How to Share a Cemetery Map Online for Free

The most effective cemetery map is one that families can actually find and use — published online, searchable by name, and accessible on any device without requiring an app download or account registration.

If your cemetery map lives in a filing cabinet, on a shared drive only staff can access, or as a low-resolution image buried on your website, families can't use it when they need it most. That's why cemetery managers ask: how do we share our cemetery map online so families and researchers can find burial locations anytime, for free, without calling us?

With Atlas, you can share your cemetery map online with a single link — searchable, embeddable, and mobile-friendly — at no cost. No server setup, no web developer, no complicated publishing workflow. Just build your map and share the link.

Here's how to set it up step by step.

Why Sharing Your Cemetery Map Online Matters

Publishing your cemetery map online transforms a private administrative tool into a public resource that serves families, researchers, and your community around the clock.

Sharing a cemetery map online is one of the highest-value improvements a cemetery can make for the cost of zero dollars and an afternoon of setup.

Step 1: Prepare Your Cemetery Map for Public Sharing

Atlas makes it easy to configure your map for public audiences:

• Review all plot data for accuracy before publishing — names, dates, and section addresses should be verified against your primary records
• Decide on data visibility — determine which fields (name, dates, plot address) are public versus which fields (deed owner, pricing, purchase history) are staff-only
• Add section labels and landmarks so visitors can orient themselves within the map without needing a guide
• Set an appropriate default view — zoom level and map center — so the full cemetery is visible when someone first opens the shared link
• Check mobile display by opening your map on a phone before publishing to confirm text labels, plot sizes, and popup panels are readable on small screens

Once configured, your map is ready to be shared with anyone who has the link.

Step 2: Generate Your Public Share Link

Next, publish your cemetery map with the right access settings:

You can create different sharing configurations:

• Public read-only link — anyone with the URL can view the map, search for names, and click plots to see burial information, with no account required
• Embedded map link — a version configured for display within your cemetery website, sized to fit your page layout and styled to match your branding
• QR code link — a scannable code printed on signs at the cemetery entrance, in your lobby, and on family correspondence directing people to the online map
• Staff operations link — a separate access level showing additional layers such as plot availability, pricing, and ownership data visible only to authenticated staff
• Download link — a PDF export option giving families a printable version of the full cemetery layout or a specific section map for personal reference

Each share configuration serves a different audience without requiring you to maintain multiple separate maps.

Step 3: Embed the Map on Your Cemetery Website

To integrate your cemetery map with your online presence:

1. Copy the Atlas embed code for your published map from the sharing settings panel
2. Paste the embed code into your cemetery website's page editor, replacing any static image currently used as a cemetery map
3. Size the embed appropriately — a full-width or large embed shows the most detail and makes the map easy to use directly on the page
4. Add a search prompt above the embed encouraging visitors to type a name in the search bar to find a specific burial location
5. Link the embed from your homepage navigation with a label like "Find a Burial" or "Cemetery Map" so families can reach it in one click

An embedded map transforms your website from a basic information page into a functional family service tool.

Step 4: Promote the Map to Families and Researchers

To maximize the public benefit of your shared cemetery map:

• Include the map link in all family correspondence — burial service confirmations, deed certificates, anniversary notices — so families have it from day one
• Post the QR code at the cemetery entrance gate, chapel bulletin board, and office lobby for visitors on-site who don't already have the link
• Submit your cemetery map link to genealogy databases and local historical society websites so researchers can find it through their normal research channels
• Announce the map on your cemetery's social media pages tagging local community groups, genealogical societies, and historical associations for maximum reach
• Contact local libraries and historical archives about listing your map as a resource for family history researchers in your area

Also read: How to Create an Interactive Cemetery Map

Step 5: Manage Public Access and Privacy

To share responsibly while protecting sensitive information:

• Keep financial and ownership data in a staff-only layer never included in the public share link
• Omit living persons — pre-need purchasers, reserved plots owned by living individuals — from the public map to protect personal information
• Set up a report-an-error form accessible from the public map so families and researchers can submit corrections without exposing your direct contact information unnecessarily
• Monitor the map for inappropriate comments if you've enabled any public annotation features, and set a moderation workflow before opening that capability
• Review your public data annually to ensure the information visible to the public remains appropriate as privacy expectations and local regulations evolve

Sharing publicly doesn't mean sharing everything — Atlas gives you the access controls to publish confidently.

