By Welton Hong

At some point, nearly every funeral home owner asks the same question: Does anyone still care about the Better Business Bureau seal?

With Google reviews, social proof and online reputation now driving most consumer decisions, the value of an accreditation from the BBB may not seem to make sense anymore. However, when it comes to funeral service, the answer isn’t as simple as yes or no.

The honest answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no. The value depends largely on where your funeral home is in its growth cycle, who you serve and how competitive your market is.

What BBB Accreditation Actually Signals

BBB accreditation does not mean the organization has audited your embalming practices, verified your facilities or certified the quality of your services. That misconception still exists among consumers, but it’s not what the BBB seal represents.

Instead, accreditation means you are:

• Paying annual dues to the BBB
• Agreeing to follow its established Standards of Trust
• Committing to transparency, ethical advertising and proper complaint resolution

In return, your funeral home is allowed to display the BBB Accredited Business seal on your website and marketing materials.

What that seal communicates to families–especially older families–is simple: This business is willing to be held accountable.

In industries such as funeral service, that promise alone can carry meaningful weight.

Why BBB Still Matters to Certain Families

While younger generations are conditioned to trust star ratings and online reviews, baby boomers and consumers aged 55 and over grew up with the BBB as a primary consumer protection authority. For them, the BBB logo still signals legitimacy, stability and professionalism.

And those demographics overlap heavily with funeral decision-makers.

For a grieving spouse, adult child, or prearrangement shopper in that age group, seeing the BBB seal can quietly reinforce the idea that:

• Your funeral home is established
• You operate transparently
• You will handle problems fairly if something goes wrong

In a moment when families are searching for emotional certainty, that extra layer of reassurance can matter.

The Cost of BBB Accreditation

BBB accreditation is not inexpensive, and cost is often the first objection funeral owners raise.

Pricing varies by market and size, but generally accreditation will cost a smaller firm $500 to $1,500. Larger firms may potentially have to pay up to $4,000.

This is not a one-time fee; it is an ongoing annual expense.

That cost alone brings up the question we started with: Is it worth it?

Where BBB Accreditation Helps the Most

There is one scenario where BBB accreditation makes the most sense: the early stages of growth.

If your funeral home is new to the market, if it has limited Google reviews or if you are competing against long-established firms, then BBB accreditation can act as an early trust substitute.

When families don’t see many Google reviews or recognizable credibility markers, the BBB seal can help fill that gap. It gives your website an immediate signal that you are serious, legitimate and accountable, especially before your online reputation has fully matured.

In other words, BBB accreditation can help buy you trust while you earn it elsewhere.

The Limitations Funeral Homes Must Understand

Here is where expectations often need recalibration.

BBB accreditation:

• Does not improve your Google rankings
• Does not replace the need for online reviews
• Does not verify service quality
• Does not outweigh negative Google feedback

Today’s consumers, especially adult children making arrangements, care far more about what recent families say on Google than what seal appears in your website footer.

A BBB badge cannot compensate for poor online reputation management, inconsistent service or unanswered reviews.

If your funeral home has minimal Google presence, unresolved negative reviews or no reputation strategy at all, accreditation alone will not solve those problems.

When the ROI Starts to Diminish

As your funeral home grows and accumulates, the incremental value of the BBB seal often declines.

That means the annual fee you invest in the BBB seal will diminish as you get more Google reviews, a larger number of four- and five-star rankings and as more people start to personally recommend you to others.

Your goal should be to get to the point where you don’t need to incur the expense, because after all, families trust feedback–be it personal or online–more than an institutional seal (even one that has been around as long as the BBB).

There is just no getting around it: Reviews on platforms such as Google, Facebook and Yelp carry more credibility these days with families, particularly for adult children researching their options online.

Keep It or Redirect the Budget?

Some funeral homes choose to maintain BBB accreditation even after building a strong online reputation. And in highly competitive markets, that can still make sense.

Why?

Because trust is cumulative.

The BBB seal may no longer be your primary credibility signal, but it can give families another layer of reassurance.

That said, once your review ecosystem is established, your dollars may generate higher returns when invested in Google review generation systems, online reputation management, local SEO and visibility, and website conversion optimization.

These efforts influence both consumer trust and search performance, something BBB accreditation does not do.

The Bottom Line for Funeral Professionals

BBB accreditation is neither obsolete nor essential; it is situational.

If your funeral home lacks strong third-party validation, the BBB seal can be a worthwhile investment to establish early trust, particularly with older families. If your reputation is already well-established, its role becomes supplemental rather than central.

The smartest approach is not ideological; it’s strategic.

Ask yourself:

• Do families visiting our website already see strong trust signals?
• Are we actively generating and managing Google reviews?
• Is our market highly competitive?
• Would this budget drive more impact elsewhere?

In funeral service, trust is built through many small signals working together. The BBB seal can be one of them, but it should never be the only one.

Welton Hong is the founder and CEO of Ring Ring Marketing.

The American Board of Funeral Service Education is seeking qualified volunteers to participate in a review of parts of the board’s curriculum.

