By default, the Marker.io widget is visible to everyone who visits your site. That's perfect for staging or internal environments, but on your live production site, you probably want to limit access to team members, clients, or stakeholders and hide the widget from regular users.
💡 Locking down the widget dramatically reduces your pageview usage. If the widget is open to all visitors on a public site, every single visitor session counts toward your plan's monthly pageview limit. By restricting the widget to logged-in Marker.io users (via the Browser Extension or the "Only show to Members & Guests" setting), you can cut your pageview consumption by 90%+ overnight. This is especially important on high-traffic production sites. Learn more about plan limits →
This guide shows all the available options to control who can see and use the widget in production, depending on your workflow and tech stack.
Quick overview
Option | Requires Code? | Who Sees It | Impact on Pageviews |
Browser Extension | ❌ | Seats (Admins, Managers, Members, Guests) with extension | ✅ Minimal, only logged-in users trigger sessions |
Logged-in Users | ✅ | Seats (Admins, Managers, Members, Guests) logged into app.marker.io | ✅ Minimal, only logged-in users trigger sessions |
Secret URL Parameter | ✅ | Any visitor who knows the parameter (Seats or Reporters) | 🚨 High, widget loads but is hidden for all visitors |
Conditional Logic | ✅ | Any visitor defined by your logic | ⚠️ Depends on your implementation |
WordPress Plugin | ❌ | Defined based on WP user roles | ⚠️ Depends on your visibility settings |
Browser Extension
The easiest and safest way to use Marker.io in production, without adding any code to your website, is to inject the widget via the browser extension.
This method is ideal for internal teams who want to collect feedback directly on your live site without exposing the widget to the public.
Key benefits:
No code changes required
Works on any production site
Only visible to Seats (Admins, Managers, Members, Guests) invited to your Marker.io workspace
Completely hidden from regular visitors
Minimal pageview impact because the widget is only injected for logged-in Marker.io users
How to enable it:
Go to your Website project → Widget → Installation → Browser Extension
Under "Inject on website", add the URL(s) of your production site
Share the extension with your team or clients
Requirements:
Users must install the Marker.io browser extension
They must be logged into their Marker.io account on app.marker.io
They must have access to the website associated with the widget
Note: This method requires users to be signed into Marker.io with access to the correct website.
Troubleshoot: Still can't see widget?
If someone doesn't see the widget:
Make sure they're logged in
Make sure they've installed the extension
Make sure the website is listed in the "Inject on website" settings
Confirm they've been added to the correct Marker.io website
Logged-in Users
If you're working with a private feedback loop (internal teams, agencies, or selected stakeholders), you can limit the widget to users who are part of your Marker.io website.
When enabled, the widget will only appear for:
Logged-in Members (your internal team)
Logged-in Guests (clients, stakeholders you've invited)
Anonymous reporters and public visitors won't see or be able to use the widget.
💡 This is one of the most effective ways to keep your pageview count low on high-traffic sites. Only authenticated Marker.io users trigger widget sessions, so your regular website visitors won't consume any of your monthly pageview allowance.
How to enable it:
Go to your Website → Widget → Button → Button Targeting
Select "Only show to Members & Guests"
Note: Just like the extension, this method requires users to be signed in to Marker.io with access to the correct website.
Secret URL Parameter
Another option is to hide the widget by default and only show it when a visitor accesses your site with a specific URL parameter. For example:
https://yourwebsite.com?bug
How it works:
The widget is triggered only when the URL contains a secret key (like
?bug)Once opened, it remains visible for 1 hour for that user
A cookie will be saved for the visitor so that when they navigate around your website, the widget will still be visible
This is perfect for sharing temporary feedback access with clients or testers
You can customize the parameter to something unique (e.g.
?client-access)
Who can use it:
Both invited users and reporters can submit feedback this way.
🚨 Pageview warning: With this option, the widget script is loaded for every visitor on every page load. It's just hidden until someone uses the secret URL. This means all visitor sessions count toward your pageview limit. For lower pageview usage, use the Browser Extension or Logged-in Users options instead.
How to enable it:
Go to your website → Widget → Button → Button Targeting
Choose "Only show via URL parameter"
Set a custom secret key (optional)
Conditional Logic
If you want full control over who sees the widget, you can conditionally inject the Marker.io snippet based on your own backend logic.
This approach is great when you want to:
Restrict access based on user roles (e.g. staff, QA, clients)
Avoid loading the widget entirely for the public
Since the widget appears whenever you add the script tag, you'll need to wrap the code inside a logic similar to this:
if (visitorIsEmployee()) { // Insert the Marker.io script. }💡 If your logic only loads the script for internal users, this approach will also keep your pageview usage low, similar to the Browser Extension and Logged-in Users methods.
WordPress Plugin
For WordPress sites, the easiest way to install and control the Marker.io widget is through our official plugin.
Key benefits:
No code needed, simply install and configure the plugin
Automatically loads the widget across your site
Lets you control visibility using WordPress user roles
Ideal for agencies managing feedback with clients or QA teams
How to enable it:
Install the Marker.io plugin from the WordPress plugin directory
Go to your WordPress dashboard → Marker.io settings
Enter your Project ID to link the site with your Marker.io website project
Choose where and for whom the widget should appear (e.g., only for logged-in users)
💡 If you restrict the widget to logged-in WordPress users only, you'll also keep your Marker.io pageview usage low.
⚠️ Important: If you use the plugin, do not manually add the script snippet elsewhere. This could cause conflicts.
Summary
Seats (Admins, Managers, Members, Guests) can always access the widget when invited.
Reporters (free, unlimited) can submit via widget but will only see their own feedback, typically enabled with Secret URL Parameters or Conditional Logic.
Locking the widget to logged-in Marker.io users is the single most effective way to reduce pageview consumption on production sites.
Choose the method that best balances security, ease of use, and pageview efficiency for your production site.