Use maintenance mode

Maintenance mode lets you work on your website on its real address while visitors see a simple page instead. You, your team and anyone with your private preview link still see the real site.

Only Administrators can switch it, under Design → Maintenance mode.

Switch it on

1. Go to Design → Maintenance mode.
2. Tick Show the maintenance page to visitors (1).
3. Choose the Mode:
   • Coming soon for a new site that isn't launched yet. Search engines are told not to list it.
   • Maintenance (2) for a live site that's down for work. Search engines are told to come back later, so your rankings are kept.
4. Optionally, set Switch off automatically on. The site opens to everyone at that time by itself.
5. Under Pages that stay public (3), list pages visitors may still open, one per line, for example /privacy-policy/.
6. Click Save (4). The message says "Saved. Maintenance mode is on: visitors see the maintenance page."

While it's on, every admin screen shows a Maintenance mode is on notice, and visitors see the maintenance page on every address:

When you're signed in, you see the real site with a small Maintenance mode is on badge in the bottom-left corner:

Design the maintenance page

1. Under The maintenance page, click Design the maintenance page (1). It opens in the PageShift editor, like any page.
2. Change the headline, text and pictures. It starts with your logo, a headline, a message and, when the Newsletter module is on, an email sign-up.
3. Save it, then click See what visitors see (2) to check.

Share a private preview link

Send a client or partner a link that shows the real site without an account.

1. Under Private preview link, choose Valid for (1 to 30 days).
2. Click Make a preview link. Copy the link that appears; it shows Works until and the date.
3. Send it. Whoever opens it sees the real site on every page.

Stop this link (3) ends it at once. Make a new link (4) creates a new one and stops the old one.

You can also list your office's internet address under Internet addresses that see the real site; the screen shows yours after "yours now:".

Switch it off

Untick Show the maintenance page to visitors and click Save. The message says "Saved. Maintenance mode is off: your site is open to everyone."