Making your website public

Every new website starts private. Anglers who visit see “Coming soon”, and Google is told not to list it. When you make it public, anglers can see your trips and book.

Make your website public

Only the owner or an admin can do this. If you made it public at the end of getting started, it’s already done.

1. Go to Settings, then Website. On a phone, Settings is under More.
2. Under Your website, turn on Make your website public.
3. Tap Save in the bar at the bottom of the screen.

Once it’s public, Google can find your website and list its pages, though it can take a while for them to show in search results.

Get it ready first

Open the website editor with Website in the menu, or Edit your website on the settings page. On a phone, Website is under More.

• Blocks: the pieces of a page, like a photo or your trips. Tap any words on the page to change them, and Add block to add more (Add on a phone). Once you’ve tapped into a block, the words it doesn’t show yet appear faded, ready to fill in, and longer words get a toolbar for bold, italics, headings, lists and links.
• Pages: add and rename pages, and choose what Google shows for each.
• Photos: upload and manage your photos.
• Look: your website’s colour and style.

Your website starts with a colour Gillie picks. When you add a logo in Settings, then Website, it takes the logo’s main colour instead, darkened if white text wouldn’t read on it. Once you pick a colour yourself in Look and publish it, a new logo leaves it alone.

Your changes save as you go, and the top bar says Saved, not live yet. Tap Publish to put them on your website, and the button says Live.

Publishing isn’t the same as making your website public. While it’s private, published changes show only to you and people you’ve sent the private link.

Show someone before it’s public

Tap View in the editor, or Your website at the top of the dashboard, to see it as anglers will. A bar at the bottom that only you see says Private until it’s public, with Make it public beside it.

To show a friend, go to Settings, then Website. Under Share it before it’s public, copy the Private link or the Password. Whoever opens the link sees the whole website, and it keeps working on their phone or computer. With the password, they type your address and enter it on the “Coming soon” page, then tap See the website.

To choose your own password, or stop a link that went further than you meant, tap Change. Turn on Make a new private link for a new link. Anyone using the old link or password sees “Coming soon” again, so send the new ones to whoever should still see it.

On a phone or computer where you haven’t used the link, you get the “Coming soon” page. Tap Sign in to see it at the bottom.

Change a page while you look at it

Whenever you open your website from the dashboard, a bar along the bottom shows only to you and your team, on that phone or computer:

• Edit this page opens the page in the editor. On a trip it says Edit this trip, and on a blog post Edit this post.
• Dashboard takes you back.
• The cross tucks the bar into a small round button. Tap it to bring the bar back.

The bar stays for 30 days after you last opened your website from the dashboard, and goes when you sign out. Your own visits aren’t counted in Stats while you see it.

Choose what Google shows

In the editor, open Pages, pick a page and change the words under On Google. Left empty, Google gets the line from About your business in Settings, then Website. That line also shows when someone shares a link to your website.

Make it private again

Turn off Make your website public and tap Save. Visitors see “Coming soon” again. Bookings already made carry on, and anglers can still open their own booking, waiting-list and email links.

Change your web address

Your address is under Your website on the same page. Tap Change address to pick a new one. Links to your old address send anglers to the new one. On Pro you can use a domain you own instead: see your own domain.