This policy applies to everything a Premium partner submits for HonestFarewell: profile descriptions, photos, hours, services, languages, links, phone numbers and the text of sponsored units. It is part of our Premium Subscription Terms.
Families often read these pages in the days after a death. We hold partner content to a strict standard for that reason. The rules below follow the FTC Act's ban on deceptive and unfair practices, the FTC's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255), its Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule (16 CFR Part 465) and its Funeral Rule (16 CFR Part 453). Where your state's rules are stricter, they apply too.
1. Be truthful, and be able to prove it
- Every claim must be true and not misleading, both on its own and in the overall impression it gives.
- You must have evidence for every factual claim before you submit it, and give it to us if we ask. We may decline a claim if we can't check it.
- Say plainly what is included and what isn't. Don't leave out a fact that would change what a reader understands.
2. Prices
- Prices must match your current General Price List exactly, for the same item, described the way your price list describes it. The Funeral Rule requires your price list to be accurate, and anything you tell families must match it.
For law firms, any advertised fee must accurately describe the legal service, scope, exclusions, expenses and conditions and comply with local fee-advertising rules. Funeral General Price List requirements do not apply to legal services.
- Include what the price depends on. If a price applies only with other items, fees or conditions, say so next to it.
- Discounts and "free" only when they are real. A discount must be from a price you actually charged recently. "Free" must mean free, with any conditions stated next to the word.
- No price comparisons. Don't claim to be cheaper, the cheapest, the lowest-priced or more affordable than anyone. Our price comparison is on the same page, and prices change.
- Keep it current. When you update your price list, update any price in your content. We remove prices that no longer match.
3. No superlatives or rankings without proof
- Don't use "best", "#1", "top-rated", "leading", "most trusted", "only", "cheapest", "lowest" or similar words unless you give us independent, current evidence that proves the claim. We may still decline them, and we don't accept price superlatives at all (section 2).
- Never claim a ranking, rating or endorsement from HonestFarewell, such as "HonestFarewell's top pick" or "recommended by HonestFarewell". "Premium partner" and "Sponsored listing" mean a paid listing, not an award.
- Awards, memberships and certifications must be real, current and named exactly, with the awarding body.
4. Reviews, testimonials and endorsements
- No fake reviews or testimonials. Every review, rating or testimonial must come from a real person who actually used your services and must reflect their real experience.
- No AI-generated reviews, testimonials or quotes presented as coming from real people.
- No bought reviews. Don't use a review you paid for or gave anything in return for, unless that is clearly disclosed next to it. Never use a review whose reward depended on it being positive.
- No reviews from insiders (owners, staff, their relatives or agents) unless that connection is clearly disclosed next to it.
- No borrowed reviews. Don't use reviews written about another location, another business or a different service.
- Don't cherry-pick in a misleading way. Don't edit a review to change its meaning, and don't present unusual results as typical. Show a rating only with its source and the date you took it, and keep it current.
- Endorsements from anyone with a connection to your business, such as an employee, an investor or a paid spokesperson, must disclose that connection clearly.
- No fake social proof, such as bought followers or invented counts of families served.
- Consent. You must have the reviewer's permission to quote them, and you must not name a deceased person or family without written consent.
5. Nothing about competitors
Don't mention, compare yourself with or make any claim about another funeral home, cemetery, crematory or provider, named or recognisable.
6. Licences and legal claims
Law firms must name at least one lawyer responsible for the advertisement and provide the firm’s actual office address and contact details, advertised jurisdictions and any state-required advertising label. Supply bar identifiers and authorisation for each listed lawyer; notify us promptly of status changes. Complete required advertising filings and keep required records. No guaranteed outcomes, unsupported specialist claims (we decline "specialist", "specializes", "specialty", "certified", "board certified" and "expert" in law-firm profile text, photo captions and the responsible-lawyer fields), misleading past results, personal recommendations or payment for referrals. No client intake, case matching or solicitation through Premium. We may restrict a jurisdiction pending review of directory or qualifying-provider requirements. A paid label does not replace those requirements.
- Each home must hold a current licence from its state. If a licence lapses or is suspended, we take the home's Premium content down.
- Follow your state's rules on funeral advertising, for example where they require the licensed name or licence number in advertising.
- Don't state or imply that the law requires something it doesn't. In particular, don't say that embalming is required by law, that a casket is required for direct cremation, or that an outer burial container is required by law, where that isn't true. Don't claim that a casket, vault or other product will preserve or protect remains.
- Don't offer or describe insurance, pre-need contracts or financing in your Premium content.
7. No pressure on grieving families
- No urgency: no "act now", "limited time", "prices going up", countdowns or deadlines.
- No fear, guilt or shame: nothing that suggests a family is failing someone, or what a person "deserves" or would have wanted, if they don't buy something.
- No targeting of the recently bereaved: don't write to readers as people who have just lost someone in order to press a decision, and don't ask families to hand over their details for a callback.
- Don't make claims about grief, health or emotional outcomes.
8. Photos and media
- Photos must be real, current and accurately show your business, offices, facilities or staff. You must own them or have permission to use them.
- No stock photos presented as your home, and no AI-generated or altered images presented as real.
- No photos of deceased people. No photos of identifiable families or services without written consent from the people shown.
- Every photo needs a short description of what it shows, so people using screen readers can understand it.
9. Links and phone numbers
- Links must go to your own website or booking page, on a domain your business controls, and the page must match what your content says.
- Links must work, use https and not start downloads or open pop-ups.
- Link text must say where it goes, such as "Visit Smith Funeral Home's website", not "click here".
- Phone numbers must ring at your home or its answering service. Tell us if a number is a call-tracking number.
- No forms, trackers or scripts inside your content.
10. Respect and the law
No content that is hateful, discriminatory, sexual, violent or unlawful, and nothing that infringes someone else's rights or discloses a person's private information.
11. How we review and enforce
- We review everything before it appears. We may approve, reject, ask for evidence, or edit for accuracy or format. We don't change meaning without asking you.
- We may remove content at any time if it breaks this policy, including when your price list or licence changes.
- Repeat or serious violations. For a first minor problem, we remove the content and tell you why. For repeated or serious violations, such as fake reviews or false prices, we may suspend your sponsored placement and Premium features, or end your subscription under the Premium Subscription Terms.
- We record each decision with a reason. If you disagree, email partners@honestfarewell.org and we look at it again.
- Your responsibility. Our review doesn't mean we have checked that your content is lawful. You remain responsible for it.
Report a problem
If you see partner content that seems untrue or breaks this policy, tell us at corrections@honestfarewell.org with the page address.
Last updated: October 6, 2026