Permissions are set per person and apply to every site that person is given. You set them when you invite someone, or later with Edit access on Client → Settings.
Assigned Sites
- All of this client's sites: includes sites you add to the client later.
- Only the sites I choose: tick the sites one by one.
- No website access (reports only): they see reports and work done in the portal, but no websites to open or edit.
Permissions
Reports
- Stats report: receives the monthly overview email.
- Site performance & stats: sees traffic, search performance and engagement.
- Form responses: gets the Form responses tab in the portal to view, filter, export and delete the site's form submissions (no delete while you view as them).
Approvals
- Approve social posts, Approve press releases, Approve Google Business Profile changes and Approve blog posts (the Approvals group): approve, decline or ask for edits on those items in the portal's Approvals tab. Each only does something while that kind of item needs the client's approval (Client → Settings → Client approvals). Like Media, they're on for everyone unless you untick them for a person, so people added before or after you turn approval on all get them. See Client approvals.
Reviews
- Reply to reviews: off by default. Replies to Google reviews, and edits or deletes a reply, in the portal's Google reviews tab. The tab shows only while the client's Business Profile is linked and Google reviews is switched on in Dashboard settings. Replies go straight to Google. On Local → Business Profile → Reviews you see who wrote each one, and it's added to the client's work done. Clients never get Zeus's drafted replies. See Google reviews in the portal.
Media
- Media: uses the portal's Media tab to upload photos and videos, make folders, and move or delete what the client sent. The tab also has to be switched on for the client (Dashboard settings → Portal tabs → Media tab). Media is on for everyone on the client unless you untick it for a person, so people you add before or after you switch the tab on all get it. Untick it here to keep someone out; that stays even if you switch the tab off and on again. See Media in the portal.
Editing
- Site Comments: can add, reply to and resolve comments on the site.
- Editor: full editing of widgets, pages, popups, design (including the Site Theme) and site settings. It includes Blog and Widget content.
- Widget content: can change the text and media in existing widgets, but can't change their design, add them or delete them.
- Content Library: Business Info, Business Text, media and collection items.
- Dynamic pages & Connect to Data: collections, dynamic pages and connecting widgets to data.
- Blog: can add, edit and publish blog posts, but not the blog layout.
- Popups: can manage popups and when they open.
Site
- SEO settings: site and page SEO settings and redirects. This also shows AI Visibility in the portal.
- Site Audit: views the site's audit summary and issues. This also shows AI Visibility in the portal.
- Dev Mode: custom code (HTML widgets, site CSS and JavaScript, head code).
- Custom domain: can connect a domain to the site.
Publishing
- Site publish: publish, republish and unpublish. It includes Site republish.
- Site republish: puts editor changes live on a site that's already published.
- Site backup: create, preview and restore backups.
AI connections
- Connect your own AI tools: off by default. See client MCP access.
Permissions that are included with another one show as ticked and locked. Each group has a Select all / Clear link.
Defaults for future clients
New people start with Stats report, Site performance & stats, Form responses, Media, the four Approve … permissions and Site Comments. Media and the four Approve … permissions are ticked for every new person, even if your saved defaults are older than them. They do nothing until Client → Media, or that kind of client approval, is switched on for their client. To change that, tick Use as default permissions for future clients while editing someone. Their set becomes the starting point for every new invite.
Locking parts of a page
In the editor, select a section or a column and choose Lock for client editing from its toolbar's more menu (choose Unlock for clients to undo). Only sections and columns can be locked, not single widgets. Only your team sees the option.
A locked section or column is off-limits to every client person, whatever their permissions. When they hover over it they see Locked by your agency, and if they try to change it they get the same message. Locks also hold in every language of the site.
What a client sees in the editor
The left-hand rail only shows the panels a person's permissions allow:
- Pages: always shown.
- Add, Layers and Theme: need Editor.
- CMS: needs Content Library, Dynamic pages & Connect to Data or Editor.
- Blog: needs Blog or Editor.
- Settings: needs Editor or Dev Mode. With only Dev Mode they see just the custom code section. The Domain section needs Editor, and connecting a domain also needs Custom domain.
- SEO/AEO (the site dashboard): shows whenever at least one of its sections is allowed, and only those sections. Site performance & stats opens the Performance screens; Site Audit or SEO settings open Site Audit, suggestions, AI Visibility and Accessibility; SEO settings opens Page SEO, Image Alt Text, links, Additional Settings and AEO Settings; Blog opens Blog SEO; Editor opens Cookies & Legal; Site backup opens Site Backup. Google Tools (with the Search Console status) needs SEO settings; with Site Audit only, it's read-only.
- Page SEO (the SEO tab of a page's settings, and Page SEO on dynamic pages): needs SEO settings. Editor alone isn't enough: those people see the page's General tab and the note "Page SEO needs the SEO settings permission — ask your agency to add it."
- Accessibility fixes (Make it H2, Fix with the readability pass, Use this text): need Editor. With Site Audit or SEO settings only, people run the check and see the problems, with a note that fixing needs Editor.
- Fix It / View Details links in the site dashboard open a screen the person can open. When they can't, the row says which permission is needed instead.
The Publish button shows for Site publish. With only Site republish, it shows once the site is already published, so the first publish stays with you. Popups appear inside Pages for people with Popups or Editor.
Inside a blog post, Blog gives full editing of that post. Inside a popup, Popups does the same for that popup.
Examples
- Owner who wants to tweak their own site: Editor, Site republish and Site Comments. They change anything, put it live, but you do the first publish.
- Office manager who answers inquiries: Form responses and Stats report only, with No website access (reports only).
- Marketing assistant who writes posts: Blog and Media. They write and publish blog posts but can't touch the page design.
- A client who only signs off work: the four Approve … permissions and Site Comments.
Who can use it
Your team needs the Clients tool to change a person's permissions. Changes apply the next time that person loads a page.
Good to know
- Client people never get Zeus in the editor. Zeus stays with your team.
- The server checks every client save, so a person with Widget content can't change design or structure even by other means.
Other languages
If the site has other languages, client people use the language switcher at the top of the editor to change the words in those languages. What they can change follows their permissions:
- Widget content (or Editor): the text on pages, the header, footer and menu drawer. Parts you locked for client editing stay locked in every language.
- Content Library: Business Info and Business Text in each language (Edit in in the Business Text panel).
- SEO settings: a page's SEO title and description in each language.
- Blog: a translated blog post's SEO title and description, name in menus, address and Hide in.
- Editor: also a page's name in menus, its address, Hide in a language, and the cookie banner text.
Only your team can add languages, change Settings → Languages or use Translate with Zeus. When a client with Site publish publishes while a live language isn't fully translated, they see the same heads-up you do.
Troubleshooting
- A client sees "… needs the … permission — ask your agency to add it.": the screen that fixes it needs that permission. Add it in their permissions, or make the fix yourself.
- A client can't see a panel in the editor: check the list in what a client sees in the editor. For example, Theme needs Editor, and Widget content alone shows only Pages.
- A client can't change a section: it may be locked. They see Locked by your agency. Unlock it from the section's more menu.
- A client has no Publish button: they need Site publish. With Site republish only, the button appears once you've published the site.
- A client has no Edit your website button: they need at least one editing permission and at least one assigned site. No website access (reports only) removes the button.
- The Approvals, Media or Google reviews tab is missing: the permission is only half of it. Media needs Media tab switched on in Dashboard settings, each approval needs its client approval switch on, and Google reviews needs a linked Business Profile with Google reviews switched on. See Client approvals.
- A change didn't take effect: the person needs to reload the page. Use View as Client to check.