There are times when you may need to perform updates or make significant changes to your WordPress website, such as updating themes, installing new plugins, or fixing errors. During such periods, it’s essential to temporarily hide your site from public view and let your visitors know that the website is under maintenance. Instead of showing a broken or incomplete website, you can redirect visitors to a maintenance page. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the different ways to redirect visitors to a maintenance page in WordPress.
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Why Use a Maintenance Page?
Using a maintenance page when your site is undergoing changes has several benefits:
- Inform visitors: It lets visitors know that your site is temporarily down for improvements and provides a professional message instead of a broken or unavailable website.
- Avoid disruptions: Visitors won’t see errors or incomplete content while updates are being made.
- Improve user experience: A custom maintenance page with a message explaining the downtime keeps users informed and reassured.
Learn: How To Create Engaging Content That Converts
Methods to Set Up a Maintenance Page
There are several methods to redirect visitors to a maintenance page in WordPress. These include using plugins, editing your theme’s code, or configuring your .htaccess file. We’ll go over each method below.
1. Using a Maintenance Mode Plugin
The easiest and most popular way to enable a maintenance page in WordPress is by using a maintenance mode plugin. These plugins automatically handle redirection and provide customizable templates.
Recommended Plugins
- WP Maintenance Mode: One of the most popular maintenance mode plugins, it allows you to create a fully customizable maintenance page and add a countdown timer or subscription form.
- SeedProd: This plugin provides both maintenance and coming soon page options, along with drag-and-drop builders for designing custom pages.
- Coming Soon Page & Maintenance Mode: Simple and lightweight, it helps you create maintenance pages quickly.
Steps to Set Up with WP Maintenance Mode
Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard. Search for WP Maintenance Mode and click Install and Activate.
Configure settings: Go to Settings > WP Maintenance Mode in your dashboard. Under the General tab, toggle the Status option to Activated.
Customize your maintenance page: Navigate to the Design tab to add a custom title, message, background image, or logo to your maintenance page. Optionally, you can add social media icons, a countdown timer, or a subscription form.
Set visibility: Under the General tab, you can choose whether the maintenance mode applies to logged-in users or all visitors. By default, administrators can still access the site’s back-end, allowing you to work while visitors see the maintenance page.
Save settings: Once configured, save your changes and your maintenance page will be live.
Read: Revitalize Your WordPress Site: Comprehensive Cleanup and Optimization Strategies
2. Manually Creating a Maintenance Page (Using Code)
For those comfortable with coding, you can manually create a maintenance page by adding code to your WordPress theme. This method doesn’t require plugins but involves editing the functions.php file in your theme.:
Create a maintenance page template: Create a simple HTML or PHP maintenance page with a message indicating your site is under maintenance. Save it as maintenance.html or maintenance.php.
Edit the functions.php file: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Theme File Editor and select your active theme. Open the functions.php file and add the following code at the bottom:
function enable_maintenance_mode() {
if ( !current_user_can( 'edit_themes' ) || !is_user_logged_in() ) {
wp_die('<h1>Website Under Maintenance</h1><p>We are currently performing maintenance. Please check back later.</p>');
}
}
add_action('get_header', 'enable_maintenance_mode');
This code checks whether the user is logged in and has the permission to edit themes (administrators). If not, it displays the maintenance message.
Customize the maintenance message: Replace the HTML inside wp_die() with your custom message or HTML template for the maintenance page.
Save changes: After saving the file, your website will display the maintenance message to all visitors except logged-in administrators.
Using the .htaccess File to Redirect Visitors
You can also use the .htaccess file to temporarily redirect all traffic to a maintenance page. This method requires access to your website’s root directory and the ability to modify the .htaccess file.
Create a maintenance page: Create an HTML or PHP file for your maintenance page (e.g., maintenance.html) and upload it to your website’s root directory (e.g., public_html or www folder).
Edit the .htaccess file: Access your website via FTP or your hosting provider’s file manager. Locate and open the .htaccess file in the root directory.
Add redirect rules: Add the following code to the .htaccess file:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !/maintenance.html$
RewriteCond %{REMOTE_ADDR} !^123\.456\.789\.000
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ /maintenance.html [R=302,L]
The first condition ensures that the maintenance page itself is not redirected. The second condition allows you (or any specific IP address) to access the site without being redirected. Replace 123.456.789.000 with your IP address. Save the file and exit.
Test the redirection: Visit your website to check if visitors are redirected to the maintenance page. Make sure to test from a different IP address if your own IP is whitelisted.
Using Maintenance Mode via cPanel
Some hosting providers offer an easy way to enable maintenance mode directly from the cPanel. This option is ideal for users who want a quick solution without touching code or installing plugins.
Log in to cPanel: Access your cPanel account through your hosting provider.
Look for the Maintenance Mode option: Some hosting providers, like SiteGround or Bluehost, provide a built-in option to enable maintenance mode from cPanel. Look for this option under the WordPress Tools or Security sections.
Enable maintenance mode: Toggle the option to enable maintenance mode and configure your message or upload a maintenance page if the option is available.
Best Practices for Maintenance Mode Pages
Inform visitors about the reason for the downtime and provide an estimated time for when the site will be back online.
Include a contact method: Provide an email address or social media links in case visitors need to reach out during the downtime.
Enable search engine privacy: Ensure search engines don’t index your maintenance web page by including a noindexmeta tag in the page’s header.
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">
Add a countdown timer: If possible, add a countdown timer to let visitors know when the site will be live again. This can enhance user engagement.
To Sum Up
Redirecting visitors to a maintenance page in WordPress is crucial when performing site updates or fixes. Whether you prefer using plugins, adding custom code, or leveraging hosting features, you can ensure a smooth user experience while working behind the scenes.
