Hide Pages (Unpublishing)

In uSkinned 6+ and Umbraco 17 (LTS), "hiding" a page provides several layers of control beyond simply taking content offline. You can choose to keep a page live but remove it from the site navigation, internal site search, or even external search engines like Google.

The "Unpublished" State

In Umbraco 17+, a page can exist in your content tree but remain invisible to the world. When you hide a page, its status changes from a green "Published" checkmark to a gray "Unpublished" icon. This acts as a draft mode; your text, images, and uSkinned components stay exactly where they are, allowing you to edit them privately until you are ready to go live again.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Select Your Page: In the Content section of the Umbraco backoffice, locate the page you want to modify in the content tree.

  2. Navigate to Settings or SEO Tabs:

    • Click on the page name to open the editor.

    • Look for the Settings tab (for navigation and site search) or the SEO tab (for search engine visibility).

  3. Hide from Navigation:

    • Find the toggle or checkbox labeled "Hide from Navigation".

    • Toggle this to Yes/On to remove the link from your main header and footer menus.

  4. Hide from Internal Search:

    • Locate the option "Hide from Internal Search".

    • Enabling this ensures that visitors using your website's search bar will not find this specific page.

  5. Hide from External Search Engines (SEO):

    • Go to the SEO tab of your page editor.

    • Check the box for "No Index"; this tells search engine bots not to list this page in their results.

Save and Publish: Click the Save and Publish button at the bottom of the screen. The real-time Management API in Umbraco 17 will update your site's navigation immediately

Tips for Content Visibility

  • Direct Access Only: Hiding a page from navigation and search makes it a "hidden" URL; only users with the direct link can view it.

  • Check Parent/Child Logic: If you hide a parent page from navigation, its sub-pages may still appear in menus unless they are also individually hidden or the parent is unpublished.

  • Redirect Strategy: If you are hiding a page because it is redundant, consider using the SEO tab to set up a 301 Redirect to a more relevant page.

  • Visual Status: Hidden pages remain visible in your backoffice content tree so you can continue to edit them, unlike deleted pages which move to the Recycle Bin.

For a visual walkthrough of managing content and the backoffice interface in Umbraco 17+, you can refer to the official Umbraco HQ overview:

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Note: This video covers the latest features and interface updates relevant to the v17+ environment.

Relevant Links & Resources

  • uSkinned YouTube Channel: Check for specific videos on Navigation Management and site structure.

  • uSkinned Resources & Guides: For detailed documentation on SEO and navigation settings, visit the uSkinned Guides.

  • Umbraco Documentation: Technical details on how Umbraco 17 handles content delivery can be found on the Official Umbraco Docs.

 

Pro-Tip: If you want to see what your hidden page looks like before making it live again, click the Preview button at the top of the page. This allows you to view the site as if the page were live, but only for you!

Where Next?

Now that you can "Hide Pages" to manage your site's timeline, how do you handle a growing amount of content?

As you add more information, a flat list of pages becomes difficult for your visitors to navigate. To keep your website professional and organized, you need to start nesting your content logically. Your next step is learning how to "Create Subpages".

We’ll show you how to build a "Parent and Child" relationship between pages, which automatically creates organized dropdown menus and clear paths for your users to follow!