I know this is going to seem like a trite "newbie" question. I am still learning so please bare with me.
I have just begun the process of creating my products which are all HIDDEN/PRIVATE. I need to keep everything including my store HIDDEN while it is in development.
My questions are as follows.
When I test the link I am provided I cannot see the product unless I am signed into my Zazzle account.
Moreover what's even more concerning to me is that the link takes me directly to my store's backend. Please see screen captures.
Does this mean that when a potential customer or anyone viewing the product page through the SHARE IT link provided can have FULL ACCESS to my backend?! I am so confused and very frustrated.
Should I be worried? How do I remedy this?
As you can clearly see in the screen captures once the EDIT BUTTON is clicked on the next page shows the ZAZZLE DESIGN TOOL but also my backend where everything is accessible to all.
Should I be concerned?
Thanks in advance for any information or insight anyone can provide this includes Zazzle staff or moderators.
This thread will help others besides me.
When I test the link I am provided I cannot see the product unless I am signed into my Zazzle account.
I touched on this here in my response to your last question. What you are seeing is exactly what is supposed to happen when you make a product Hidden. The #1 prompt - "You do not have access to the product (Login)" - is the applicable explanation. It's telling you one has to be logged in as the account owner to see the product. Because it's Hidden to all but the account holder. Once you change your products' status from Hidden to Public, the URLs for them will remain the same but then everyone will be able to access the product pages instead of getting the "product no longer available" page. So right now, the people you hired to help you build up your website that you want to send your URLS to, they won't be able to access your product pages, but, they can still use the URLs you send them in building the page code. The URLs just won't take you to the actual products until you change them from Hidden to Public or Direct Only.
Hidden means no one can find the product page unless they are logged in to your account, even if they have a direct URL to it. The product basically doesn't exist except to you as the account holder.
Direct Only means your product won't be findable in the marketplace, but anyone with the direct URL to it will be able to see it. You can share the URL via email or social media or even by putting it in a Collection (because putting it in a collection is a form of sharing a link to it) and people will be able to view the product, but, the product will not appear in the marketplace and won't be findable via search.
Public means anyone can view the product and it will be indexed to be searchable and included in the marketplace where anyone can stumble across it.
What you are referring to as the "back-end" is the Design Tool. If you do not want people being able to enter the Design Tool to fully customize your designs, you can turn the option off when you publish each product by unchecking the "show Customize It button" option. Note that if you uncheck this option, you can't change your mind later. If you decide later you want people to be able to use the Design Tool to change a background color or whatever, you would have to re-publish as a new product.
In the forums, when people say "my/your back-end", they are referring to this view that only the logged-in account holder can see, the one that shows you all the product stats and gives you the Actions drop-down for things you might want to do with the products.
From the "back-end", you can click the 'view public storefront' in the upper right to see things pretty much how a not-logged-in visitor would see them.
From that view you can click "return to store management" to go back to what we refer to as "the back-end" as shown in the first screenshot.
All of the issues you are experiencing are a direct result of having your products hidden. Until you make them public you are the only person who can view them and the only way to view them will be if you are signed in. Once they are public these issues will be gone. You could also make your products direct only and then you would be able to see them as a customer will see them and the only other people that can view them are those with access to the link and you would have to provide that link so they would be safe from anyone else seeing them.
When I test the link I am provided I cannot see the product unless I am signed into my Zazzle account.
I touched on this here in my response to your last question. What you are seeing is exactly what is supposed to happen when you make a product Hidden. The #1 prompt - "You do not have access to the product (Login)" - is the applicable explanation. It's telling you one has to be logged in as the account owner to see the product. Because it's Hidden to all but the account holder. Once you change your products' status from Hidden to Public, the URLs for them will remain the same but then everyone will be able to access the product pages instead of getting the "product no longer available" page. So right now, the people you hired to help you build up your website that you want to send your URLS to, they won't be able to access your product pages, but, they can still use the URLs you send them in building the page code. The URLs just won't take you to the actual products until you change them from Hidden to Public or Direct Only.
Hidden means no one can find the product page unless they are logged in to your account, even if they have a direct URL to it. The product basically doesn't exist except to you as the account holder.
Direct Only means your product won't be findable in the marketplace, but anyone with the direct URL to it will be able to see it. You can share the URL via email or social media or even by putting it in a Collection (because putting it in a collection is a form of sharing a link to it) and people will be able to view the product, but, the product will not appear in the marketplace and won't be findable via search.
Public means anyone can view the product and it will be indexed to be searchable and included in the marketplace where anyone can stumble across it.
What you are referring to as the "back-end" is the Design Tool. If you do not want people being able to enter the Design Tool to fully customize your designs, you can turn the option off when you publish each product by unchecking the "show Customize It button" option. Note that if you uncheck this option, you can't change your mind later. If you decide later you want people to be able to use the Design Tool to change a background color or whatever, you would have to re-publish as a new product.
In the forums, when people say "my/your back-end", they are referring to this view that only the logged-in account holder can see, the one that shows you all the product stats and gives you the Actions drop-down for things you might want to do with the products.
From the "back-end", you can click the 'view public storefront' in the upper right to see things pretty much how a not-logged-in visitor would see them.
From that view you can click "return to store management" to go back to what we refer to as "the back-end" as shown in the first screenshot.
