How to Hide a Page in WordPress: 4 Methods Explained

Have you ever created a page in WordPress that needs to be hidden from the public eye, either temporarily or permanently? Whether it’s an under-construction page, a draft not ready for publishing, or sensitive information, knowing how to hide pages in WordPress is a valuable skill.

So this blog post will explore various methods for achieving this, catering to different needs and levels of desired accessibility.

Why You Should Hide Pages in WordPress?

There are several reasons why you might want to hide a page in WordPress:

Under Construction

You’re building a new page and want it hidden from visitors until it’s complete.

Drafts and Unpublished Content

You have drafts or content not ready for public consumption.

Sensitive Information

Certain information like legal disclaimers or internal documents might not be for public viewing.

Temporary Content

You might have a page for a specific event or promotion that needs to be hidden after a certain period.

SEO Strategy

Concealing certain pages from search engines can be a strategic move, especially when you’re still working on content or targeting specific audiences.

By understanding these methods, you can effectively manage your WordPress content visibility and ensure only the appropriate information is readily accessible.

How to Hide a Page in WordPress? Here are 4 Simple Methods!

• Method 1: Setting Up Visibility as Private
• Method 2: Setting Up a Page as a Draft
• Method 3: Hiding a Page from Robots.txt
• Method 4: Setting Up Password Protection

Method 1: How to Hide a Page in WordPress by Setting Up Visibility as Private

One straightforward method to hide a page in WordPress is by setting its visibility to “Private.” When a page is marked as private, it will only be visible to users who are logged in to your WordPress dashboard. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Go to the WordPress dashboard and navigate to the “Pages” section.
2. Then, select the page you want to hide and click on the “Edit” button.
3. Once the page editor is opened, on the right-hand side, locate the “Visibility” option and click on the “Edit” link next to it.
4. After that, choose the “Private” option and click on the “OK” button.
5. Finally, click on the “Update” button to save your changes.

Method 2: How to Hide a Page in WordPress by Setting Up a Page as a Draft

If you’re still working on a page and don’t want it to be publicly accessible, keeping it in “Draft” status is a good option. By default, draft pages are not visible to the public. Here’s how you can utilize this method:

1. Access your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the “Pages” section.
2. Then, select the page you want to hide and click on the “Edit” button.
3. Once the page editor is opened, on the right-hand side, locate the “Switch to draft” option and click on it.
4. After that, a confirmation popup will appear, simply click the “OK” button to proceed with the action.

Important Note: Remember to switch the status to “Publish” once your page is ready to go live.

Method 3: How to Hide a Page from Search Engines with Yoast SEO (Recommended)

There are numerous free WordPress plugins available to assist with this task. One particularly popular option is the Yoast SEO plugin. Here’s how to hide a page from search engines using Yoast SEO:

1. Install and activate the Yoast SEO plugin on your WordPress website if you haven’t already.

2. Once the plugin is activated, edit the page you wish to hide.
3. Then, scroll down to the Yoast SEO meta box below the post editor.
4. Click on the “Advanced” tab to expand the options.
5. Under the “Allow search engines to show this post in search results?” section, select “No.” This tells search engines to exclude the page from their search results.
6. Optionally, under “Should search engines follow links on this post?” you can choose “No” to prevent search engines from following links within the hidden page. This can further isolate the page and prevent it from gaining any SEO value from other indexed pages on your website.

7. Update the page to save your changes.

Benefits of using Yoast SEO:

• User-friendly interface: No need to edit complex files like robots.txt.
• Safer: Reduces the risk of accidentally impacting other website features.
• Granular control: You can choose to hide the page from search results while still allowing search engines to follow links within the page.

Important Note: Even though Yoast SEO tells search engines not to index the page, it might still take some time for the page to disappear from search results. This is because search engines have their own caching mechanisms and might need to refresh their index before reflecting the change.

Method 4: How to Hide a Page Content by Setting Up Password Protection

If you want to restrict access to a specific page, you can set up password protection. This method allows you to hide the content of a page behind a password, making it accessible only to authorized individuals. Think of it as a VIP room on your website:

1. Access your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the “Pages” section.
2. Select the page you want to hide and click on the “Edit” button.
3. On the right-hand side, locate the “Visibility” option and click on the “Edit” link next to it.
4. Choose the “Password protected” option and enter a password of your choice.
5. Click on the “OK” button and then on the “Update” button to save your changes.

Visitors trying to access the page will be prompted to enter the password before seeing the content. This method is ideal for pages containing confidential information or for restricting access to specific user groups.

Conclusion

Hiding pages in WordPress can be useful for various reasons, such as maintaining privacy, controlling access, or hiding work in progress. By following the methods outlined in this blog post, you can easily hide pages on your WordPress site and have full control over their visibility. Experiment with these methods and choose the one that best suits your needs. Remember, WordPress offers flexibility and customization options to help you create the website you desire.