# Site membership with profiles and permission sets

*Experience Cloud Consultant Study Guide · User Creation and Authentication · Last updated October 24, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant/user-creation-and-authentication/site-membership-with-profiles-and-permission-sets*

How users get into a site: membership through profiles and permission sets (never permission set groups or public groups) under Administration > Members, what adding or removing them does, welcome emails and Preview status, adding membership with Data Loader when nobody can open Workspaces, and keeping internal or broad profiles out of external sites.

- Certification: Salesforce Experience Cloud Consultant
- Exam section: User Creation and Authentication
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Identify how to grant users access to an Experience.

## What the exam expects

- Grant site access by adding profiles or permission sets under Experience Workspaces > Administration > Members, and know what can't be added (permission set groups, public groups).
- Pick a permission set over a cloned profile when only part of a profile's users should get in.
- Predict the effect of adding a permission to a membership permission set, removing a profile, or deleting an associated profile.
- Explain when members get welcome emails and how Preview testers reach the site.
- Add membership through Data Loader when no admin can open Workspaces, and keep internal or broad profiles out of an external site.

Key terms: **site membership** (the set of profiles and permission sets whose users can log in to a site); **Members** (the Administration page in Experience Workspaces that holds it); **welcome email** (login details sent to new members of an Active site); **NetworkMemberGroup** (the object that stores a profile or permission set's membership in a site); **least privilege** (only the access a site needs).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Where membership lives | Experience Workspaces > Administration > Members | [Add Members to Your Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_customize_members.htm&type=5) |
| Membership grants | Profiles and permission sets, not permission set groups | [Add Members to Your Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_customize_members.htm&type=5) |
| New assignees | Gain access automatically | [Add Members to Your Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_customize_members.htm&type=5) |
| Removing a profile | Access lost unless another associated profile or permission set remains; posts stay | [Add Members to Your Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_customize_members.htm&type=5) |
| Deleting an associated profile | Not allowed until it is removed from the site | [Add Members to Your Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_customize_members.htm&type=5) |
| Welcome emails | Sent when the site is Active and emails are enabled | [Add Members to Your Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_customize_members.htm&type=5) |
| Preview status | Only members with the login URL can view the site | [Add Members to Your Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_customize_members.htm&type=5) |
| Non-member admin | Insert networkId and parentId into Network Member Group with Data Loader | [Update Site Membership Using the API](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.faq_communities_membership_update_api.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Security control | Only custom least-privilege profiles and permission sets in Members | [Control User Access](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=xcloud.shr_control_user_access_to_your_experience_cloud_site.htm&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Why does adding a permission to a membership permission set need care?
- When does removing a profile from Members leave a user's access intact?
- Which object does Data Loader write to when adding site membership?
- Which options besides Members does Help list for giving external users site access?

## Sources

- [Add Members to Your Experience Cloud Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_customize_members.htm&type=5)
- [Update Experience Cloud Site Membership Using the API](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.faq_communities_membership_update_api.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Control User Access to Your Experience Cloud Site Control](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=xcloud.shr_control_user_access_to_your_experience_cloud_site.htm&type=5)
- [Create Experience Cloud Site Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_create_external_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Experience Cloud Licenses Eligible for Upgrades](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.networks_license_upgrade_eligible.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Considerations When Creating Partner Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.exp_cloud_partner_create_considerations.htm&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 8 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Experience Cloud Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams