When a loved one sadly passes there’s no easy way to say goodbye. As a funeral home, however, you can at least offer your clients a way to make and immortalize their tributes with an online obituary. An obituary memorializes and celebrates the life of a loved one and now, thanks to the staying power of the internet, your website can offer families a place to view and share their loved one’s obituaries for years to come.

If you run a WordPress website, an obituary plugin will make it simple for you to manage and store obituaries through your site. When you’re deciding on an obituary plugin, make sure you get it right the first time by choosing a plugin that has all the right features. The best obituary plugin will have taken everything into account to bring you an effective and powerful plugin at an affordable price. Such a plugin will enable you to give visitors a flawless user experience and a straightforward way to view service details and leave messages in the guestbook.

So, what should you be looking for? These five things are essential:

1. A Seamless User Interface

Don’t waste time on a confusing user interface that’s weighed down with unnecessary features or convoluted designs. Choose a plugin that’s straightforward and easy to use, even for someone with no website developing experience.

2. Simple Installation and Setup Procedures

A plugin should be easy to install from the WordPress Dashboard – rather than requiring complex manual installation via an FTP. Many plugins also come with a compatibility checker to assess the download files. Run this checker first to ensure a smooth installation.

3. Well-organized Service Details

You want your obituary plugin to give you the ability to include all the information guests are going to want and need. For instance, your obituary plugin should offer fields for clear information on the service, visitation and cemetery details, including dates and directions.

4. Straightforward Dashboard Management

The best obituary plugins allow you to add and edit your obituaries straight from your WordPress dashboard. Some will even amplify the standard WordPress dashboard interface with a premium user experience that allows data to be entered quickly.

5. Responsive Design

Keep in mind that not everyone will be viewing your site on a desktop. In fact, more people are viewing websites on mobile devices than ever. Therefore, it’s important to choose an obituary plugin that looks and functions flawlessly on all devices, including mobile phones, tablets, notebooks and desktop computers.

And, to enhance your website even further, we recommend choosing an obituary plugin with these five features:

1. Social Share Functionality

Some obituary plugins allow your visitors to share an obituary with friends and family directly from the plugin to any social media platform or even email. This is a handy feature that offers your visitors that extra touch.

2. A Built-in Search Function

Make it even easier for visitors to find who they’re looking for with a search bar that allows them to search by a first or last name. This means visitors can find and view the profiles of their lost loved ones even years later.

3. Location Display with Google Maps

Let guests know exactly where to find your funeral home as well as viewing and cemetery locations. Adding a Google map will make it even easier and many plugins will make this possible in just a few clicks. Just note that you’ll need a Google map API key to activate your map.

4. Guest Book Management

Sometimes people leave inappropriate or abusive comments, even on obituary guest books. Making sure you have the ability to delete comments or approve them before they go live will mean you can manage what gets said and avoid anything unfortunate.

5. Printable Service Details

Another way you can make things easier for your clients is by giving them the ability to print service details straight from the online obituary. Choose a plugin that offers this feature and your clients will be able to print the details and service notes for handy reference or as a cherished keepsake.

Ultimately, an obituary plugin needs to consider both your needs on the backend and the needs of your users on the frontend. The ideal WordPress obituary plugin will be easy for you to install and manage, while also offering a seamless user experience with all the right features for your guests. And, better yet, it will deliver all this at an affordable price and with optimal flexibility in subscription packages.

For a plugin that checks all these boxes and more, check out Funeral Tributes ProSM. Sign up today and add an invaluable touch to your funeral home website.