Separate internal records from public information
Cemetery records often contain details that staff need but the public should not see. Public search should expose only fields the cemetery has chosen to publish.
Private notes, family contact details, documents, payment information, and staff-only history should stay behind authenticated permissions.
Use memorial visibility settings deliberately
Memorial pages can be public, family-only, or private depending on the cemetery's policies and family preferences.
A public memorial should never be created simply because an internal record exists. Publication should be intentional.
- Review which record fields appear in public results.
- Keep documents, payments, and family contact data private.
- Confirm memorial page visibility before sharing links.
- Provide a clear request-family-access path when appropriate.
Test search with real privacy scenarios
Before enabling search, test common cases: a public record, a private record, a family-only memorial, a record with no plot marker, and a name that returns multiple results.
The goal is for visitors to find appropriate information without exposing sensitive cemetery or family data.