New research shows organic obituary traffic surging, aggregators taking sessions and revenue, and Tribute-powered pages winning top Google rankings
WAUNAKEE, Wis., Oct. 7, 2025 — Tribute Technology announced the publication of Benchmarking the Modern Obituary: Traffic, Engagement, and Industry Threats, an analysis of more than one billion obituary sessions. The report shows how online obituaries fuel funeral home growth, where traffic originates, and how third-party aggregators divert audiences and purchases away from local firms.
“Obituaries are the entry point to the modern funeral home,” said Craig Greenseid, CEO of Tribute Technology. “This study gives owners the data to protect that entry point, so families, condolences, brand awareness, and commerce stay with the firm that served them.”
Obituaries are the top driver of funeral home website traffic, attracting more than 3.5 billion visits annually, with obituary pages drawing five times more visits than all other pages. Sixty percent of visitors are women over age 50, most within 25 miles of the funeral home, aligning with the primary pre-need decision-maker demographic.
When it comes to obituaries, the study shows speed and substance matter. Obituaries posted within two days of death drive 30 percent more visits and engagements, while those with 500 or more words generate twice as many.
The study confirms that 75 percent of obituary visits come from organic search or social sharing and underscores SEO-first design, especially on obituaries. This helps ensure families find their funeral home directly rather than an aggregator sites, which divert traffic and dollars. Funeral homes lose up to 260 sessions per obituary, reducing revenue, guestbook entries, and brand equity.
“Funeral homes want confidence that families will find obituaries on their own website, not an aggregator, and that once they land on that obituary, it drives the engagements, such as condolence messages or traffic to the other pages on the funeral home website.” said Andy Bourke, Chief Digital Officer at Tribute Technology. “Our platform is engineered to rank well, and we are always improving it. That keeps the conversation where it belongs and strengthens long-term family relationships.”
The study also notes that while AI assistants such as ChatGPT are growing, Google Search dominates with 150 billion monthly visits compared to ChatGPT’s 4 billion. Tribute Technology uses proven SEO structures and schema to ensure obituaries remain visible across both traditional and AI-driven search.
Finally, the report details the decline of print obituaries and growth of digital memorialization. Digital postings now account for 65 percent of death notices. Tribute Technology is expanding digital distribution through partnerships like Tribute Spotlights with Chptr, which brings obituaries to local television audiences.
Benchmarking the Modern Obituary is available from Tribute Technology. For details and product updates, visit the Tribute Technology News page.
About Tribute Technology: Tribute Technology is a leading provider of software and services for funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematories, helping professionals serve families through best-in-class websites, management tools, and digital memorialization solutions. The company is headquartered in Waunakee, Wisconsin.
Photo Caption: Tribute Technology’s new report, Benchmarking the Modern Obituary, analyzes over one billion obituary sessions—revealing how obituaries drive funeral home growth, where online traffic originates, and how aggregators siphon away audiences and sales. With obituaries generating more than 3.5 billion visits annually, this study helps funeral homes protect their most valuable digital entry point.
