When you create a Squarespace site, it's automatically set to private, meaning only owners and contributors can view it. Here's everything you need to know about site visibility and access control.

Free Trial Sites

• Private by default
• Only visible to owners and contributors
• Not indexed by search engines
• Can be password-protected for specific visitors
• Accessible via direct link or connected domain

Paid Sites Your site's availability after upgrading depends on:

• Site creation date
• Chosen availability settings
• Current visibility status (check Settings > Site Availability)

Online Store Visibility To make your store fully functional:

• Connect a payment processor
• Without payment processing, customers will see: "The payment service is closed"
• Store becomes operational once payment processing is activated

Content Update Visibility Changes requiring manual save to be public:

• Layout page modifications
• Blog posts, events, and products
• Page descriptions and settings
• Style and design changes
• Content block areas

Instantly visible changes (after page refresh):

• Gallery section images
• Gallery page media
• Album page content
• Navigation menu structure

Privacy Controls

• Keep site private even after paid upgrade
• Add site password protection
• Control search engine indexing

Search Engine Management To remove unwanted search listings:

1. Use Google Search Console for indexed content removal
2. Adjust page settings to prevent future indexing
3. Keep site private until ready for launch

These settings ensure complete control over your site's visibility while preparing for public launch.

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