A love-story website can be meant for one person, a small family group or a wider celebration. If you do not want the published link to open immediately for everyone who receives it, Site4Us has an optional password setting. The features page describes this as “Optional password protection for privacy.”
A password is an access gate, not a promise that the story can never be copied or forwarded. Anyone who has both the published link and the current password can try to open it. Keep highly sensitive information out of the story, and share access only with the people you intend to invite.
Before you turn the password on
Finish the parts of the story that affect the reveal:
- check the names, dates and captions
- preview the photo and video order
- confirm the closing message
- decide who should receive the published link
- choose a password you can communicate accurately
If you are still gathering media and writing, use the broader love-story website preparation checklist. Password protection controls access to the finished site; it does not replace careful content choices.
Turn on password protection
- Sign in to Site4Us and open your dashboard.
- Choose Customise.
- Find Password protection.
- Turn the switch on.
- Enter the password you want to use.
- Select Save changes.
The dashboard requires a password when protection is being enabled for the first time. Do not close the page until the saved confirmation appears.
If you use Save & Next: Media, the same settings are saved before you move to the media section. The standard Save changes button is clearer when your only job is changing access.
Test the published link independently
Testing from the same browser can be misleading because that browser may already have access or may be showing an owner preview. Use the published site URL, not a dashboard preview.
A clean test is:
- Copy the published Site4Us URL.
- Open a private or incognito browser window.
- Paste the published URL.
- Confirm that the page says the site is private and asks for a password.
- Enter a deliberately incorrect password once and confirm that it is rejected.
- Enter the current password.
- Check that the complete story opens.
Repeat the test on a phone if that is how the recipient is most likely to view the gift. This catches typing mistakes before the reveal without changing the story itself.
Share the link and password clearly
Send the exact published URL. Avoid screenshots of the address bar, shortened fragments or an old preview link.
Then send the current password as plain text so the recipient can copy it accurately. You may choose to send the link and password in separate messages, but that is an organisational choice rather than a guarantee that they cannot be forwarded together.
A simple message can be:
I made this for you. Open the link, then enter the password exactly as written in my next message.
This is an illustrative message, not a customer quotation.
Change the password without changing the story
Return to Customise when you need a replacement password.
When protection is already enabled, the field is labelled New password. Entering a new value and saving replaces the existing password. Leaving that field blank keeps the current password while other settings are saved.
After changing it:
- test the published URL in a new private browser window
- confirm that the replacement password works
- stop sharing the old password
- send the new password only to the intended recipients
Changing the password does not rewrite the story, photos or captions. It changes the credential used at the access gate.
Remove password protection
To make the published link open without the gate:
- open Customise
- turn Password protection off
- select Save changes
- retest the published URL in a private browser window
Do not assume that switching the control is enough before the save completes. The independent retest is the useful final check.
Troubleshoot common access problems
| What happens | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The password screen does not appear | You opened a dashboard preview, the setting was not saved, or this browser already has access | Test the exact published URL in a new private window and confirm the saved setting |
| The recipient sees “Incorrect password” | The password was mistyped or has since been replaced | Copy the current password exactly, test it yourself, then resend it |
| Your other edits save but the password does not change | The New password field was left blank | Enter the replacement in New password and save again |
| The site still asks for a password after you meant to remove it | The switch was turned off but the change was not saved, or an old page is still open | Save the disabled setting, then reopen the published URL in a new private window |
| The wrong person received the password | The credential has been shared beyond the intended group | Set a new password, test it and share the replacement only with the intended recipients |
If the dashboard reports that it could not update the password, do not keep sending an untested credential. Try saving once more after checking your connection. If the error continues, contact Site4Us support before the reveal.
Final access checklist
Before sharing the gift, confirm that:
- the public link is the published story, not a preview
- Password protection is switched on and saved if you want the gate
- the current password works in a private browser window
- an incorrect password is rejected
- the recipient has the exact link and current password
- no sensitive information has been added simply because a password is present
- you know how to change or remove the password later
If you are still deciding whether a private couple-only reveal or a group contribution suits the occasion, read Planning a Private or Group Anniversary Gift. For the wider gift and publishing decision, keep the commercial choice with the digital anniversary gift guide.