Documentation:WordPress Basics/Privacy Settings

The privacy settings control your site's visibility. You can decide if you would like your blog to be visible to everyone, including search engines. If you don't want your blog available to search engines you can block them, but allow normal visitors to see your site.

• From the Dashboard, under the Settings drop-down menu, click Reading.
• Browse through the Site Visibility settings at the bottom of the page and select the most appropriate settings for your webspace.
• Click Save Changes. (Note: If you have selected “I would like my blog to be visible only to registered members of the blog”, refer to Adding Specific Users section below)

Choose the privacy settings you are most comfortable with. (Click to Enlarge)

Blog Visibility has 5 options, which goes from most open to most private:

• Allow search engines to index this site.

  This is the setting used by most blogs. It lets everyone read your blog and allows your blog to be included in search engines and other content sites.

• Ask search engines not to index this site.

  The site will be accessible to everybody but will not be searchable through search engines.

• I would like my site to be visible only to Registered network users.

  Only those with a CWL and a UBC Blogs account will be able to visit your site.

• I would like my site to be visible only to Site subscribers.

  Only people that are added to your blog as a user will be able to access the site.

• I would like my site to be visible only to Site administrators.

  Only you and other users with site administrator roles will be able to access the site.

Depending on your level of comfort, content type and target audience, different privacy levels will suite you in different contexts. The following are some of the most common examples:

• Sites in development are usually only visible to site administrators in the beginning.
• Course blogs that are restricted to only class participants are only visible to site subscribers.
• Community sites with content intended for visitors outside of the UBC community will allow search engines to index their site.