What the client portal shows your clients

The client portal is where the people you invite from a client's business sign in. It carries your agency's name, logo and color, and it works whether or not you host the client's website. How clients sign in is in signing in to the client portal. They can also see it on their phone in the Business Hub app (see Your clients' dashboard in the Business Hub app).

Where clients land

• People with the Site performance & stats permission land on the dashboard, titled Performance overview.
• Everyone else sees a Site List with their websites. If they have only one site, they go straight to it.
• At the top of the dashboard they can switch between This period, Last period and Last 90 days. The period follows the client's billing cycle day. The Print or save as PDF button prints the dashboard. Buttons and the Form responses, Media and Google reviews tabs are left off the printout.
• The dashboard header shows the client's logo (or name) and Prepared by with your logo or agency name.

The top bar and footer

• If one login has access to more than one of your clients, a Business menu in the top bar switches between them. Otherwise the client's logo or name shows there.
• The top bar has links for the tabs the person can use: Form responses, Media, Approvals, Google reviews, Bookings, AI connections, then Edit your website and Sign out. On a phone some get shorter labels (Responses, Reviews) or show as icons only (AI connections, Sign out), and the buttons wrap under the logo.
• The footer shows your agency name, contact email and phone, and "Powered by ContentForge" unless you switched it off (see white-label branding).

Edit your website

Anyone with an editing permission (Editor, Widget content, Blog, Popups, Content Library, Dynamic pages, SEO settings, Site Comments or Dev Mode) and at least one assigned site gets an Edit your website button in the top bar of every portal page, plus a card at the top of the dashboard (or Site List) saying what they can change, for example "You can change pages, sections, design and site settings and blog posts."

With one site the button opens it in the editor straight away. With several it opens a short list. Draft sites open too. The button doesn't depend on the Websites tab, and people with no editing permission never see it. In the editor they only get what their permissions allow.

When you view as the client, the button shows but only says "Your client sees this button and opens their editor here".

The dashboard tabs

• Site Stats shows key numbers and charts from Google Search Console and Google Analytics (GA4): clicks, impressions, average position, sessions, conversions, top search terms, top pages, traffic by channel and top cities. It also shows Search by device (search clicks split by device), Google Business Profile stats, Google Map Pack rankings from your map scans, Citations built and AI Visibility.
  • Google Business Profile (right above the Map Pack rankings) shows calls, direction requests, website clicks and profile views from the client's linked Business Profile, each with its change on the days before, a chart by day and the dates covered. This period is the last 28 days Google has, since Google's numbers trail by about three days. It appears only while the Business Profile is linked and Google Business Profile stats is switched on in Dashboard settings. It never shows public Google data.
  • Google Map Pack rankings shows the latest scan's grid. Once there's more than one scan, an Over time chart below it shows how much of the area has the client in Google's top 3 at each scan. Numbered lines on the chart are work done for them.
  • Citations built shows the listings live, plus "in progress" (submitted, waiting for the directory) when there are any. A Google Ads row appears when the client has a linked Ads account (ad clicks, conversions, spend, cost per lead, search impression share and more). A Backlinks panel appears once you have taken a backlink snapshot for the client.
  • Top cities leaves out bot traffic, "(not set)" cities, cities outside the client's country, and cities where nobody engaged with the site, so the client sees where real visitors are. Your Ads & Analytics → Analytics tab still shows the full list.
• Work Completed lists what you did this period: Zeus recommendations you carried out plus items you added by hand.
• Website (or Websites) lists their sites, with Overview and Edit buttons. Sites not live yet say "Not published yet". If you switch on Accessibility score on their websites, each site shows "Accessibility score: N/100". People who can edit don't need this tab: they always have Edit your website.
• Form responses shows the messages visitors sent through the forms on their websites. It appears only for people with the Form responses permission. More below.
• Media is the client's photo and video library: they upload photos and videos and sort them into folders. It appears only when you switch it on for the client and the person has the Media permission (on unless you untick it). More below.
• Google reviews shows the reviews on the client's Google Business Profile and the replies to them. It appears only while the client's Business Profile is linked and Google reviews is switched on in Dashboard settings. People with Reply to reviews (off by default) can reply. See Google reviews in the portal.
• Approvals lists what you sent for the client's approval (Business Profile posts, replies, profile changes and photos, blog posts, social posts, press releases), newest first, with a preview of each. They approve, decline or ask for edits, and see what they decided before. It appears only while one of the client's approval switches is on and the person may answer it. See Client approvals.
• Bookings shows the client's online bookings, to confirm, change, cancel, finish and (with Refunds on) refund them. It appears only when the business has online booking but not the business app; with the business app, bookings are run there instead. See Manage bookings.
• Contact shows your email and phone. Uploading photos and videos happens on the Media tab.

If Google isn't connected for the client, the portal shows visits counted on their live Mount Olympus site instead.

Each site's pages

Opening a site shows its Project overview: its address, published status and date, an Edit Site button (for people allowed to edit), and a Preview button.

Below that, Engagement shows numbers for Last 7 days, Last 30 days or Last 90 days, each compared with the period before (for example "▲ 12% vs previous 30 days"):

• Form submissions: for people with Form responses or Site performance & stats. With Form responses it links to the responses.
• Visitors, Page views, Click-to-call, Click-to-email and Click to map: counted on Mount Olympus sites, for people with Site performance & stats.
• All stats opens the site's full performance page.

