Several methods exist to control access to a website, ranging from blocking entire regions to password-protecting specific directories. These methods impact who can view content, and whether search engines can index it. The available options include controlling site-wide access, restricting access to specific pages, and utilizing tools like Cloudflare in conjunction with .htaccess files.
Controlling Access to an Entire Site
Website owners can manage access to their entire site through a Site Availability panel. The source materials outline three primary settings: Private, Public, and Password. A “Private” setting prevents access from search engines and visitors, but allows access to contributors with viewer permissions. A “Public” setting allows access to all visitors and search engines, including contributors with viewer permissions. A “Password” setting allows access to visitors with the correct password, prevents indexing by search engines, and allows access to employees with single sign-on credentials.
The source materials also mention a “Not linked” option, which prevents a page’s link from appearing in navigation, but does not prevent access by search engines or visitors. Additionally, a “Noindex” tag can be implemented, hiding a page from search engines while leaving it publicly accessible. Google’s Remove URLs Tool is noted as a method for temporarily blocking pages from Google Search results.
Methods for Restricting Page Access
Specific pages can be restricted through several methods. These include creating member sites with gated content accessible via accounts and payments, disabling pages to hide them from both visitors and search engines, adding page passwords, enabling the noindex tag, and moving pages to “Not linked” status.
A comparison of these options reveals the following access characteristics:
- Enabled page: Accessible to visitors and search engines, appears in navigation, does not include a noindex tag, and is included in the sitemap.
- Disabled page: Not accessible to visitors or search engines, does not appear in navigation, does not include a noindex tag, and is not included in the sitemap.
- Page password: Accessible to visitors with a password, not accessible to search engines, appears in navigation, does not include a noindex tag, and is not included in the sitemap.
- Member Sites: Accessible to visitors with an account, not accessible to search engines, appears in navigation, does not include a noindex tag, and is not included in the sitemap.
- Noindex from page settings: Accessible to visitors, not accessible to search engines, appears in navigation, includes a noindex tag, and is not included in the sitemap.
- Noindex from code injection: Accessible to visitors, not accessible to search engines, appears in navigation, includes a noindex tag, and is included in the sitemap.
- Not linked: Accessible to visitors and search engines, does not appear in navigation, does not include a noindex tag, and is included in the sitemap.
Hidden pages, even after being hidden, may still appear in search results for a period of time. Requesting Google to index the site can potentially expedite the removal process.
Utilizing .htaccess for Access Control
The .htaccess file, used by Apache web servers, allows website owners to set access rules. Access can be restricted by IP address. To restrict access to specific IP addresses, code is added to the .htaccess file using the Order Deny,Allow and Deny from all and Allow from your_ip_address directives.
Password-protecting directories is also possible through .htaccess, requiring the creation of a separate .htpasswd file.
Blocking Regions or Countries
Blocking access based on geographic region or country can be achieved through custom rules in Cloudflare, Apache Deny Rules, or a combination of both. Cloudflare offers a straightforward method for blocking IPs, IP ranges, and entire countries.
However, the source materials strongly discourage blocking entire regions or countries using Apache Deny Rules due to potential performance impacts. The Apache Deny directive requires the server to check the entire list of blocked IPs on every request, potentially slowing down website performance. Using a combination of Cloudflare and .htaccess rules is presented as a more efficient alternative.
Conclusion
Website access can be controlled through various methods, impacting both visitor access and search engine indexing. Options range from site-wide settings to page-specific restrictions and utilizing tools like Cloudflare and .htaccess. While blocking by region or country is possible, the source materials caution against using Apache Deny Rules for this purpose due to potential performance issues, recommending Cloudflare as a more efficient alternative. Careful consideration should be given to the desired level of access control and the potential impact on website performance.