In this guide · 8 sections
- 01What families need from a funeral director's website
- 02Licensing: what to show on your site
- 03Package pricing that meets price transparency rules
- 04Obituaries and online condolence books
- 05Live streaming wakes and services privately
- 06Payments, deposits and religious and community clients
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Show a 24-hour phone and WhatsApp contact on every page, list packages with mandatory charges in the headline price, and explain the first steps after a death. Moderate condolence messages before they appear and keep live streams unlisted or passcode-protected.
What families need from a funeral director's website
Most visits come from a phone, often from a hospital or home, sometimes in the middle of the night. The site's first job is to get the family to a calm human voice quickly. Its second job is to answer "what happens now" and "what will it cost" without pressure.
Funeral website essentials
For the "what to do" page, link to official sources rather than rewriting them. The government's MyLegacy guide to arranging a funeral explains wake locations, permits and NEA's rule that a wake longer than 7 days after death needs NEA's prior written permission.
Licensing: what to show on your site
Be precise about licences. NEA's after-death facilities page says NEA is the licensing authority for crematoria and funeral parlours with embalming facilities. Families choosing embalming can check NEA's published list of licensed funeral parlours with embalming facilities.
So a funeral director that operates its own licensed parlour can say so and name the premises. A director that arranges embalming at a partner's licensed parlour should say which one. Don't describe the whole business as "NEA licensed" if the licence covers a parlour you don't operate. Under the Environmental Public Health (Funeral Parlours) Regulations, licensed parlours keep registers of the deceased, including next-of-kin identity details, which is one reason your systems need good access control.
Package pricing that meets price transparency rules
Funeral packages often have many parts: casket, embalming, hall, tentage, transport, religious rites, cremation or burial fees. Families compare packages under time pressure, so hidden extras cause disputes.
The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore's Guidelines on Price Transparency apply to all suppliers online and offline. They say unavoidable or mandatory charges (taxes, surcharges, service fees) should be in the headline price, and charges that can't be calculated in advance should be disclosed clearly next to the headline price. Optional add-ons should be opt-in, not pre-ticked.
| Put in the package price | Show clearly as separate or variable |
|---|---|
| Everything every family on that package must pay | Government fees that vary, such as cremation or burial slot fees, with a link to the official rate |
| GST, if you're GST-registered | Optional upgrades: casket, flowers, extra days, live streaming |
| Standard number of wake days and items listed | Charges that depend on location, such as tentage at a void deck vs parlour |
A printable or PDF package sheet with the same prices as the website helps families discuss options with relatives.
Obituaries and online condolence books
Online obituaries let relatives abroad find wake details, and condolence books let friends leave messages. Both involve personal data and public visibility, so build them with the family in control.
Get the family's written agreement
Agree what to publish: name, photo, dates, wake address and times. Some families don't want the address public.
Moderate before messages appear
Hold every condolence message for approval. This stops spam, scams and hurtful comments.
Collect as little as possible
Ask for a name and message; make email optional and say why you ask for it.
Add a short privacy notice
Explain who sees the messages, how long the page stays up and how to ask for removal. See our website privacy policy guide.
Set an end date
Offer to unpublish the page or hand the messages to the family as a PDF after a set period.
Live streaming wakes and services privately
Live streams let relatives overseas take part. They also put a private event on the internet, so default to private.
Safer set-up
- Unlisted YouTube stream or a Zoom or Google Meet link with a passcode
- Link shared only by the family, not posted on the obituary page
- Camera framed on the altar or speaker, not mourners' faces
- Recording kept only if the family asks, then given to them
Avoid
- Public streams that appear in search and on your channel
- Posting the link on social media
- Filming guests without telling them
- Keeping recordings indefinitely on your account
Put a small sign at the venue saying the service is being streamed. For choosing a platform, see our comparison of Zoom, Teams and Google Meet.
Payments, deposits and religious and community clients
Many families prefer to pay a deposit by PayNow or card soon after the first call. A payment link or invoice under your business name is clearer and safer than asking for transfers to a personal account. Our guide to accepting PayNow on your website explains the options.
If you work closely with churches, temples or mosques that also take donations online, our guide to religious organisation websites and donations covers their side.
Do it yourself or get help?
Website builders can produce a simple funeral services site. The parts that need care are the mobile contact bar, package pages that meet price transparency rules, moderated condolence books and private streaming.
Our Business Website package (S$1,490) builds a fast, mobile-first site with 24-hour contact, package pages and a moderated condolence feature. Online Payment Setup (S$290) adds PayNow and card deposits under your business name.
Frequently asked questions
NEA licenses crematoria and funeral parlours with embalming facilities. A funeral director that operates such a parlour needs that licence for the premises. Directors who arrange embalming through another licensed parlour should name it. Check NEA's after-death facilities page and published list of licensed parlours for current details.
Showing prices builds trust and reduces disputes. If you show them, Singapore's Guidelines on Price Transparency say mandatory charges should be included in the headline price, and variable charges disclosed clearly next to it. Optional add-ons should be opt-in. A clear list of what each package includes helps families compare.
Get the family's agreement on what is published, moderate every message before it appears, collect only a name and message, and add a short privacy notice explaining who sees it and how to request removal. Set an end date and offer the family a copy of the messages.
It's better not to. Use an unlisted stream or a passcode-protected meeting link shared only by the family, frame the camera away from mourners' faces, and tell attendees the service is being streamed. Keep recordings only if the family asks, and hand them over rather than storing them indefinitely.
A 24-hour phone number and WhatsApp button, visible without scrolling on a phone. Then a short guide to what to do when a death occurs, package options with prices, and service areas. Families often visit late at night under stress, so speed and clarity matter more than design.