Websites are in constant need of updating and maintenance. The problem is, when you're working on your websites things can crash, and you don't want to show your visitors a website that isn't working. This is why, when working on your website, it is recommended to configure it in maintenance mode.

There are several methods to create a maintenance mode page, but the easiest way is with Elementor, which offers a built-in, completely free maintenance mode feature, as well as a " Coming Soon For new websites. It's fast, easy to use, and the result is beautiful and tailor-made -

configure maintenance mode with Elementor

What is maintenance mode in WordPress?

When your website is set to maintenance mode, it means that users other than administrators cannot use or view your website during maintenance, or before the website is launched.

Instead, these users see the maintenance mode page or the Coming Soon mode page, informing them that the website is temporarily unavailable.

Website administrators, on the other hand, still have access to the website, so they can test it and make sure the website is working or is ready for launch.

Why use maintenance mode

There are a lot of situations where your website would need to be put into maintenance and Coming Soon mode.

  • Make changes to your website
  • Fix a bug
  • Launch a new product or service
  • Launch the website redesign

These are just a few examples of when you would like to be able to see the website yourself, but present a Maintenance Mode page.

How to put WordPress in maintenance mode

Maintenance mode integrated into WordPress

WordPress offers a built-in maintenance mode feature. The problem is that it launches automatically and only during updates and you have no control over it.

Also check out our tutorial on: How to customize your WordPress theme with Elementor

Add maintenance mode with code

To work around the above problem, you can use code to display the maintenance mode page. You can modify the.php functions by adding the following snippet to it:

// Activate WordPress Maintenance Mode
function wp_maintenance_mode() 
{
if (!current_user_can(‘edit_themes’) || !is_user_logged_in()) 
{
wp_die(‘Ici vous pouvez ajouter le message de votre mode maintenance , par exemple : 
<h1>En Maintenance</h1>
<br />
Ce site web est en maintenance, svp veuillez revenir plus tard.’);
}
}
add_action(‘get_header’, ‘wp_maintenance_mode’);

Plugins for maintenance mode 

There are many plugins available for configuring maintenance mode on WordPress. We will mention among others:

  • SeedProd,
  • CMP
  • and others.

Some are free and some are not.

One of the most popular is SeedProd, and like the rest, all you need to do to start using it is install, activate, and use it.

This particular plugin requires you to do the following:

  1. Access the menu Settings from your WordPress dashboard
  2. Choose the option Coming Soon Pro
  3. Here you can select the status of your website (if you want maintenance mode or Coming Soon to be enabled).
  4. Now you can choose page templates and customize them

How to add a maintenance mode page - With Elementor

Elementor offers an easy way to add a maintenance mode page, and not only that, but it lets you customize it however you want. 

1. Add a maintenance mode page

  • Installer Elementor.
  • Once installed, start editing a page by clicking Edit with Elementor - Edit with Elementor
  • Click on Add template, then choose from the 12 maintenance mode page templates, and then click Insertion.
  • Customize and modify the template to fit your website.
  • Click on Save Template and name your model

2. Define the maintenance mode template

  • Go to Elementor> Tools and choose between Coming Soon mode and Maintenance mode
  • Choose the template you saved previously
  • Click on Save changes

3. Define access roles

You can define the specific roles that will have access to the website under maintenance.

This way, you will be able to control who besides administrators has access to the entire website, while regular users will be able to see a Maintenance or Coming Soon page. These roles are essentially Administrators, Editors, Authors, Contributors and Subscribers.

Also see our list of 5 WordPress plugins to manage roles and users

Business users can include a online form login in the maintenance mode page, so that users with appropriate access can log in to the website from the maintenance mode itself.

When you set maintenance mode, you will see a red button on your WordPress top bar with the text: " Maintenance mode ON ".

4. How to deactivate maintenance mode on WordPress 

Once you are done working on your website, and want to relaunch it and take it out of maintenance mode, you can go back to Elementor tools to deactivate it.

Go to dashboard> Elementor> Tools> Maintenance Mode, and under 'Choose Mode' toggle it off. Save now and you will see the red notification at the top of the deleted page.

Why use Elementor ?

Besides the fact that it's extremely easy to put a WordPress website into maintenance mode with Elementor, there are a few other perks.

Search engine

Maintenance Mode - When you set Elementor's maintenance mode, your website will notify search engines that your website is temporarily down for maintenance. It does this by sending the temporary maintenance response (HTTP 503). This way the search engines know how to come back a little later to check again if the website is already available.

Read also: How to add table of contents in WordPress with Elementor

Coming Soon - Set Elementor to Coming Soon mode on the other hand, makes the search engines tell that everything is working as usual, and they can index the website as usual. This is done by returning a response from HTTP200.

By sending these responses, Elementor ensures that your SEO will not be impacted.

templates

Elementor has a mind-blowing maintenance mode and Coming Soon page templates

These templates have everything you could want on a maintenance mode page, including a counter, a online form registration, social media icons and more. Keep in mind that you can easily customize a template from maintenance mode to a Coming Soon template and vice versa.

We present a few here:

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 1

This beautiful Coming Soon template features a great background image with a purple background overlay. It displays a countdown timer, a clear message and a brief description about the company's vision, services and contact details

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 2

This model displays a close-up clock, signaling that time is advancing until launch. This is a clean and minimalist Coming Soon page template that can be perfect for business and fashion websites.

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 3

This flowery template has an original use of Elementor's progress bar widget. It shows the user how far we are from the launch of the website. It also displays social media icons to connect users to your profile pages.

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 4

A dramatic split-screen of the Coming Soon template features a countdown timer, as well as a online form minimalist subscription. This template is specifically designed for fashion websites, but can be easily adapted to other topics.

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 5

This Coming Soon template gets right to the point, with a short message and a countdown timer. It also displays your email and social icons, so people can get in touch with you before the launch. It is well suited for a freelance website.

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 6

If you're going for a scheduled update to your website, with an estimated time to complete the repair, you can use this high-tech Maintenance Mode template to tell your loyal visitors when the update will be complete.

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 7

Here is another maintenance mode template that gives short notice of the situation, and also provides any contact details the user might need. The background shows a tractor plowing a construction site

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 8

This is a classic Coming Soon model, which has a countdown to the launch date. It also has a subscription form, so people can sign up and be notified when the website is launched.

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 9

Another daring Coming Soon model, with strong yellow and black colors. This template has a login form, so that users who have access can log into the website.

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 10

Another login template, this time with a form column and a portrait image of a template. This type of page can be used not only for maintenance mode, but also to restrict access to your website.

Wordpress maintenance mode explanation how to use 11

Another classic Coming Soon model, also with a clock element. This template is another example of using black and white colors, as well as another accent color on the main title and email address.

Free and easy maintenance mode

Even though the maintenance mode and Coming Soon mode pages have visually similar patterns, like a headline announcing maintenance mode, a countdown timer, and a login form, there are still more design possibilities. to explore when you set your own maintenance mode and Coming Soon.

Discover also our article on: How to Manually Migrate a WordPress Website: The Guide

Elementor allows you to fully customize the design of your WordPress website's maintenance mode pages and Coming Soon mode pages.

Get Elementor Pro Now!

Conclusion

Here is ! That's it for this guide which explains the maintenance mode on WordPress and how to configure it on a website. If you have comments or suggestions, do not hesitate to let us know in the reserved section.

However, you can also consult our resources, if you need more elements to carry out your projects of creation of Internet sites, by consulting our guide on the WordPress blog creation or the one on Divi: the best WordPress theme of all time.

But meanwhile, share this article on your different social networks

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