Team Members
Manage your Forest SEO team members, assign roles, control permissions, and collaborate effectively on content projects.
Build and manage your content team in Forest SEO with role-based access control, collaboration tools, and seamless member management.
👥 Understanding Team Structure
What is a Team?
A team in Forest SEO is a group of users collaborating on a project. Teams enable:
- 🤝 Collaboration — Multiple people working together
- 🔐 Access Control — Role-based permissions
- 📊 Shared Resources — Content, keywords, integrations
- 💰 Unified Billing — One subscription for all members
- 📈 Productivity — Divide and conquer content creation
Team Roles & Permissions
Four Role Types:
Role Permissions Matrix
| Feature | Viewer | Member | Admin | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content | ||||
| View content | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Create content | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Edit content | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Delete content | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Keywords | ||||
| View keywords | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Add keywords | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Edit clusters | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Delete keywords | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Integrations | ||||
| View integrations | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Add integrations | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Edit integrations | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Delete integrations | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Publications | ||||
| View publications | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Create publications | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Publish content | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Delete publications | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Team Management | ||||
| View team | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Invite members | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Update roles | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Remove members | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Billing | ||||
| View subscription | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| View wallet | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Top up wallet | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Manage subscription | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Manage payment methods | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Project | ||||
| View settings | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Update settings | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Delete project | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Transfer ownership | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
📋 Viewing Your Team
Access Team Page
Navigation:
- Open Dashboard
- Click Settings ⚙️
- Select Team tab
Or use quick link: Dashboard → Team
Team Overview
What You'll See:
Team Statistics
Overview Cards:
| Stat | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Members | Active team members count |
| Pending Invitations | Invites awaiting acceptance |
| Roles Distribution | Breakdown by role type |
Example:
- Total Members: 5
- Pending Invitations: 2
- Roles: 1 Owner, 1 Admin, 3 Members
👤 Member Information
Member Card Details
Each team member displays:
Profile Information:
- 👤 Name — Full name or email
- 📧 Email — Contact email
- 🎭 Role Badge — Admin, Member, or Viewer
- 👑 Owner Badge — If project owner
Status Indicators:
- ✅ Active — Currently active
- 🟡 You — Your own account
- 👑 Owner — Project owner
➕ Inviting Team Members
Prerequisites
Requirements:
- ✅ Admin or Owner role — Only admins/owners can invite
- ✅ Subscription active — Or wallet funded for seats
- ✅ Valid email — Must be a valid email address
Cost Impact:
- 💰 With Subscription: +$39/month per seat (auto-scaled)
- 💰 Pay-as-you-go: Team features limited
Step-by-Step: Invite Member
Step 1: Open Invite Dialog
- Navigate to Team page
- Click Invite Member button
- Invite dialog appears
Step 2: Enter Member Details
Required Information:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Member's email address | [email protected] | |
| Role | Initial role assignment | Member |
Role Selection:
Best Practices:
- ✅ Start with Member role (most common)
- ✅ Use Viewer for clients or stakeholders
- ✅ Reserve Admin for trusted team leads
- ⚠️ Can upgrade role later if needed
Step 3: Send Invitation
- Review email and role
- Click Send Invitation
- Invitation email sent instantly
What Happens:
Invitation Email Contains:
- Project name
- Your name (inviter)
- Role being offered
- Accept/Reject buttons
- Invitation expiration (7 days)
Step 4: Track Invitation Status
After sending:
Invitation appears in Team page:
- 📧 Email address
- 🎭 Role badge
- 🟡 Pending status badge
- ⏰ Sent timestamp
Possible Actions:
- 🔄 Resend — Send another email
- 🗑️ Cancel — Delete invitation
⚙️ Managing Team Members
Update Member Role
When to Update:
- Member needs more permissions
- Member promoted to team lead
- Reducing access for security
- Role no longer appropriate
How to Update Role:
- Find member in team list
- Click Actions menu (⋮)
- Select Change Role
- Choose new role
- Click Update Role
Role Changes:
| From | To | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Viewer → Member | Need content creation access | |
| Member → Admin | Promoted to team lead | |
| Admin → Member | Stepping down from management | |
| Member → Viewer | Reducing permissions |
Remove Team Member
When to Remove:
- Member leaving company
- Contract ended
- No longer needs access
- Security concern
How to Remove Member:
- Find member in team list
- Click Actions menu (⋮)
- Select Remove from Team
- Confirm removal
- Member immediately loses access
What Happens:
✅ Immediate:
- Access revoked instantly
- Can't log into project
- In-progress work saved
💰 Billing:
- Seat count decreases
- Pro-rated credit issued (if subscribed)
- Next bill reflects new seat count
📧 Notifications:
- Member receives removal email
- Team admins notified
- Audit log updated
Special Cases
Cannot Remove Owner
Project owner cannot be removed by other members.
