# Understanding page access and visibility

https://help.circle.so/p/administration/websites/understanding-page-access-and-visibility

Category: [Administration](https://help.circle.so/p/administration) › [Websites](https://help.circle.so/p/administration/websites)

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_Last updated: October, 2026_

With website builder, you have full control over who can view your pages. Whether you're creating a public-facing landing page or exclusive content for members, publish your content to the right audience with these settings.

In this article, we’ll walk through the different visibility settings available and how they affect who can access your pages.

## Understanding access control and navigation

While both **Access Control** and **Navigation** help you manage who sees your content, they serve distinct purposes:

- **Access control** defines who can view your page, regardless of how they find it.This setting controls whether a page is public, members-only, or limited to specific access groups. For example, a members-only blog is hidden from the public, even if someone shares the link.

- **Navigation**  controls how and where your page appears ** ** when someone visits your community. It could be a header navigation link or simply linking to your page from other areas of your community, such as posts or space links. See the  **Navigation**  section for more details.

## Access control

Access controls determine who can view your page. To find these settings:

1. Click  **Website**  in the left sidebar, then select  **Pages**.

2. Hover over the page you want to edit and click **More actions (three dots)** and select  **Edit page.**

3. Click  **Page settings**  in the left sidebar.

From here, you can choose from the following visibility options:

- **Open:** Anyone with the link can access the page.

- **Members only:** Only logged-in members can view the page.

- **Access groups:** Restrict access to specific access groups within your community.

> 📚 Learn more about [**access control settings**](https://help.circle.so/p/administration/websites/configure-page-settings?locale=en#access-control) **.**

## Navigation

Navigation involves the different ways your audience can reach your web page. In this section, we’ll explore the different ways to get your page in front of your audience.

To find navigation settings:

1. Click  **Website**  in the left sidebar, then select  **Pages**.

2. Hover over the page you want to edit and click **More actions (three dots)** and select  **Edit page.**

3. Click  **Site settings**  in the left sidebar.

### Navigation on web and mobile browsers

- **Direct access: ** Your audience can navigate directly to your page on web or mobile browsers as long as they have the URL. Depending on your access settings, all public web pages will be available to your audience when they visit them.

- **Header navigation:** Adding your page to the header navigation bar helps members and visitors find your content easily when they visit your community through a web or mobile browser. The header navigation bar and custom links are available for your community on web and mobile browsers. On mobile browsers, these links will appear in the sidebar.

### Navigation on the Circle desktop app

Showcase your web pages through the desktop app by linking it anywhere that is accessible through a web browser such as, the header navigation bar, space links and the sidebar links section.

> ℹ️  **Note:** Access to your pages via the Circle desktop app is limited to members only, as an account is required to use the app.

### Navigation on mobile apps

- **Circle mobile apps:** Currently, it’s not possible to add a custom page link to the navigation bar on Circle mobile apps. To enable your mobile app users to access the page, you can link it within various community areas. See below for more information.

- **Branded apps:** If you're on the **Circle Plus** plan and have a branded mobile app, you can embed your custom web page in a **custom screen** using an **iframe**. You can also build a custom screen from our pre-designed templates. This allows branded app users to access the page directly within the app.

### Navigating to pages from community areas

- **Space links:** Copy the web page URL and add it as a [**space link**](https://help.circle.so/p/basics/spaces/add-links-to-the-top-of-the-spaces?locale=en) at the top of a relevant space, such as a Getting Started space.

- **Community links section:** Include the web page link in your community’s [**links**](https://help.circle.so/p/basics/spaces/add-links-to-the-sidebar?locale=en) section to make it easily accessible from the community sidebar.

- **Embed in community content:** Add the link as a hyperlink or button within posts, course lessons or events.

- **Marketing emails:** Use the link in your email campaigns to direct your audience to the page, either as a hyperlink or a [**call-to-action button**](https://help.circle.so/p/email-hub/email-marketing/create-email-content?locale=en#add-buttons).