In 2026, the ABFSE will be reviewing outlines in the following areas:

• History of Funeral Service and Embalming
• Pathology
• Sociology

The ABFSE is specifically looking for educators who have experience teaching in these areas. While those chosen will not be paid, the board will cover the cost of lodging and meals. The review will be held at San Antonio College in Texas.

Those interested are encouraged to send a brief resume, highlighting relevant experience, to the ABFSE office, in care of Trudy Ellmore (trellmore@abfse.org) or Jzyk Ennis (jennis@jeffersonstate.edu). The deadline to apply is March 16, 2026.

Arnold

Our sincerest condolences to New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association President-elect and Essex, Union and West Hudson County Funeral Directors Association member Samuel C. Arnold on the death of his sister, Peggy Ann Arnold, who died on February 13, 2026.

Bongarzone

Our sincerest condolences to Monmouth and Ocean County Funeral Directors Association member Anthony J. Bongarzone on the death of his father, Antonio Bongarzone, who died on February 12, 2026.

Bailey

Our sincerest condolences to the family of J. Leonard Bailey, former member of the Morris County Funeral Directors Association, who died on February 9, 2026.

Priola

Our sincerest condolences to Morris County Funeral Directors Association member Stephen J. Priola on the death of his mother, Angela M. Priola, who died on January 30, 2026.

The fallout from the Colorado funeral home case continues as families grieve. A person moved to North Carolina to be a gravedigger. What lessons did he learn? And Israel’s burial policy is facing challenges as space for graves dwindles. These stories and more are in the week in funeral news.

NEWS

How One Man Learned His Mother Was Found Among 189 Decaying Bodies at a Colorado Funeral Home
By Jesse Delayn (The Associated Press)
Derrick Johnson buried his mother’s ashes beneath a golden dewdrop tree with purple blossoms at his home on Maui’s Haleakalā Volcano, fulfilling her wish of a final resting place looking over her grandchildren. Then the FBI called. Read more here.

When Grief Came for the Gravedigger
By Will Bahr (The New York Times)
I took the job because it was available, because I wanted to move back to my college town of Asheville, NC, because I wanted to work outside. I took it because, by the end of mine, I desperately wanted to have lived an interesting life. I had the vague idea that digging graves for a living might render me more sage. I thought it might force me to look mortality in the eye, and that this would surely be a good thing. Read more here.

Israel’s Generous Burial Policy Will Become Unsustainable as Population Ages, Study Warns
By Zeb Stub (The Times of Israel)
Israel’s policies regarding the burial of the dead are among the most generous in the world, with every citizen guaranteed a permanent state-funded grave near their place of residence. This policy may, however, soon be unsustainable due to an expected surge in the elderly population in the coming decades, according to a new study by Professor Alex Weinreb, chair of the Demography Area and Research Director at the Taub Center. Read more here.

The Dead Who Needed Restraining
By Digg
For centuries, people in parts of Poland feared that the dead did not always stay dead. Archaeologists have uncovered graves that reveal just how seriously these fears were taken. In several burial sites, skeletons were found with iron sickles placed tightly across their throats or stomachs–positioned so that if the corpse tried to rise, the blade would sever it. Others were buried with stones or coins forced into their mouths, a ritual meant to stop the dead from biting or feeding on the living. Read more here.

Former Guardsman Fights for National Cemetery Spot
By Mike McKnight (WOWT)
A missing record is nothing new for the federal government, especially if we are talking about more than half a century ago. A quest to find important proof of military service hit a dead end for a former National Guard member from Omaha, NE. Planning his own memorial service, 80-year-old Ed Drees has spent months trying to prove service to his country that he argues earned him a place in the Omaha National Cemetery. Read more here.

“Outdated” Cremation Law Causes Distress for Families and Risk of Prosecution for Doctors
By Christie Bailey (Jersey Evening Post)
Grieving families in an island that is part of the United Kingdom are being forced into distress, delay and needless legal wrangles because of a “extremely outdated” cremation law is over 60 years behind the rest of the country. A proposition now aims to repeal a controversial rule in Jersey that makes it unlawful to cremate someone who has ever left written instructions against cremation–even if, years later, they told loved ones they had changed their mind. This rule was scrapped in the United Kingdom 1965, but Jersey never followed suit. Read more here.

Panic, Screams at Burial as Casket Slips into Grave
By Racheal Nyaguthie (MSN)
A viral video is now showing the moment when a burial ceremony was momentarily disrupted after a casket mistakenly slipped into the grave, causing great shock and panic. Read more here.

Harvard Students Restore the Old Burying Ground
By Amanda Henley (Harvard Square)
For many years, the brick pathways connecting the graves of Harvard’s earliest presidents lay hidden beneath grass, ivy, and weeds in Cambridge’s Old Burying Ground. In November 2025, a group of Harvard undergraduates from the Hasty Pudding Institute cleared away the overgrowth and brought them back into the sunshine. The Old Burying Ground is one of Harvard Square’s most historic sites. Established around 1635, it was the University’s earliest cemetery and the final resting place for some of its first leaders. Read more here.

