Keep a live site private until it is ready
- A password on every page of the site
- A maintenance page with your own title and text
- Included with Pro, Team and Business
The password covers every page.
When to keep a live site private
Client review
Your client can see the finished site on its own domain and on their phone. Send them the address and the password.
Seasonal businesses
A campsite is closed until April. A maintenance page tells visitors when it reopens, and the rest of the site stays saved for next season.
Soft launch
Publish behind the password so the domain and SSL certificate are ready before the announcement. Check the site on its real address, then remove the password on launch day. Search engines start indexing once the site is open.
Rebrand in progress
Turn on maintenance mode while you update pages to the new brand, and turn it off when every page is done.
Migration
Keep the new site private while you set up redirects from your old addresses. Open it when the redirects are in place.
Private audiences
A wedding page, an internal handbook or a members area. Use a password when only certain people should read the pages. Hiding a page from search engines keeps it out of results but still lets anyone with the link open it.
Password protection and maintenance mode
- Visitors enter a password before any page loads
- You choose who gets the password
- The password covers every page
- A maintenance page with your own title and text
- Turn either one off and the site is back at once
- Your content, pages and domain stay the same
Which switch to use
Who can open the site
Visitors enter the password before any page loads, then browse as usual. Search engines and crawlers cannot read the pages behind it. Only the people you give the password to can get in.
- Covers every page of the site
- Clients review the site on its real domain
- Turn it off and the site is back at once
What visitors see while you work
No password is needed. Every visitor sees a maintenance page with your title and text while you keep working. Use it for a closed season, a round of changes or a rebrand.
- Your own title and message
- You keep editing the site behind it
- Your content, pages and domain stay the same
Publish your site now and open it when you are ready