Members: sign-in by email code and members-only pages
Visitors sign in on your website with a 6-digit code sent to their email, with no password to remember. You keep pages for signed-in members only, or for the members of one membership.
PLANSFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- Your notes, recordings or price lists for regular clients sit on a public page, or go out one email at a time.
- Visitors forget passwords, and the reset emails land in spam.
- You cannot tell who has signed up on the site, or stop one person from getting in.
How it works
- Turn sign-in on: Editor > Site tab > Members > Visitor accounts. "When the site has a shop or memberships" is the default; "Always" shows Sign in on any site.
- A visitor presses Sign in in the header, types their email and gets a 6-digit code by email. The code works for 15 minutes.
- Typing the code signs them in on that browser for 30 days. A new email gets an account the same way, unless you allow only people you add.
- Make a page members-only: Pages tab > the page > Who can open it > Members only. Tick memberships to narrow it, or none for every signed-in member.
- A visitor who is not signed in sees "This page is for members" and the sign-in box. A member without the right membership sees the memberships that open it.
- You see every member under Website > Members: name, email, membership, end date, last sign-in and status.
Everything it does
Signing in
- By a 6-digit code sent to the email; there are no passwords
- The code works for 15 minutes; a new code can be asked for after a minute
- Five wrong codes and that code stops working; the visitor asks for a new one
- The website server also slows down repeated tries from one address
- A sign-in lasts 30 days on that browser; Sign out ends it
- Codes and sign-in keys are kept only as hashes; old sign-ins are cleared every day
Who can become a member
- Anyone who signs in with their email (the default), with Sign in and Create account tabs
- Or only people you add: other emails are told to ask you
- A member found by email is linked to the existing contact in your SmartMy account
Members-only pages
- Who can open a page: Everyone, Only with the link, With a password, or Members only
- Only these memberships: tick one or more; none ticked lets every signed-in member in
- A membership opens the page only while it is valid (no end date, or the end date not passed)
- Members-only pages are left out of the menu, the sitemap, search, llms.txt and the plain-text copies
- They are never stored by the browser or a proxy cache
Looking after members
- Website > Members: list, or See the members from the editor
- Add a member yourself: name, email, site, membership and Member Until
- Status Active or Blocked; a blocked member cannot sign in and their open sign-ins stop
- Change a membership or its end date by hand, for example for someone who paid at the counter
- Each member keeps a history of changes
Who uses it
Website ManagerTurns sign-in on, chooses who may join and sets up memberships.
Website EditorMakes pages members-only and looks after the member list.
VisitorSigns in with the emailed code and opens the pages for members.
Where you use it
- Web: Website > Members, and the editor (Site tab > Members; Pages tab > Who can open it)
- On your website: Sign in in the header, /account and /join
- Not built: sign-in with Google or a mobile number; sign-in is by email only
- Not built: a phone app for members; members use the website on any phone
What you control
Settings
- Visitor accounts (Sign in in the header): When the site has a shop or memberships (default), Always, Never
- Who can become a member: Anyone who signs in with their email (default), or Only people I add
- Per page: Members only, and Only these memberships
Notifications
- Website Sign-in Code: to the visitor, by email, sent at once
Questions
Do members need a password?
No. They type their email and get a 6-digit code that works for 15 minutes. The sign-in then lasts 30 days on that browser.Can I stop strangers from signing up?
Yes. Set Who can become a member to Only people I add, then add each member under Website > Members. Others are told to ask you.Can I keep one page for paying members only?
Yes. Make the page Members only and tick the paid membership. A member whose membership has ended is shown the memberships again.Can I throw someone out?
Yes. Set the member to Blocked. They cannot sign in, and any sign-in they still have stops within a few minutes.Are pictures and downloads on a members-only page hidden too?
The page itself needs a sign-in. Pictures and files on it are served from fixed addresses, so do not rely on members-only pages for secret documents yet.Related features
SELLING AND MEMBERSFree and paid membershipsOffer memberships on your website, free or paid, monthly, yearly or once. Paid ones are bought through your shop checkout with your own payment account, and the membership starts the moment the order is paid.SELLING AND MEMBERSVisitor accounts: orders, addresses and wishlistBuyers sign in on your website with a code sent to their email. One account page holds their orders, delivery addresses, wishlist and subscriptions, on any device. Guests can still buy without an account.BUILDING THE SITEPages, publishing later, versions and password pagesAdd pages and set who can open each one: everyone, only with the link, with a password, or members only. Publish now or at a set time. Every publish is kept as a numbered version you can bring back, and a secret test link shows your changes before they go live.ACROSS SMARTMY WEBSITENotificationsSmartMy Website tells your team the moment a form entry, booking, order, return, review or question comes in. Buyers and visitors get their codes, bookings, orders and alerts by email.ACROSS SMARTMY WEBSITEWebsite Editor and Manager rolesTwo roles split the work on your website. Editors change pages, words, pictures and the design, and look after entries, bookings and members. Managers also publish, set up the shop and its payments, and own the domains.
See your business on a real design.
Tell us what you do and what the site needs to do: bring enquiries, take bookings, show your work or sell. We will start your site from the closest design with you.