legacy.com

What is Legacy.com

Legacy.com is a privately-held U.S. company (based in Chicago, Illinois) founded in 1998. (sales.legacy.com) It describes itself as “the #1 destination for online memorial tributes and funeral home information.” (sales.legacy.com)

In simpler terms: Legacy.com is a platform that hosts obituaries, memorial pages and guest books, working with newspapers, funeral homes and families, to provide a space where loved ones’ lives are commemorated digitally.

It serves as a massive network: for example, it lists it has 40+ million visitors per month and manages 3.5 million annual obituaries (according to its own public materials). (sales.legacy.com)

How Legacy.com works

Here are key operational features:

Partnerships

Legacy works with thousands of newspapers, funeral homes and other providers. For example:

  • It hosts obituaries for more than 75 % of the 100 largest U.S. newspapers by circulation. (Wikipedia)

  • It links with local funeral homes and newspapers to publish, manage and archive notices. (Legacy)

Services to users / families

  • Individuals can submit an obituary (often via a funeral home or newspaper, but also directly in some cases) to appear online. (Legacy)

  • Each obituary page typically includes a guest book where friends, family, and visitors can leave messages of condolence. (Wikipedia)

  • The site provides additional resources: for example, writing obituary help, funeral information, options for flowers or memorial-trees, etc. (curtis.legacy.com)

Services to partners (newspapers, funeral homes)

  • Legacy helps with digital infrastructure: hosting obituary content, managing guest books, SEO/visibility etc. (sales.legacy.com)

  • It offers revenue-opportunities: e.g., integrated e-commerce, advertising products associated with obituaries and memorials. (localmedia.org)

  • It provides content analytics, audience growth strategies (for newspapers) around obituary / memorial sections. (sales.legacy.com)

Content standards and moderation

  • Legacy states it uses human editors to review guest book entries and obituary content to ensure accuracy and appropriateness. (Legacy)

  • For obituary content it relies on multiple sources (funeral homes, newspapers) and reviews facts and submissions. (Legacy)

Why Legacy.com matters

There are several reasons this platform is significant:

  1. Scale and reach: Because obituaries are widely viewed and routinely visited (many people search for death notices or memorials of loved ones), Legacy has become a major traffic driver in local news/online memorial space. For example it claims tens of millions of visitors monthly. (LinkedIn)

  2. Digital memorialisation trend: As more life-events move online, so do memorials. Legacy provides a digital home for this. The ability to leave a guest message, share remembrances, link to charities, plant virtual/factual memorial trees—all part of how grieving, remembering, tribute is evolving.

  3. Business model for local news / funeral homes: Obituaries often drive traffic on newspaper sites. Legacy’s platform helps newspapers monetise this via digital memorials, guest-books, ads, etc. (localmedia.org)

  4. Record-keeping / family-history value: For genealogists, family-history researchers, the archival of obituaries online is a resource. Legacy claims to host the largest body of 21st-century death notices. (localmedia.org)

Challenges & considerations

While Legacy.com offers a lot, there are things to keep in mind:

  • Cost: Many obituaries are paid announcements (via newspapers/funeral homes) rather than purely free. Legacy indicates family obituaries are “paid announcements.” (Legacy)

  • Privacy & sensitivity: Because obituaries and guest books are public, one must consider what is shared, how securely, how moderators handle inappropriate content. Legacy says it uses moderation.

  • Commercialisation of memorials: The line between tribute and commercial service may blur (memorial trees, flowers, e-commerce). Some observers critique the monetisation aspects of online obituaries. (WIRED)

  • Access & permanence: While digital memorials promise longevity, questions remain around archival permanence, site ownership/maintenance, user-control of content (especially as time passes or partners change).

A quick timeline / snapshot

  • 1998: Legacy.com founded in Chicago. (sales.legacy.com)

  • Over the years it expanded partnerships with newspapers and funeral homes across U.S. (and internationally) to host obituaries, guest books, memorial content.

  • In recent years the company highlights stats like “40 + million monthly visitors” and “3.5 million annual obituaries”. (sales.legacy.com)

  • It has introduced partner-services (e.g., “Communities Pages” for funeral homes) and e-commerce tools for memorial products. (Legacy)

Why someone might use Legacy.com

  • If you want to publish an obituary for a loved one online (especially via a funeral home/newspaper partner).

  • If you’re looking for the obituary or memorial page of a friend/family member (or researching family history).

  • If a funeral home or newspaper is looking for digital memorial infrastructure (hosting, guest books, integration with e-commerce).

  • If you want to leave a condolence message, memory or tribute on someone’s guest book.

Key takeaways

  • Legacy.com is one of the largest online obituary/memorial platforms.

  • It works via partnerships and serves families, newspapers, funeral homes.

  • It combines memorial content, guest book functionality, and commerce/advertising infrastructure.

  • It meets the increasing demand for digital memorialisation.

  • But users and partners should be aware of cost, privacy, moderation and long-term content control issues.

FAQ

Q: Is Legacy.com free to use for viewing obituaries?
A: Yes — you can search and view many obituaries and guest-book messages without charge. Publishing an obituary often involves a paid announcement via a partner (newspaper/funeral home). (Legacy)

Q: Can I publish an obituary myself without using a newspaper?
A: Yes, in some cases you may submit directly via Legacy.com or via their network, but typically publication is handled in conjunction with a funeral home or newspaper partner to ensure the obituary appears in print and online. (Legacy)

Q: Who controls the content of the guest book entries?
A: Legacy.com states it reviews guest book entries (they have moderators) to ensure appropriateness and accuracy. (Legacy)

Q: How long will my obituary or memorial page stay online?
A: Legacy.com positions itself as a “permanent, shareable space,” but you should check specific terms (with the funeral home/newspaper partner) about how long content is retained, any removal policy.

Q: Is Legacy.com only in the U.S.?
A: Although based in the U.S., Legacy.com has partners internationally (including Australia, Europe). (Wikipedia)

Q: Can I leave a condolence message on someone’s guest book?
A: Yes — once an obituary/memorial page is live, you can typically sign the guest book, leave a message, share memories.

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