about our Local Ads Services by visiting this page we’ve dedicated to the topic. The team at Ring Ring Marketing and I stand ready to help your funeral home capitalize on this new option from Google.
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.
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