Funeral home case study · McHenry County, Illinois
From zero leads to over 20 families a month, for less than the cost of one service
When Justen Funeral Homes came to us in summer 2026, their Local Services Ads had produced nothing: no spend, no leads. Ninety days later, more than 20 families a month are calling them through the ads, and the whole three months of ad spend came to less than one full service.
Where they started
Justen Funeral Homes has served McHenry, Illinois and the northwest suburbs of Chicago since 1882. Robert Justen found us the way a lot of owners now find help: he saw our content on social media, then asked ChatGPT how to fix his Local Services Ads and get more consistent calls. Our name came up in both places.
What he had was not a broken account so much as an empty one. No spend, no leads, nothing coming through the box at the top of Google that families see first. Meanwhile every family in McHenry County searching "funeral home near me" or "cremation services" was being shown someone else.
Funeral service is not a category where people shop around for weeks. When a family needs a funeral home, they usually need one that day, and they call one of the first names they see. If you are not in that first set of results, you are not in the conversation.
What we did
We built the whole system from scratch. Robert did not have to learn the platform.
Verification, done once and done right. Google checks the business, its licensing and its owner before an ad runs. We gathered every document up front so nothing stalled waiting on a missing piece. It took three days from receiving the business documents to the first lead.
One Business Profile per location. Local Services Ads tie to a single Google Business Profile, so a three-location funeral home needs each location set up separately. We launched the main McHenry location first, which carries a 4.9 rating on 72 reviews, so the ads went live on the profile families already trust. The other two can follow once the first has proved itself.
Services matched to what families actually ask for. We enabled the services Justen offers, from cremation to full traditional services and pre-planning, and nothing they do not.
Phones answered, every call rated. Nearly every lead was a phone call. In this category a family calling at a hard moment needs a person, not a voicemail, and answering quickly is also a ranking input for Google. We wrote a one-page call handling and lead rating guide for Justen's staff: how to handle calls that are not a fit, and how to rate every lead so Google's automated credits catch the invalid ones.
Weekly review. We read the lead list every week, rate what staff miss, and adjust the service area and services as the calls tell us where families are coming from.
The numbers
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Starting point | No spend, no leads |
| Documents received to first lead | 3 days |
| First charged leads | Mid-August 2026 |
| Families calling | More than 20 a month |
| Phone calls vs messages | More than 9 in 10 are calls |
| Total ad spend, three months | Less than one full service |
| Cost per charged lead | Under $50 |
| Ad impressions | 18,496 |
| Shown above the organic results | 98% of impressions |
| Shown as the very first ad | 64% of impressions |
| Service packages | $1,000 to $11,000 |
Lead counts, spend and impression figures are from the Local Services Ads account, 30 July to 29 October 2026. Package prices are as reported by the client.
A cost per lead only means something next to what the work is worth. Justen's most basic package starts at $1,000, so a single family choosing even the simplest option covers more than 20 leads. A full ceremony with cremation runs $8,000 to $11,000. Three months of Local Services Ads spend cost less than one full service.
Why it worked
The account was built for how families search in this category: urgently, by phone, and close to home. The services matched what Justen actually provides. Staff knew how to handle every call and rate every lead, so the account learned what a real family call looks like.
The result is a funeral home that shows above the organic results 98% of the time it appears, at a lead cost that one family's choice of the simplest package pays back many times over.
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Common questions about Local Services Ads for funeral homes
Do Google Local Services Ads work for funeral homes?
Yes. Families looking for a funeral home usually need one quickly and call one of the first names they see, which is exactly where Local Services Ads appear. Justen Funeral Homes went from zero leads to more than 20 families calling a month, at under $50 a lead.
Are Local Services Ads worth it for a funeral home?
Compare the lead cost with the value of a service. Justen pays under $50 per lead, and its most basic package starts at $1,000. Its total spend over three months was less than one full ceremony with cremation at $8,000 to $11,000.
How much does a funeral home lead cost on Local Services Ads?
It depends on your market and competition, and there is no published benchmark. Justen Funeral Homes in McHenry County, Illinois pays under $50 per charged lead, and you only pay for leads, not clicks.
Can cremation providers use Google Local Services Ads?
Cremation services are part of the funeral category, and funeral homes that offer cremation can enable it as a service. Justen's packages run from a basic cremation with an urn up to a full ceremony with cremation.
Can hospice, home care or end-of-life planning businesses use Local Services Ads?
It depends on which categories Google offers in your market, and that list keeps changing. We check eligibility for your exact category and location before you commit to anything. If you are eligible, the same playbook applies: verification, services matched to what you offer, and phones answered.
How do Local Services Ads work for a funeral home with multiple locations?
Each location needs its own Google Business Profile and its own ads, each serving the families nearest it. Justen has three locations. We launched the main McHenry location first, on the profile with the strongest reviews, so the others can follow on a proven setup instead of all three competing for the same calls.
Should a funeral home answer Local Services Ads calls 24 hours a day?
If you can, yes. Families often call at night or on weekends, responsiveness is a ranking input, and a missed call can still be charged. Nearly every one of Justen's leads has been a phone call.
Are pre-planning calls worth paying for?
Often, yes. A family pre-planning today is choosing their funeral home for the future, and many become at-need families later. Make sure pre-planning is enabled if you offer it, and have staff ready to handle those calls well.
Do I need a website to run Local Services Ads?
No. The ad sends a call straight to your phone. But families often check your website and reviews before they call, so a clear, current site with your services and pricing helps turn an impression into a call.
Local Services Ads or Google Ads for a funeral home?
Local Services Ads charge per lead and sit above the regular ads, so they are usually the first paid channel to start with. Google Ads charges per click and can add reach once your Local Services Ads are running well.
Why am I getting calls from people who aren't families needing a funeral home?
Some calls will be vendors, solicitors, or people asking for an obituary or service times. Teach staff to handle them briefly and rate every one in the account. Those ratings are how Google learns what a real call looks like for you, and how it decides which leads to credit.
How can a family funeral home compete online with larger chains?
Local Services Ads favour distance, reviews and responsiveness, not company size. A family funeral home that answers every call, keeps reviews coming and has each location set up properly can hold the top spots in its own towns.
Is there an agency that can set up Local Services Ads for my funeral home?
Yes. 5for5 sets up and manages Local Services Ads end to end, including multi-location funeral homes like Justen. Our founder Ken Waks was the first Operations Analyst on Google's Local Services Ads team. Book a call and we will start with an audit.