Understanding Visible, Hidden, and Disabled Website Pages in Zibster
Overview
Page Visibility controls whether a page appears in your website navigation and whether visitors can open its direct URL. Zibster provides three settings: VISIBLE, HIDDEN, and DISABLED.
This guide explains how to change a page’s visibility, when to use each setting, and how your choice affects visitors and search engines.
STEP ONE
Log in to your Zibster account and click WEBSITE in the left-side menu.
The Website Builder will open.
STEP TWO
Click the page whose visibility you want to review or change. Once the page loads, click SETTINGS in the upper-right corner above the block options.
The PAGE SETTINGS panel will open for the selected page.
FINAL STEP
Under PAGE VISIBILITY, select VISIBLE, HIDDEN, or DISABLED. Click SAVE CHANGES at the bottom of the panel.
Your page’s visibility is now updated. Open your website to confirm that the navigation and direct URL behave as expected.
Page Visibility Settings at a Glance
| Setting | Appears in Navigation | Direct URL Works | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBLE | Yes | Yes | Standard public website pages |
| HIDDEN | No | Yes | Landing pages and pages shared by direct link |
| DISABLED | No | No; returns a 404 unless redirected | Seasonal or temporarily unavailable pages |
VISIBLE
VISIBLE is the default setting for new pages. A visible page appears in your website navigation and can be opened using its direct URL.
If the page is inside a drop-down menu, it appears within that menu instead of as a top-level navigation item.
Visible pages are included in your website’s XML sitemap and are available for search engines to discover. However, making a page visible does not guarantee that Google or another search engine will index it or display it in search results.
Use VISIBLE for standard public pages such as:
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Home
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About
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Services
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Portfolio
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Pricing
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Contact
In the Website Builder’s page list, visible page names appear in dark gray text.
HIDDEN
A hidden page does not appear in your website navigation, but its direct URL remains active. Anyone with the URL can open and share the page.
You can link to a hidden page from buttons, text, images, emails, advertisements, or other content. You can find the page’s direct URL in its page settings.
Hidden pages are excluded from your website’s XML sitemap. However, hiding a page does not guarantee that it will stay out of search results. Search engines may discover it through links, and a previously indexed page may remain in search results.
Use HIDDEN for pages such as:
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Advertising landing pages
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Promotional pages shared with a specific audience
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Thank-you pages
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Resources shared through email
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Pages that do not need a navigation menu item
In the Website Builder’s page list, hidden page names appear in light gray text.
Hidden Pages Are Not Private
Hiding a page removes it from your website navigation. It does not restrict access to its content.
If visitors must enter a password before viewing the page, see How to Password Protect Pages on Your Zibster Website.
DISABLED
A disabled page does not appear in your website navigation, and visitors cannot view its content through the direct URL. Unless you have created a redirect for that URL, visitors will see a 404 page-not-found error.
Disabling a page does not delete it. Its blocks, text, images, settings, and URL remain in your Website Builder. You can change the page back to VISIBLE or HIDDEN when you are ready to make it available again.
Use DISABLED for pages such as:
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Seasonal promotions that are not currently available
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Limited-time offers you plan to reuse
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Pages that are still being prepared
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Outdated pages whose content you want to preserve
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Services that are temporarily unavailable
In the Website Builder’s page list, disabled page names appear in light gray text with a line through them.
What Happens to Links When a Page Is Disabled?
Disabling a page does not remove links to it from buttons, text, bookmarks, advertisements, or external websites. Without a redirect, those links will return a 404 error until you change the page back to VISIBLE or HIDDEN.
If you permanently remove or replace a page, create a 301 redirect to send visitors and search engines to a relevant replacement URL. See How to Create 301 Redirects with Zibster.
A permanent redirect is generally unnecessary when you temporarily disable a seasonal page and plan to restore it at the same URL. Review any active advertisements or links that might continue sending visitors to the unavailable page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a hidden page private?
No. Anyone with the direct URL can view and share a hidden page unless you also add password protection.
Can Google index a hidden page?
A hidden page is excluded from your XML sitemap, but search engines may still discover it through links or other sources. Hiding a previously indexed page does not automatically remove it from search results.
Will disabling a page delete its content?
No. Disabling a page makes it unavailable to visitors while preserving its blocks, images, text, and settings in the Website Builder.
What happens when I enable a disabled page again?
Changing the page to VISIBLE or HIDDEN makes its direct URL available again. A visible page also returns to your website navigation based on its current position in the page list.
If you previously created a redirect for the page’s URL, review and remove that redirect when restoring the page.
Should I disable or delete a seasonal page?
Disable the page if you plan to reuse it. This preserves the content so you can restore the page without rebuilding it.
Need Help?
Zibster Support Hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm EST
Phone: 844.353.3412
Channels: Phone, Live Chat, Support Ticket