Step 6: Keep the Shared Map Updated

Now that your cemetery map is public:

• Update plot status on the day of each burial or sale so the public map always reflects the current state of your inventory
• Process submitted corrections promptly from families and researchers who have identified errors in names, dates, or locations
• Add new sections to the same shared link rather than creating separate maps — one URL should always represent the complete, current state of your cemetery
• Monitor for broken links if you've embedded the map on a website that undergoes periodic redesigns or content management system migrations
• Communicate map updates to frequent users — local genealogical societies, historical groups, family associations — when significant new data is added

Your public cemetery map becomes more valuable with every update and every correction, growing into the definitive online reference for your cemetery.

Use Cases

Sharing a cemetery map online for free is useful for:

• Small church and community cemeteries with no dedicated web team, where a simple shareable link provides more value than a complex website update
• Municipal cemeteries with legal obligations to provide public access to burial records, using the shared map as their primary public transparency tool
• Historical societies digitizing and publishing records from abandoned or heritage cemeteries where no living administrator exists to manage inquiries
• Cemetery administrators who want to reduce phone and email inquiry volume by giving families a reliable self-service tool for the most common question
• Genealogy volunteers who have completed a burial survey and want to publish their findings in an accessible, searchable format that benefits the wider research community

It's essential for any cemetery where public access to burial information is a service priority, not an afterthought.

Tips

• Use a short, memorable URL by linking the Atlas share URL from a simple path on your own domain — like yourchurch.org/cemetery-map — so families can find it without searching
• Test the share link on multiple devices before promoting it widely — iPhone, Android, desktop, and tablet — to confirm the map displays correctly for all users
• Create a simple "how to use this map" guide as a single paragraph beneath the embedded map explaining how to search by name and click plots for more information
• Keep your public and staff maps separate from the beginning so you never accidentally expose sensitive ownership or financial data in a public link
• Archive older versions of the map before making major structural changes so historical states of the cemetery layout are preserved for research purposes

Sharing a cemetery map online in Atlas takes the most common cemetery service interaction — "where is my family member buried?" — and makes it self-service, free, and available 24 hours a day.

Public Cemetery Access with Atlas

Publishing a cemetery map online is one of the simplest and most impactful things a cemetery can do to serve its community.

Atlas makes it free, fast, and accessible to anyone with a browser and a link.

Share in Minutes, Not Months

You can:

• Generate a public share link for your cemetery map with one click, no web developer needed
• Embed the map directly on your cemetery website using a simple code snippet
• Create a QR code linking to the map for physical display at the cemetery entrance

Also read: How to Make a Cemetery Plot Map Online

Control What's Public and What's Private

Atlas lets you:

• Separate public burial information from private ownership and financial data using layered access controls
• Allow read-only public access without requiring families to create accounts or download anything
• Process submitted corrections from the public to continuously improve your records

That means full transparency for families and researchers, and full protection for sensitive administrative data.

Cemetery Transparency Without Complexity

Whether you're a single volunteer managing a rural churchyard or a full team running a large public cemetery, Atlas makes sharing your map as simple as copying a link.

It's public cemetery mapping — designed for the families and researchers who need it.

Connect Your Cemetery to Its Community with the Right Tools

Families don't just want to visit your cemetery — they want to find it, understand it, and share it with relatives who live far away.

Atlas gives you the sharing tools to make that possible at no cost.

In this article, we covered how to share a cemetery map online for free, but that's just one of many things you can do with Atlas.

From public family portals to embedded website maps and QR code directory signs, Atlas handles every sharing scenario your cemetery needs — all from your browser.

So whether you're reducing office phone calls, supporting genealogical research, or building a lasting public record of your community's history, Atlas helps you move from "call us during business hours" to "find it online anytime" faster.

Sign up for free or book a walkthrough today.