Have you ever landed on a page and seen the following images:
Pretty common right?
These images normally come up when a WordPress website is undergoing maintenance services. In technical terms, this is known as “WordPress Maintenance Mode.”
It is done when fixing or updating your WordPress website will take time and you need to let your customers know that you are still in business.
Terms and images such as “Be back shortly”, “We’ll be back soon!”, or “We are in Maintenance Mode” are seen by the visitors of the website which is a great communication technique as well.
Now the question is that when should you be using it? Should it be used for every little fix or update that you are doing?
Let’s look at this in our next section.
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When to Use the WordPress Maintenance Mode Option?
We all know that WordPress websites need regular maintenance services. Some of these maintenances such as adding new content or images, updating themes, or updating plugins can be done without disturbing the actual working of the website and most importantly, without disturbing the experience of the customers.
But, when it comes to doing more extensive work such as redesigning the website theme, installing a new plugin, or even troubleshooting some bug/security threat, there is a high risk that the website will get disturbed to the point that it may break down.
In such cases, instead of letting a customer land on a broken website, it is best to you the WordPress maintenance mode option.
With that said, the discussion comes down to the importance of using WordPress maintenance mode. Why go through all the efforts of putting an image for the customers for work that might just take a few hours?
Can you answer that? We can!!
Also, check out – How to know if your website is SEO friendly
Why is WordPress Maintenance Mode Important?
When we talk about WordPress maintenance services being undertaken, they can take a few minutes, to a few hours, or even days.
If your business is doing digital marketing, then you know that the customer traffic does not stop and when those customer land on a broken page, it is your reputation that gets affected. The customers get frustrated and are likely to move to a competitor.
But when you take the time out and use the Maintenance mode option, you have an opportunity to connect with your customers reassuring them that when they re-visit your website, they will have an even better digital experience.
Now, comes the question of what information should you display on the Maintenance mode page that helps your customers connect with you.
Information that You Should Use on WordPress Maintenance Mode Page
Just like any other webpage, you can use the maintenance mode page to engage your customers by giving out and taking information at the same time. For instance, you can include the following few things:
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Contact Information
It is a good idea to include information related to customer services such as email address or phone number. The visitors can use this information to inquire about any services or sales that they otherwise cannot obtain as the website is down.
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Social Media Links
Social media is another way to keep your customers engaged. Having social media links, allows the customers to stay up to date on current news about the company.
Plus, companies can use the social media platform to launch new activities for the customers during the time that the website is under maintenance mode.
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Setting a Timer
Having a timer on the maintenance mode page helps customer estimate the time when they can visit the website again.
Now that you know when to use the maintenance mode page and why is it important, we move on to the most important discussion – how to enable this page.
Enabling the WordPress Maintenance Mode
To use the WordPress Maintenance mode when making changes to your website, you must follow either of the three methods to activate it. These are:
- Enable the feature of built-in maintenance mode in WordPress
- Implement a plugin for WordPress maintenance mode
- Use a custom code to display the Maintenance mode page
We will discuss each of these methods in detail below starting with the first one.
Enable the feature of built-in maintenance mode in WordPress
One of the best advantages of the WordPress platform is its built-in features that can be used easily as per requirements and maintenance mode is one such feature.
Whenever you are updating the WordPress core file (which you should never do without any experience in using WordPress) or updating a theme or plugin, you will be prompted the following option:
If you wish to display the maintenance mode page, simply click on the option of “Enabling Maintenance Mode” and your webpage will display the maintenance page.
Simple enough!!
However, not many know of this option and sometimes this option does not display with every theme or plugin update. In such a case, you should use the next two methods.
Implement a plugin for WordPress maintenance mode
Plugins are a great time-saver and WordPress offers hundreds of them depending on your need. You can use a WordPress maintenance mode plugin and install it on your WordPress website.
From there, you have the option of designing creative maintenance mode display pages with all the information that you want to give to your customers.
Use a custom code to display the Maintenance mode page
When all else fails, getting your hands dirty is the only way to go and we mean by writing your own custom code only if you are an experienced programmer.
You can find many codes online that you can use for your maintenance mode page display. One such code that you can use is:
Copy this code in the functions.php file with your relevant message written in the H1 tag. Once done, re-visit your webpage and your message will be displayed.
Also read: How to make your website more accessible
Wrapping it Up!
WordPress may seem like a great platform, and it is, but it does have its fallouts such as undertaking continuous WordPress maintenance services.
This is because, being an open-source platform, WordPress comes with constant updates and newer versions that help in keeping up with the changing digital landscape and help be on top of your digital business.
This means that you must keep your existing and potential customers always in a loop of what is happening on your digital front. WordPress maintenance mode helps you do that by keeping your customers updated on any ongoing maintenance services that may affect the performance of the website and ultimately the experience of the users.
Maintenance being a continuous task, it is imperative that you let professionals handle this aspect of the WordPress websites such as WP-Bridge and you concentrate on growing your business.
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