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If you’ve followed any of my blog posts over the past year, you’ll know that Google Search is not what it was.
I am now firmly of the view that spending on SEO to rank on Google is a complete waste of money for funeral directors.
This is a bold statement because for the past twenty years it has been a good idea for funeral directors to pay marketing agencies to rank on Google.
But that is no longer the case as the search landscape online continues to change rapidly - none of it in Google’s favour.
First and foremost, the public are increasingly not using Google for finding out stuff online anymore.
ChatGPT is taking over as the people’s go-to advisor for everything, and there is nothing Google can do about it.
In many ways this was inevitable. An AI assistant that gives you the answer straight away is much more useful than a bunch of websites to click.
All it took was for AI to get good enough to take over as the de-facto gateway to information on the Internet. That moment is already here.
It therefore makes no sense for funeral directors to spend money trying to rank on a platform that people are leaving and Google itself is cannibalising.
Think about it.
Every time you use Google Search, it shows you the AI Overview before the search results.
Every time you use Google Search, you only see adverts as you scroll down your phone.
Soon, every time you use Google Search, it will default to AI Mode with no websites to click.
Of course plenty of people have called the demise of Google Search over the years and they’ve all been wrong.
I must be clear though: I’m not saying Google as a company will cease to exist.
What I am saying is that Google Search, the dominant way all of us have looked for stuff on the Internet, is on its way out and it’s happening much quicker than most people realise.
Which is why funeral directors spending any money at all on ranking in Google is now a collosal waste of money.
