Using Ghost Mode

Category: Shops Reading time: 3 min

Ghost Mode is a feature that temporarily hides your business from Groomera's public discovery listings. When Ghost Mode is active, your storefront still works — clients with your direct link can still book — but your shop won't appear in ZIP code-based searches or any Groomera-wide discovery features.

When to Use Ghost Mode

Ghost Mode is useful when you need to limit new inbound traffic without taking your storefront completely offline.

Common reasons to activate it:

• You're at full capacity and don't want new clients finding you through search while you're maxed out
• You're going on vacation or closing temporarily and want to prevent new bookings from clients who found you through discovery
• You're in a transition period — onboarding new staff, changing your service menu, or rebranding — and want to pause discovery while things settle
• You prefer referral-only growth and want to control intake through your direct link rather than open discovery

Ghost Mode is not the same as taking your storefront offline. Clients you've shared your link with can still visit and book. Only discovery-based new visitors are affected.

Activating Ghost Mode

1. Log in as an owner
2. Go to Profile in the bottom of your sidebar
3. Click the Preferences tab
4. Find the Ghost Mode section
5. Toggle Ghost Mode on
6. Set the duration — how long you want Ghost Mode to stay active

Duration Options

You can set Ghost Mode to run for a specific period:

Once the duration expires, Ghost Mode deactivates automatically and your shop reappears in discovery listings.

What Changes When Ghost Mode Is On

Ghost Mode only affects discovery. It doesn't pause your existing operations, disable reminders, or affect any booked appointments.

Deactivating Ghost Mode Early

If you want to come out of Ghost Mode before the duration expires:

1. Go to Profile in the bottom of your sidebar
2. Click the Preferences tab
3. Find the Ghost Mode toggle (it will show as active)
4. Toggle it off
5. Your shop reappears in discovery immediately

Ghost Mode vs. Closing Your Storefront

Ghost Mode and a closed storefront serve different purposes:

If you're going away and want no bookings at all, Ghost Mode alone isn't enough — you'll also want to block your specialists' availability for that period so no slots appear even for clients who have your direct link.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Ghost Mode affect my existing clients? No. Clients who already have your storefront link can still visit and book. Ghost Mode only removes you from Groomera's discovery features.

Q: Will clients who find me through Google still be able to book? Yes. If your storefront link appears in Google search results or your Google Business Profile, those clients can still access and book through your direct URL. Ghost Mode doesn't affect external search engines.

Q: Does Ghost Mode affect my SEO? Ghost Mode operates at the Groomera discovery layer — it doesn't add a noindex tag to your storefront page or otherwise signal to Google to stop crawling. Your external search presence is not affected.

Q: Can I schedule Ghost Mode to activate at a future date? Not currently. Ghost Mode activates immediately when toggled on. If you want it active for a future trip, activate it on the day you leave.

Related articles:

• Launching Your Public Storefront →
• Managing Your Team of Specialists →