Visibility configuration of communities on Booklet
Booklet allows community admins to create and manage communities with different levels of visibility. This article will guide you through the three visibility configuration options available for communities on Booklet and how to change them.
Overview of visibility options
There are three visibility options available for communities on Booklet:
- Public
- Unlisted
- Private
The table below summarizes the visibility settings for each option:
| Visibility | Visible to logged-in members | Visible to logged-out people | Search engines may index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Unlisted | Yes | Yes | No |
| Private | Yes | Limited* | No |
*Logged-out users may see a login page for private communities, including the community name and logo, but they will not be able to access any content without logging in.
Changing the visibility of a community
Only community admins have the authority to change the visibility of a community. To modify the visibility settings, follow these steps:
- Log in to your community.
- Click on the Settings in the navigation
- In the Visibility section, choose the desired visibility option.
- Save your changes by clicking on the Save Changes button.
After following these steps, your community’s visibility will be updated according to your selection.
Understanding the visibility options
Public communities
Public communities are visible to everyone, including people who are not members or not logged in. All content, including posts, pages, and members, is visible to both logged-in and logged-out users. Additionally, public communities are indexed by search engines like Google, making it easy for people to find and join them.
Booklet generates a sitemap for public communities, which helps search engines effectively index the community’s content and improves its SEO.
Unlisted communities
Unlisted communities are accessible to both logged-in and logged-out users, but they are not indexed by search engines. This means that while anyone with the community link can view the content, it won’t appear in search engine results. This is useful for communities that wish to maintain a low profile while still being open to visitors.
Booklet blocks search engine indexing using both robots.txt protocol and noindex meta tags, which are respected by all major search engines. However, it is possible for search engines or other scrapers to ignore these standards and index the community anyway. If you wish to ensure that your community is not indexed, you can use the Private Communities option instead.
Private communities
Private communities are exclusive to logged-in members only. Content is hidden from logged-out users, who will only see a login page if they attempt to access the community. Private communities are not indexed by search engines, ensuring that their content remains secure and accessible only to approved members.
Note that the community name, logo, and description may be visible to logged-out users or bots, so avoid including sensitive information in these fields.