---
title: "Keep customer drawings off your public website"
description: "Plan how a manufacturer receives private drawings without publishing them, with access checks, clear submission instructions, and public examples."
canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/manufacturer-private-drawings-website"
---
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# Keep customer drawings off your public website

Keep customer drawings in an approved private exchange process. Use the public manufacturer website to explain capabilities and start a conversation. Publish drawing examples only when their content and sharing rights have been approved.

Google explains that a `noindex` rule removes content from its search results while leaving it accessible through a direct link. It recommends password protection for private content. [Google content-control guidance, checked 2026.10.22](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/control-what-you-share).

Do not treat exclusion from search as an access control. Ask the website provider to show how unauthorized file access is prevented.

## Draw the boundary before adding an upload button

Identify which material belongs on the public site and which belongs in private handling. Name the person who approves each category.

| Material | Proposed handling decision |
| --- | --- |
| Company capability description | Publish only approved facts |
| Demonstration part owned by your company | Review images and documents for public use |
| Customer drawing | Use the approved private exchange |
| Customer specifications and revisions | Preserve access and document-control requirements |
| Quote attachments | Restrict to the intended estimating workflow |
| Public portfolio example | Require specific disclosure permission |

Keep export restrictions, contractual obligations, and other handling questions with the responsible business and professional reviewers. Resolve those questions before accepting material through a new website feature.

The table is a planning recommendation. It does not certify a particular storage system or determine a drawing's legal classification.

## Ask where uploaded files are stored

Have the provider identify the storage location, permitted readers, retrieval method, and deletion process. Include notification messages and any temporary copies in that explanation.

OWASP recommends storing uploads on a separate server or outside the public web root, with authorization controls and file validation. [OWASP upload guidance, checked 2026.10.22](https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/File_Upload_Cheat_Sheet.html).

Ask for evidence from the implemented system. A hard-to-guess filename should not be the sole answer to who may retrieve a drawing. Require the provider to explain the access decision for each download.

Keep permissions tied to a defined request or customer. Ask how staff changes and completed quotes affect access. Record the person responsible for reviewing those permissions.

## Keep public messages free of private file details

Write upload instructions around the actual approved process. Identify accepted file types and limits, who receives the request, and the next step for restricted material.

Avoid showing a private drawing preview on a publicly reachable confirmation page. Ask the provider to review notification emails, error messages, analytics events, and page addresses for unnecessary file content or identifiers.

If the private exchange is not ready, use a first-contact form without attachments. Ask for the business contact and general purpose. Arrange the approved exchange afterward.

Do not label the contact route as an NDA or imply that submitting the form creates one. Have the responsible business owner approve any confidentiality wording.

## Test access with harmless files you own

Arrange the test with the provider and estimating owner. Use documents created for the exercise. Do not test with a customer's production drawing.

Require separate checks for the uploader, authorized staff, an unrelated account, and a signed-out visitor. Define the expected behavior before running them.

| Test | Evidence to retain |
| --- | --- |
| Approved upload | Expected record and file reach the authorized workflow |
| Direct file request without access | Content is withheld under the approved access rules |
| Unrelated account request | File remains unavailable |
| Rejected type or size | Visitor receives an accurate error and next step |
| Access ends | Former access no longer retrieves the test file |
| Public page inspection | No drawing content or private preview appears |

Have the provider explain unexpected results and repeat failed checks. Retain the test record with the file-handling specification. A passed sample does not replace ongoing access review.

## Give public examples their own approval process

Review photographs, captions, thumbnails, drawings, and download files before publication. Keep proof of permission with the exact version approved. Remove proposed examples when permission is unresolved.

The [manufacturer and fabricator page](/for/small-manufacturers-and-fabricators) connects website requests with controlled specifications. Bring Scale With Search the approved exchange requirements and public-example boundaries for a [written website scope](/work).


Continue the website review: [AI-native manufacturing: the first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-manufacturing-first-functions); [Manufacturer distributor pages: show where to buy](/articles/manufacturer-authorized-distributor-page); [Discontinued product pages on a manufacturer website](/articles/manufacturer-discontinued-product-pages); [Made in USA claims on a manufacturer website](/articles/manufacturer-made-in-usa-website-claims); [Metric and inch dimensions on manufacturer websites](/articles/manufacturer-metric-inch-dimensions-website); [Show minimum order quantities on a manufacturer site](/articles/manufacturer-minimum-order-quantity-page); [Manufacturer website: products or custom fabrication](/articles/manufacturer-product-and-custom-fabrication-pages); [GTIN and MPN on manufacturer product pages](/articles/manufacturer-product-identifiers-gtin-mpn); [CAD downloads on a manufacturer website](/articles/manufacturer-public-cad-downloads); [Recycled content claims on manufacturer websites](/articles/manufacturer-recycled-content-website-claims); [Manufacturer sample requests: explain the next step](/articles/manufacturer-sample-request-page); [Manufacturing AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/manufacturing-ai-data-approval-spend-rules); [SEO for manufacturers: make capabilities findable](/articles/manufacturing-seo-buyer-discovery-plan).


[small manufacturers and fabricators](/for/small-manufacturers-and-fabricators): website and search resources.


## Related: small manufacturers and fabricators

- [Manufacturer website: products or custom fabrication](/articles/manufacturer-product-and-custom-fabrication-pages)
- [GTIN and MPN on manufacturer product pages](/articles/manufacturer-product-identifiers-gtin-mpn)
- [CAD downloads on a manufacturer website](/articles/manufacturer-public-cad-downloads)

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Scale With Search  2026  [scalewithsearch.com](https://scalewithsearch.com)
```
