This article is about the Proxi admin app at app.proxi.co.
Every map, directory, calendar group, passport, scavenger hunt, Best Of, and program in Proxi has a Public switch. It decides one thing: whether people can find it without already having the link. That means search engines, AI assistants that answer questions like "what's happening downtown this weekend?", and Proxi's own discover pages.
What Public Changes (and What It Doesn't)
| Public On | Public Off |
Proxi's discover pages | Shown | Not shown |
Search engines and AI tools | Can find it and read it | Asked to skip it |
Your embed on your website | Adds a short list your website's search results can use | Adds nothing extra |
People who have the link | Can open it | Can still open it |
That last row matters: turning Public off is not a lock. Anyone you've already sent the link to, and anyone who visits a page where it's embedded, can still see it. If only certain people should be able to open something at all, put it behind a program with a password or sign-up (see What Are Programs? (One Join Page For Everything You Offer)).
Everything Starts Hidden
New maps, directories, calendar groups, experiences, and programs all start with Public off, so nothing goes out to the wider web until you decide it should. Maps you made before the switch existed keep the setting they already had: if a map was listed publicly before, it's still Public.
Why You Might Turn It On
People find your town, not just your link. Someone searching "things to do in Riverbend" or asking an AI assistant "where can I eat downtown?" can be pointed at your map, your directory, or your events.
Your name travels with it. Your workspace name and logo appear alongside your public items, so the credit goes to your organization.
Your own website gets a boost. When a Public map, directory, or calendar is embedded on your site, we quietly add a short list of its places or events to your page that search engines can read. That helps your page show up for those searches too. Visitors don't see the list.
Your businesses and events get found. Each place and event is described in a way search engines understand: names, addresses, dates, and sign-up links.
Why You Might Keep It Hidden
A map or directory for your team or board only.
A test, a draft, or last year's version you haven't retired yet.
An event group for volunteers or members that you share by link.
Anything you'd rather people reach through your own website or newsletter.
Things That Stay Hidden No Matter What
Members only: anything behind a program's password, sign-up, or payment stays out of search, even with Public on.
On hold by Proxi: if our team has paused something from public listing, the switch can't override that.
What Search Engines Can See
Only what your visitors can already see. A field you've set to private, or one you've turned off on your cards (an address, say), is never included. For calendars, events in a hidden group stay out of search even though they still show on your full calendar for visitors.
Good to Know
Changes take effect on our side right away. Search engines check back on their own schedule, so it can take days or weeks for something to appear in search, or drop out of it.
Public helps people find you, but no one can promise a spot at the top of search results. A clear name, a good description, photos, and addresses on your cards all help.
To switch things on or off, see How to Make Something Public or Hidden.