In short. Ghost private site mode uses a shared password and switches off all documented SEO features.
Definition: Ghost's private site mode is a shared-password setting for a publication that is not ready for public access. When it is enabled, Ghost documents that all search engine optimization features are switched off.
Key facts
- Ghost places the shared-password control under Settings → Membership → Access, according to its site setup documentation.
- Ghost says that private site mode switches off all search engine optimization features while it is on.
- Ghost describes the protection as a simple, shared password for basic privacy and says it is not secure authentication.
- Ghost's SEO documentation lists automatic and custom metadata, social media metadata, XML sitemaps, canonical tags, and structured data among its built-in SEO features.
- The SEO documentation says that structured data is included in all posts and pages on a normal Ghost publication.
Which setting enables private site mode?
Open Settings → Membership → Access and enable private site mode with a shared password. Ghost presents this option for a new publication that is not yet ready for public access. The configuration path and the shared-password model are documented together on the site setup page.
The relevant setting is:
Settings → Membership → Access
Ghost explicitly describes this feature as not secure authentication. The documentation says that you should not rely on it to protect important private data. It characterizes the feature as a simple, shared password for basic privacy.
Which SEO features are switched off?
Ghost's site setup documentation uses the broad phrase “all search engine optimization features.” Its SEO documentation identifies the outputs covered by that category. Each post or page can have automatic and custom metadata, with content data used as a fallback when metadata is blank. Ghost also documents social metadata for Twitter Cards and Open Graph tags for Facebook.
The same SEO page says that Ghost automatically creates and updates an XML sitemap, adds canonical tags across the site, and includes structured data in all posts and pages. With private site mode enabled, Ghost's documented all-features rule covers this SEO feature set.
What changes for a site during private mode?
The site setup page says that private mode keeps the site “under the radar” by switching off SEO features. The normal Ghost SEO outputs described in the SEO documentation are unavailable for assessment while private mode is enabled.
The setting is about access and privacy during preparation. It does not turn the shared password into an access-control system for important private data. Ghost's wording limits the feature to basic privacy, so a site owner should treat the mode as a temporary publication setting rather than secure authentication.
Ghost documents the behavior while private mode is on, but it does not specify whether custom metadata, sitemap state, canonical tags, or structured data settings are preserved or regenerated after the mode is disabled.
Related terms
FAQ
Is Ghost private site mode a secure way to protect confidential content?
No. Ghost says the feature is not secure authentication and describes it as a simple, shared password for basic privacy. The site setup documentation says not to rely on it for important private data.
Does private mode disable only the sitemap?
No. Ghost documents that all search engine optimization features are switched off. Its SEO page places metadata, social metadata, XML sitemaps, canonical tags, and structured data within the built-in feature set.
Where is the private mode control in Ghost?
In Ghost, open Settings → Membership → Access and enable private site mode with a shared password. Ghost documents one site-level private mode control rather than a per-feature control.
Sources
Check how a page reads to answer engines. Open the GEO score analyzer