To Remove Owner:
- Owner must transfer ownership first
- Then remove themselves
- Or delete entire project
Cannot Remove Yourself
You cannot remove yourself from the team.
To Leave Project:
- Ask admin/owner to remove you
- Or transfer ownership (if owner)
🔍 Filtering Team Members
Available Filters
Filter Options:
| Filter | Options |
|---|---|
| Role | All, Admin, Member, Viewer |
| Status | Members, Invitations, Both |
| Search | By name or email |
Filter Examples
Example 1: View Only Admins
- Set Role filter: Admin
- Result: Shows admin team members
Example 2: View Pending Invitations
- Set Status filter: Invitations
- Result: Shows pending invites only
Example 3: Find Specific Member
- Enter name in search
- Result: Filters to matching members
👥 Team Collaboration
Distributed Workflows
How Teams Collaborate:
Common Team Structures
Small Team (2-3 people)
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Owner/Admin | Strategy, keywords, billing |
| Member | Content creation, publishing |
| Member | Editing, quality control |
Monthly Output: 30-50 articles
Medium Team (4-6 people)
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Owner | Billing, oversight |
| Admin | Team management, strategy |
| Member (2-3) | Content generation |
| Member | Publishing, integrations |
| Viewer | Client review |
Monthly Output: 100-200 articles
Large Team (7+ people)
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Owner | Business oversight |
| Admin (2) | Team leads by department |
| Member (4-6) | Specialized writers |
| Member (1-2) | Editors |
| Viewer (2+) | Stakeholder review |
Monthly Output: 300+ articles
💰 Billing & Team Size
Subscription Costs
Per-Seat Pricing:
Seat Calculation:
- Owner counts as 1 seat
- Each member (Admin, Member, Viewer) = 1 seat
- Pending invitations don't count (yet)
Example:
- 1 Owner + 2 Admins + 5 Members = 8 seats
- Cost: $312/month
Adding Members Impact
When you invite a new member:
With Subscription:
- ✅ Member accepts invitation
- 💰 Seat count increases by 1
- 💳 Pro-rated charge applied
- 📧 Billing email sent
- 📅 Next month's bill increases by $39
Without Subscription:
- Team features limited
- Consider subscribing before adding members
Removing Members Impact
When you remove a member:
With Subscription:
- ✅ Member removed from team
- 💰 Seat count decreases by 1
- 💵 Credit issued for unused time
- 📅 Next month's bill decreases by $39
Example Credit:
- Removed on day 10 of 30-day cycle
- 20 days unused = $26 credit
- Applied to next invoice
🎯 Team Best Practices
1. Role Assignment Strategy
Start Conservative:
- ✅ Begin with Member role
- ✅ Upgrade when needed
- ⚠️ Limit Admin roles
- 🚫 One Owner only
Role Guidelines:
| Team Size | Recommended Admins |
|---|---|
| 1-3 people | 1 (owner) |
| 4-10 people | 1-2 |
| 11-20 people | 2-3 |
| 21+ people | 3-4 |
2. Onboarding New Members
Onboarding Checklist:
- Send invitation with appropriate role
- Provide welcome email with:
- Project overview
- Team structure
- Key workflows
- Support contacts
- Schedule onboarding call
- Share documentation links
- Assign initial tasks
- Check in after first week
3. Regular Team Audits
Monthly Review:
- ✅ Review all team members
- ✅ Verify roles still appropriate
- ✅ Remove inactive members
- ✅ Check pending invitations
- ✅ Clean up expired invites
Quarterly Assessment:
- 📊 Analyze team productivity
- 💰 Review seat costs
- 🎯 Optimize team structure
- 📈 Plan team growth
4. Security Guidelines
Access Control:
- 🔒 Remove members when leaving company
- 🔑 Use minimum required permissions
- 👀 Regularly review access logs
- ⚠️ Investigate suspicious activity
Best Practices:
- Enable 2FA for all members
- Use strong passwords
- Don't share accounts
- Report security concerns immediately
⚠️ Troubleshooting
Issue 1: Can't Invite Members
Symptoms:
- "Invite Member" button disabled
- Error when sending invitation
