How the public directory serves prospects and SEO

This page explains how the public directory works for visitors who aren’t members, why it’s useful for attracting new members, and how privacy is maintained even for public content.

The short version

When a directory is set to Public, anyone can browse it without signing in. Only fields marked Public by each member are visible to visitors. The page is cached for performance and indexed by search engines, making it a discovery surface for prospective members. Fields set to Members only are not shown — a prompt invites visitors to sign in or join to see them.

How it works

What visitors can see

The public directory serves the same page to all visitors, with only Public-visibility fields shown on each member card and profile. Fields set to Members only or Hidden are not visible. In place of Members only fields, visitors see “Sign in or join to see this” — a prompt that both explains the limitation and invites them to become members.

Authenticated members who visit the same page get a richer view: Members only fields appear for them too, without the prompt.

How the page is cached

Public directories are served with a 5-minute cache (the technical term is Cache-Control: public, max-age=300). This means:

Pages load fast for visitors even on large directories.
Search engines can index the content.
There’s a brief window (up to 5 minutes) after a member opts out before they disappear from the cached page. When a member opts out, the cache is invalidated automatically — the window exists only while the new cache is being built.

Authenticated member views bypass the cache and always show the live, personalized view.

Faceted search and shareable URLs

If the directory has filters configured, visitors can apply them to narrow results. The URL updates to encode the current search state (keywords, filters, sort). A visitor can copy the URL and share it — anyone who opens the link sees the same filtered view.

Note: faceted filtering for public directories requires API support for public-scope facet parameters. Check with your admin if public filters aren’t appearing as expected — some filter configurations may require a platform update.

The “Join” prompt

The public directory always shows a Join call-to-action for prospects. Visitors who see a partial profile with locked fields have a clear path to get full access: sign in if they have an account, or apply to join. This pattern is common for professional associations where the public directory is a key recruitment tool.

Why it works this way

Showing an accurate but gated directory to visitors creates a productive tension: the directory is useful enough to demonstrate the value of membership, but reserved enough to give members a reason to join. Members also retain full control over what appears in the public view — anything they set to Members only or Hidden never reaches the public page, regardless of the directory’s public setting.

The cache exists to handle large organizations efficiently. A 50,000-member directory page served fresh for every visitor would be slow; the 5-minute cache makes the experience fast without meaningfully affecting privacy (members who opt out are removed quickly when the cache resets).

Edge cases & boundaries

Members-only and restricted directories do not serve public content. Visitors see “Sign in to view this directory” with sign-in and join options.
Archived members never appear in the public directory, even if they were visible before being archived.
Logged-in member and anonymous views are independent — a logged-in member’s browser history, cookies, or session don’t affect the anonymous cache.
The embedded directory widget on a third-party site follows the same visibility rules as the portal directory.