Rich Medieval Danes Bought Graves “Closer to God” Despite Leprosy Stigma, Archaeologists Find
By Frontiers
Scientists studying social exclusion based on illness in medieval Denmark expected to find that people with chronic diseases, especially leprosy–a heavily stigmatized disease that Christianity associated with sin–would be barred from burial in prominent, prestigious graves. However, they found that these higher-status burial places were still open to leprosy or tuberculosis patients, despite the social stigma. Read more here.

Interest in embalming as a part of funeral arrangements has dropped, according to a Wake Forest University study, while a growing number of consumers are willing to consider alternative methods of disposition once they become aware of them.

“Although nearly all respondents (94.2 percent) had heard of the practice [of embalming], only 43.1 percent reported that they would consider it,” the survey found.

Embalming, which the survey called a “cornerstone” of the funeral industry, has long been a staple in the services offered by mortuaries. Up until less than 10 years ago, full casket burials, many of which included embalming, accounted for the majority of dispositions. Cremations, however, now account for well more than half of all dispositions in the United States, and the practice is projected to continue to grow.

The interest in embalming was less than 50 percent in all but one region in the United States. In the South, where 52.2 percent would consider embalming. In the West, the interest was particularly low, at 24.8 percent. In the Northeast, which includes New Jersey, the level of interest was at 44.8 percent.

The study concluded that, at least in the West, current licensing requirements for funeral directors might need to be reconsidered.

“This information could inform state legislatures in the West when considering whether to bifurcate funeral directing/embalming licenses and otherwise reduce the importance of embalming education and training in the licensure of funeral directors,” the study stated.

In New Jersey, the state Legislature has already considered that change, creating a license for those who want to practice mortuary science but not embalm bodies. The New Jersey law, however, does requires education in the practice.

The study also points to what it calls the “cremation paradox.” While 72.6 percent of those surveyed said they would consider cremation, only 33.4 percent said it was their first option. The study called that gap a “significant disconnect.”

“When coupled with the substantial stated interest in other methods of disposition, this survey data suggests that the current market may be shaping consumer behavior through constraints rather than genuinely meeting consumer desire,” the study said.

While the study does not indicate what those constraints might be, costs could be a factor. A full casket burial carries a price tag significantly higher than cremation.

Full casket burial, cremation and body donation to science were the options that a huge majority of consumers were aware of, with green burial, alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction body treatments and disposition that fewer people knew. The study, however, also found that when lesser-known options were explained to consumers, they were more willing to consider them. Alkaline hydrolysis is often called water cremation, and natural organic reduction is referred to as human composting.

“Policymakers and those seeking to influence legislature to legalize water cremation and human composting may wish to pay particular attention to the willingness of respondents to consider these newer methods of disposition, the study concluded.

Overall, consumers were more willing to considering cremation (72.6 percent) and casket burial (64.1 percent), but green burial showed significant growth potential when it comes to a chosen method of disposition. Fewer than half of those surveyed knew what green burial was, but 56.4 percent were willing to consider it once they were once it was explained to them.

The rise of alternative dispositions could present another disruption in funeral service, the study indicates.

“As alternative methods of dispositions increase availability, this may signal a future impact on the cremation rate,” the study concludes.

The operators of Princeton Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Robbinsville are planning to withdraw their proposal to build a crematorium on their property and will instead seek to construct a mausoleum.

The change in plans was the result of a compromise with Robbinsville officials and state legislators after a year-long fight with neighbors of the cemetery over the crematorium proposal. That fight led to a legislative effort to restrict the location of crematories in cemeteries throughout the state.

Princeton Memorial Park sought to build the crematory on the cemetery’s property, but the area where the facility would be built was approximately 792 feet from an elementary school. Some neighbors vehemently objected to the proposal, saying emissions from a crematory would be harmful for children at the school and in the area.

In response to the memorial park’s plans, Senator Linda Greenstein (D-14) introduced a bill in 2025 that would ban the construction of crematories within 1,000 feet of a school, residential area or some recreational areas. While the bill passed the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee in February 2025, it died at the end of the legislative session in January 2026.

Meanwhile, Greenstein, along with Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-14) and Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy (D-14), began negotiations with Robbinsville officials and cemetery representatives to find a compromise. They announced the result of those talks on Friday, February 13, 2026.

“As cremation rates continue to rise, so do concerns about the potential impacts of the toxic fumes this process creates,” the three legislators said in a press release. “By coming together, we found a better path forward that will protect our schools, homes, and recreation areas from adverse health impacts and support the future business of a longstanding community cemetery.”

Princeton Memorial Park officials had argued that restricting the locations of crematories within cemeteries could reduce any potential revenue streams and force some older burial grounds into receivership.

The New Jersey Cemetery Association, which also opposed to the bill, had cautioned against any temptation to allow crematories to be built outside of cemeteries, saying that current law ensures the safety and professionalism of crematory operation.