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As a website owner, you may have certain pages or posts that you want to keep private, hidden from the public eye. This could be for a variety of reasons – maybe you’re working on a new product launch and don’t want to reveal too much before it’s ready, or maybe you have a personal blog and want to keep some content private for your own viewing. Whatever the reason, it’s important to know how to privately publish pages and posts on your WordPress website.
Determine Which Pages and Posts to Make Private
Before you start setting pages and posts to private, it’s important to determine which ones you actually want to hide from public view. You can do this by considering the purpose of the page or post and who you want to have access to it. For example, if you have a page with sensitive information that only certain employees should see, you’ll want to make that page private. On the other hand, if you have a page with general information that you want all visitors to see, you should leave it as a public page.
Set Up User Roles and Permissions
Before you can start privately publishing pages and posts, you’ll need to set up user roles and permissions. This will allow you to control who can view and access your private content. To do this, go to the “Users” section in your WordPress dashboard and click on the “Add New” button. From here, you can create new user accounts and assign them a role.
There are four main user roles in WordPress:
- Administrator: This role has full access to all features and functions of the website, including the ability to publish and manage private pages and posts.
- Editor: This role can publish and manage pages and posts, including private ones, as well as manage other users’ content.
- Author: This role can publish and manage their own posts, but not pages or private content.
- Subscriber: This role can only manage their own profile and leave comments on the site.
Once you’ve set up your user accounts and assigned them the appropriate role, you’re ready to move on to the next step.
Create a Private Page or Post
To create a private page or post, simply create a new page or post as you normally would, and then scroll down to the “Visibility” section in the right-hand sidebar. Here, you’ll see an option to “Password protect” your content. Simply check the box and enter a password of your choice. Now, when someone tries to access this page or post, they’ll be prompted to enter the password in order to view it.
Set Up a Password-Protected Page Template
If you have multiple private pages on your site, you may want to create a custom template for them. This will allow you to easily apply the password protection to multiple pages at once, without having to manually set it for each one. To create a password-protected page template, go to the “Appearance” section of your WordPress dashboard and click on the “Editor” link. From here, you can create a new template file by clicking on the “Add New” button.
In the template file, you’ll need to add the following code:
<?php
/*
Template Name: Password Protected
*/
get_header();
if ( !post_password_required() ) {
get_template_part('loop', 'page');
} else {
echo get_the_password_form();
}
get_footer();
?>This code tells WordPress to display a password form if the page is password protected, and to display the regular content if it isn’t. Once you’ve added this code, save the template file and then assign it to your private pages by editing the page and selecting the “Password Protected” template from the “Page Attributes” dropdown.
Use a Plugin to Manage Private Content
While the built-in password protection feature in WordPress is useful, it may not offer enough control for more advanced users. In this case, you may want to consider using a plugin to manage your private content.
One popular plugin for this purpose is Advanced Access Manager (AAM). This plugin allows you to set specific roles and permissions for each page or post on your site, and even allows you to create custom roles if needed. It also has a feature called “Private Blog” which lets you hide your entire site from the public, requiring users to log in in order to view any content.
To use AAM, simply install and activate the plugin from the WordPress plugin repository, then go to the “Access Manager” section in your dashboard to set up your roles and permissions.
Another plugin option is Private Only. This plugin allows you to mark any page or post as “private,” making it only visible to logged-in users with the appropriate permissions. It also has a feature called “Private Only Groups,” which lets you create groups of users who can access specific private content.
To use Private Only, install and activate the plugin, then go to the “Private Only” section in your dashboard to set up your groups and permissions.
You can also use the User Role Editor plugin as an alternative.
Consider Using a Membership Plugin
If you have a lot of private content on your site and want to offer it as part of a paid membership, you may want to consider using a membership plugin. These WordPress plugins allow you to create different membership levels, each with its own set of pages and posts that are accessible only to members.
One popular membership plugin is MemberPress. This plugin allows you to create multiple membership levels, each with its own set of pages and posts that are accessible only to members. It also has features for managing subscriptions, payments, and customer accounts.
To use MemberPress, install and activate the plugin, then go to the “MemberPress” section in your dashboard to set up your membership levels and content.
Conclusion
Private pages and posts can be a useful tool for keeping certain content hidden from the public, whether for personal or business purposes. By following the steps outlined above, you can easily set up user roles and permissions, create private pages and posts, and even use plugins to manage and organize your private content. Whether you’re working on a new product launch or just want to keep some personal blog entries private, these techniques will help you keep your content secure and accessible only to those who have the necessary permissions.