Depending on their permissions, people also see Performance, Form responses and Blog in the side menu. Form responses there opens the Form responses tab on that site.

Preview always opens the site's latest draft through its preview link, including changes that aren't published yet, without a ContentForge address. The live site is at its published address. The link uses your client domain if you've connected one. See preview and share links.

Form responses in the portal

People with the Form responses permission get a Form responses tab on the dashboard and a Form responses link at the top of every other portal page (Responses on a phone).

• If the client has several websites, a Website picker sits at the top. With one website it opens straight on it.
• Pick a form, then narrow the list:
  • Date: All time, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, This month, Last month or Custom range (pick a from and to date).
  • Submitted from page: All pages, or one page of the site. Pages show their name in the site's menu, or their address when they aren't a page of the site any more.
  • Search finds words in any answer.
• The filters work together, and Clear filters resets them. The page address keeps them, so a refresh or a shared link shows the same list.
• Export to CSV downloads exactly the responses you're looking at, filters included.
• When nothing matches, the list says so plainly, for example "No responses in this date range."
• While you view as the client, the tab is read-only: there is no Manage Responses (delete).

Media in the portal

The Media tab is off until you turn it on. On Client → Settings, open Dashboard settings, tick Media tab under Portal tabs and save. Everyone on the client can then use it, including people you invite later. To keep someone out, untick Media in their permissions.

One Upload photos & videos button takes both: photos go into the photo library and videos into Videos below it, in the folder they're looking at. Videos can be up to 2 GB each (see client videos).

When it's on, the client gets a Media tab on the dashboard and a Media link at the top of every other portal page. It's the same library you see on Client → Media, so their folders and photos show up for you straight away.

• Upload photos & videos opens the phone's camera roll (or the computer's files). On a computer they can also drag files onto the page. Photos go through the same steps as the upload link: the same file types, up to 10 MB each, phone photos converted automatically, up to 50 at a time and 1,000 in total.
• With a folder open, uploads go into that folder.
• Photos are newest first and grouped by day: "Today", "Yesterday", then the date. Under each photo it says where it came from: Uploaded here, Upload link, Onboarding form, Imported (photos from their old website, brought over when it was imported), or Added by your agency's name.
• New folder makes a folder. Clients can rename the folders they made.
• Select lets them pick photos and Move them into any folder, or out of every folder.

What a client can delete, and why

• Photos: only photos the client sent (from the portal, the upload link or the onboarding form). Photos you or Zeus added can't be moved or deleted by the client. That way a client can tidy up their own uploads but never remove something you put there on purpose.
• Deleting a photo takes it out of the media library. The file itself stays, so a page on their website that already uses it keeps showing it. You can still delete it fully from Client → Media.
• Folders: only folders the client made, and only while the folder has none of your photos in it. Deleting a folder never deletes photos: the photos inside go back to the main library. Your folders (service photo folders, for example) can be used but not renamed or deleted by the client.

What you see

Photos sent from the portal show Client portal under them on Client → Media. They get the same New badge and dated upload group ("Uploaded Oct 8 · 6 photos · via client portal"). You get the same "has uploaded new images" email and bell notification as with the upload link (at most one a day per client), and the photos show on your dashboard under Needs your attention as New client photos. The email's View Media Library button opens that upload.

You can also use the Media tab while you view as the client. Anything you add there is added by your agency.

Clients upload photos and videos on the Media tab, or from their phone in the Business Hub app. The client's upload link also takes both, for clients you send it to directly.

Press release results

When you distribute a press release for the client, it's added to their work done with a See the results link. It opens a Press release results page in your branding: the release, the date it went out, how many news sites picked it up, and each site with its live link and date. Clients who can see work done in the portal can open it. See Press releases.

Examples

• Monthly check-in call: open the portal together, switch to Last period, and walk through Work Completed.
• A client who wants a paper report: they click Print or save as PDF and choose to save as PDF in the print window.
• A franchise owner with three locations: one login with access to each client, switched with the Business menu.

Limits and what it can't do

• Clients only see what you switch on and what their permissions allow.
• Numbers come from Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Ads and your own scans. With Google not connected, only the Mount Olympus site visits show.
• Clients can't run scans, change keywords or use Zeus.

Who can use it

• Your team: the Clients tool to invite people and choose what they see.
• Client people: whatever their permissions allow.

Good to know

• You choose exactly which numbers each client sees. Anything you switch off never reaches the portal. See portal layouts and visibility.
• To see the portal the way your client does, use View as Client.

Troubleshooting

• "Your agency hasn't shared performance reports with this account.": the person doesn't have Site performance & stats. Tick it with Edit access if they should see numbers.
• "Analytics data will appear here once your agency connects Google Search Console and Analytics.": Google isn't set up for this client yet. Connect Search Console and Analytics for them.
• "Analytics data is temporarily unavailable. Your agency has been notified.": the saved Google connection stopped working. Reconnect Google in Settings → Google Connection.
• "No map ranking data yet": run a map scan for the client.
• The client can't find a tab: check the tab is switched on in Dashboard settings and the person has the permission. Then use View as Client.
• "Could not open the editor — try again": the editor link failed. Click Edit your website again.
• "Too many attempts — try again in N minutes." after clicking Edit your website: one person can open the editor this way up to 30 times in 10 minutes. Wait a few minutes.
• "This portal is temporarily unavailable. Please check back later.": your agency account is paused, usually because of a billing problem. Check your subscription.