Common Causes:
| Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Not admin/owner | Ask admin to invite |
| Subscription required | Subscribe to Premium |
| Max seats reached | Contact support for enterprise |
| Invalid email | Check email format |
Issue 2: Member Not Receiving Invitation
Symptoms:
- Member says no email received
- Invitation shows as "Pending"
Solution Steps:
- Check spam folder — Invitations may be filtered
- Verify email address — Correct typos
- Resend invitation — Click "Resend" button
- Use different email — Try alternative address
- Contact support — If still not received
Issue 3: Can't Remove Member
Symptoms:
- "Remove" option grayed out
- Error when removing
Causes:
| Scenario | Reason | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| It's you | Can't remove yourself | Ask admin to remove you |
| It's the owner | Owner can't be removed | Transfer ownership first |
| Not admin | Need admin permissions | Ask current admin/owner |
| Last admin | Must have ≥1 admin | Promote someone first |
Issue 4: Wrong Role Assigned
Symptoms:
- Member has wrong permissions
- Can't access expected features
Solution:
- Verify current role in team list
- Click Actions → Change Role
- Select correct role
- Save changes
- Ask member to refresh page
Permissions take effect immediately after role change.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How many team members can I have?
No hard limit! Add as many as needed.
Cost:
- With subscription: $39/month per seat
- Enterprise plans available for 20+ seats
Can I have multiple owners?
No. Each project has exactly one owner.
To Change Owner:
- Current owner transfers ownership
- Becomes admin/member instead
What's the difference between Admin and Owner?
| Capability | Admin | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Team management | ✅ | ✅ |
| Content operations | ✅ | ✅ |
| Billing management | ❌ | ✅ |
| Delete project | ❌ | ✅ |
| Transfer ownership | ❌ | ✅ |
Can members see billing information?
Yes, all members can view billing info:
- ✅ Subscription status
- ✅ Wallet balance
- ✅ Seat count
Only Owner can manage:
- ❌ Add payment methods
- ❌ Top up wallet
- ❌ Cancel subscription
How long do invitations last?
7 days from sending.
After expiration:
- Invitation becomes invalid
- Recipient can't accept
- Must resend invitation
Can I change someone's role after they join?
Yes! Role changes anytime:
- Find member in team list
- Click Change Role
- Select new role
- Changes apply immediately
What happens to a member's work when removed?
All content preserved:
- ✅ Generated articles remain
- ✅ Keywords created stay
- ✅ Published content unchanged
- ❌ Member loses access only
Can removed members rejoin?
Yes! Send a new invitation:
- Same email can be reinvited
- Fresh invitation sent
- Previous work still available
- New role can be assigned
🔗 Related Documentation
📧 Team Invitations
Manage invitations and accept team invites
💎 Subscription Plans
Understand per-seat pricing and billing
🚀 First Project
Set up your first Forest SEO project
💡 Pro Tips
Tip #1: Start with small team (2-3), validate workflow, then scale up to avoid wasted seats.
Tip #2: Use Viewer role for clients and stakeholders who need visibility without edit access.
Tip #3: Assign one Admin per department/function for better organization (e.g., SEO Admin, Content Admin).
Tip #4: Remove inactive members monthly to optimize subscription costs and maintain security.
Tip #5: Create team guidelines document covering roles, workflows, and expectations shared with all members.
🎬 Quick Actions
Ready to build your team? Choose your path:
- ➕ Invite Team Member — Add your first member
- ⚙️ Manage Roles — Update member permissions
- 📧 View Invitations — Track pending invites
- 💎 Subscribe to Premium — Enable team features
Questions? Contact support at [email protected] or visit our Help Center.