WordPress is one of the most popular platforms when it comes to writing and sharing your content. It has become the favourite of users when it comes to writing your content and sharing it with the world.
Why WordPress? Well, it is because WordPress has become the leading platform that is popular among people. Today, most of the blogs are available on WordPress. The platform has become quite popular as it is easy to use and can work well.
Read below this article to learn about the need for a private WordPress page or website and how you can create one.
Table of Content
Overview
WordPress is a popular platform that provides many benefits to its users. One of its main strengths is the ability to customize websites. It has a vast library of themes and plug-ins that allow for endless possibilities. The interface is user-friendly and allows for easy content creation, editing, and publishing.
Furthermore, WordPress owes its success to the vibrant community behind it. The open-source nature of the platform encourages growth and development, leading to the introduction of new features. WordPress is not limited to blogging but can also be used for e-commerce and corporate websites.
The platform has many features designed to help content creators, including SEO tools, a grammar checker, and a keyword counter. These features make it easy for beginners to produce high-quality content in a short amount of time.
What Is a Private Page or Post in WordPress?
When you create a private WordPress page or post, it is hidden from the public view. This means that only one or a few users (depending on the settings) will be able to access it. Even if someone has the URL for the page, they won’t be able to see it if it’s set to “private.”
Private pages/posts contain confidential content that only designated users can access. To understand user permissions, let’s review WordPress user roles:
- Administrator: This user has full control over the site, including the ability to add, edit, delete, and publish posts and pages. They can also add or remove users, install themes and plugins, and customize settings in the Dashboard.
- Editor: This user can modify (add, edit, delete, publish) posts but cannot install plugins or themes.
- Author: This user can only modify and publish their own posts. Other users’ posts are not accessible.
- Contributor: This user can write and modify their own posts but not publish them.
- Subscriber: This user can only log in to view the site content and manage their profile.
Only users with Administrator and Editor roles can view, edit, and delete private pages/posts. The initial permission to set private pages/posts can only be granted by the Administrator.
What is the purpose of a private WordPress page or website?
The purpose of a private WordPress page or website is to restrict access to specific content, making it visible only to authorized users. Here are some common scenarios where private pages or websites are useful:
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Membership Sites:
- Private websites are often used for membership-based platforms. Members log in to access exclusive content, such as premium articles, courses, or community forums.
- Examples include subscription-based services, online courses, and professional organizations.
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Internal Company Pages:
- Businesses create private pages for internal communication, employee resources, and company-specific information.
- These pages may contain company policies, training materials, or confidential documents.
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Collaborative Projects:
- Teams working on a project can use private pages to share project updates, files, and discussions.
- Only team members with login credentials can access the content.
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Personal Blogs or Journals:
- Some individuals maintain private blogs or journals for personal reflection, creative writing, or documenting their experiences.
- These pages are not publicly visible and are meant for the author’s eyes only.
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Hidden Content:
- Private pages allow you to hide specific content from the public while still having it accessible to select users.
- For example, you might create a private page for family photos or personal notes.
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Drafts and Unpublished Work:
- Authors, bloggers, and content creators use private pages to draft and edit content before publishing it.
- It provides a safe space to work on ideas without exposing them prematurely.
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Client Portals:
- Businesses that work with clients (such as agencies, freelancers, or legal firms) create private client portals.
- Clients can log in to access project details, invoices, and other relevant information.
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Event Planning and Invitations:
- Private pages are useful for event planning, invitations, and RSVPs.
- You can share event details, collect responses, and manage guest lists.
Methods of Setting Up a Private WordPress Page or Post
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Changing Visibility (Default Method):
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To make an existing page or post private, follow these steps:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Go to Pages > All Pages if you want to make an existing page private.
- Alternatively, go to Pages > Add New if you need to create a new page from scratch.
- Edit the page you want to make private or create a new one.
- In the Visibility section of the Publish module, click on Edit.
- Select the Private option and click OK.
- Finally, click Publish. The status will then say “Privately Published.”
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To make an existing page or post private, follow these steps:
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Restricting Access Based on Users:
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You can restrict access to specific user roles or users. Here are two ways to achieve this:
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Child Theme (Advanced):
- Create a child theme (if you haven’t already).
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Add custom code to your child theme’s
functions.phpfile to control access to specific pages or posts.
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Using a Plugin:
- Install a plugin that allows you to set access restrictions for pages and posts.
- Configure the plugin settings to make specific content private based on user roles or other criteria.
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Child Theme (Advanced):
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You can restrict access to specific user roles or users. Here are two ways to achieve this:
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Password Protection:
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You can also protect pages or posts with a password:
- Edit the page or post you want to protect.
- In the right-hand sidebar, find the Passster (Page Protection) section.
- Set a password for the content.
- Visitors will need to enter the password to access the page or post.
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You can also protect pages or posts with a password:
1. Changing Visibility (Default Method)
Now that you know the importance of a private WordPress pages, let’s move on to the steps to make your WordPress page or website private.
Step 1: Open your browser and go to https://wordpress.com/.
Step 2: After that, click on “Log in,” located on the top corner of the page.
Step 3: Now put your login details in, you can also sign in with your Google account.
Step 4: You’ll be quickly logged in to your Dashboard where you can see all of your posts and pages.
Step 5: Now on the side of your Dashboard, you’ll find the option of pages.
Step 6: Click on pages and choose “All Pages” or “Add New”. It depends on what you want to set private, Your existing page or a new one set to private.
Step 7: Your page will be opened now. You can see the tiny option of visibility in the editor area of your page.
Here you click on it, a menu will appear with options such as Public, Password protected, or Private.
Step 8: Select the Private option.
Step 9: You’ll see a dialogue that asks for confirmation, select OK.
Now your Page is private and it won’t be visible to the general public.
2. Restricting Access Based on Users
If you want to make your whole website private, you can do it in two ways, firstly you can make your whole post private so that whenever you post anything it is set to private by default. The other way is to use a Plugin. Let’s look at the first way:
- Follow the same procedure, open the WordPress website and log in to your account.
- Open your account click on the “Pages” option and select the “Add New” option.
- You’ll find the visibility option at the same position as you’ll find on the Pages.
- Select the Private option. Now your whole post is private.
- For the other option, you need to download a Plugin called, “My Private Site”.
- Go to the plugin section of your dashboard.
- Select it, and on the Add Plugins screen, search for “My Private Site” and click on Install Now.
- Now you’ll soon see a new entry with the same name.
- Click on it and select site privacy, and on the next screen, click on “Enable login privacy.”.
- Now your whole site will become private.
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FAQs on Set Up a Private WordPress Website or WordPress Pages?
Can the WordPress page or website be made private again?
Yes, they can again be made public. For this, you need to go to the visibility section of the editor on your page and set it to public. It will soon go public, and you can search your list easily on the website. It will also become accessible to anyone. It is as simple as making it private, so it won’t take much time.
How do I access a private WordPress page?
You cannot access the private page without the permission of the administrator. You can ask them to give you the password if they have set one or add you to the list so that you can also easily access the page, just like the others.
Is WordPress a great platform for blogging?
Yes, WordPress is quite a well-known and easy-to-use platform that can be used for many reasons, and blogging is one of them. You can set up your blog easily on the platform and start posting your pages daily.
Is having a WordPress page or website private a good option for the business?
Yes, it is needed as a great option for the business. Any business can make a WordPress page for their business, and by setting the page to private, they can either fix their page and add new material or use it as a tool to allow a large number of their employees to work on a project before it is made public.