Maintenance and Coming Soon Mode in WordPress – 6fc Live

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Setting up a Coming Soon or Maintenance Mode page for your WordPress site, such as your blog or WooCommerce store “My Shop” (from your “Blog Page” guide), is a great way to inform visitors while your site is under construction or undergoing maintenance, ensuring a professional look for products like “Flying Ninja” (from your “Creating Products” guide). The SeedProd plugin, featured in the 6fc Live Educate WordPress video hosted by Aisha, is a powerful tool with over 1 million active installations, offering customizable splash pages. This guide details how to install, configure, and design a Coming Soon or Maintenance Mode page, based on the video and enriched with web sources.

Why Use SeedProd?

  • Professional Presentation: Displays a branded splash page (e.g., with your logo or sale announcement) during construction or maintenance, enhancing user trust.
  • SEO Flexibility: Coming Soon mode allows Google crawling while hiding content from visitors; Maintenance mode signals temporary downtime (per video).
  • WooCommerce Fit: Ideal for eCommerce sales events or membership launches (from your “Membership Plans” guide) and verified users (from your “Email Verification” guide).
  • Free Features: Customizable logos, text, backgrounds, and basic SEO settings.
  • Pro Version ($29+/year): Adds templates, newsletter integrations, countdown timers, and advanced customization.
  • Limitations: Free version lacks premium templates and subscriber features; some advanced settings require Pro.

Step 1: Install and Activate SeedProd

  1. Install Plugin:
    • In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.
    • Search for SeedProd (per video, “SeedProd – Drag & Drop WordPress Website Builder” by SeedProd).
    • Click Install Now, then Activate (per video).
    • Alternative: Download from wordpress.org/plugins/coming-soon/ and upload via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
  2. Verify Installation:
    • Confirm: SeedProd appears in the sidebar with a dashboard (per video).

Step 2: Choose Coming Soon or Maintenance Mode

  1. Access SeedProd Dashboard:
    • Go to SeedProd > Settings (per video).
  2. Select Mode:
    • Coming Soon Mode (per video):
      • Allows Google and other crawlers to index your site but hides content from visitors.
      • Ideal for pre-launch sites to build SEO while collecting leads (e.g., via newsletters).
    • Maintenance Mode:
      • Signals temporary downtime (e.g., for updates or sales prep, per video).
      • Returns a 503 status code, telling search engines to return later.
    • Recommendation: Choose Coming Soon for new sites or Maintenance for short-term downtime (per video, e.g., for a sale starting at 8 PM).
    • Enable the selected mode (e.g., Coming Soon, per video) and click Save.

Step 3: Customize Content

  1. Add Logo or Image:
    • In SeedProd > Settings > Content, upload a logo or image (e.g., a GIF, per video).
      • Click Upload Image, select from your media library, or upload a new file.
      • Example: Use a sale-themed GIF for a WooCommerce event.
  2. Set Headline and Message:
    • Add a Headline (e.g., “Coming Soon!”).
    • Add a Message (e.g., “Sale Starts at 8 PM! Come Back for Offers!”, per video).
    • Use the editor to format text or add HTML for links.
  3. SEO Settings:
    • Add an SEO Title (e.g., “My Shop – Coming Soon”).
    • Add a Meta Description (e.g., “Join our sale at 8 PM for exclusive offers!”).
    • Paste Analytics Code (e.g., from Google Analytics, per video, or Site Kit from your “Google Site Kit” guide).
    • Click Save.

Step 4: Design the Splash Page

  1. Access Design Settings:
    • Go to SeedProd > Settings > Design (per video).
  2. Customize Background:
    • Background Image: Use the uploaded GIF or image (per video).
    • Background Color: Choose a fallback color (e.g., red, per video, for visibility if the image fails).
    • Responsive Size:
      • Cover: Scales the image to fill the entire page (per video, ideal for full-screen GIFs).
      • Contain: Fits the image within the page, showing the background color around it (per video, e.g., red borders around a smaller GIF).
    • Example: Test both (per video, Cover fills the page; Contain limits the image size).
  3. Text Styling:
    • Text Color: Choose a color for the message (e.g., yellow, per video).
    • Headline Color: Select a contrasting color (e.g., white).
    • Font: Pick a font (e.g., Open Sans, per video) from available options.
    • Note: Free version has limited fonts; Pro offers more (per video).
  4. Additional Settings:
    • Repeat Image: Enable if using a tiled background (optional).
    • Max Content Width: Set to auto for responsive design (per video).
    • Responsive Design: Enable to ensure mobile compatibility (per video).
    • Click Save.

Step 5: Preview and Test

  1. Preview the Page:
    • In SeedProd > Settings, click Preview (per video).
    • Confirm:
      • Logo/GIF displays correctly (e.g., sale-themed GIF).
      • Headline and message appear (e.g., “Sale Starts at 8 PM!” in yellow).
      • Background settings work (e.g., Cover fills the page; Contain shows red borders, per video).
    • Test on mobile to verify responsiveness.
  2. Test Functionality:
    • Log out and visit your site (e.g., yoursite.com) as a guest.
    • Confirm: Splash page appears for visitors, hiding the main site.
    • Log in as admin: Verify you can access the site (SeedProd bypasses for logged-in users).
  3. Troubleshoot:
    • Page Not Showing?:
      • Ensure the mode is enabled in SeedProd > Settings.
      • Clear cache (from your “Backup and Migration” guide).
    • Design Issues?:
      • Check image dimensions (e.g., GIF too small for Cover).
      • Test with a default theme like Neve (from your “Neve” guide).
    • SEO Concerns?: Verify meta tags in source code (right-click > View Source).
    • Contact support at seedprod.com/support/ or check seedprod.com/documentation/.

Step 6: Disable When Ready

  1. Disable Mode:
    • Go to SeedProd > Settings.
    • Toggle off Coming Soon or Maintenance Mode (per video).
    • Click Save.
    • Confirm: Site is accessible to all visitors (per video, “website back in action”).
  2. Verify Site:
    • Visit yoursite.com to ensure the splash page is gone and the main site loads (e.g., shop or blog pages).

Step 7: Enhance with Optional Features

  1. SeedProd Features:
    • Free:
      • Custom logos, text, backgrounds, and SEO settings.
      • Coming Soon and Maintenance modes.
      • Responsive design options.
    • Pro ($29+/year):
      • Pre-designed templates for quick setup (per video).
      • Newsletter integrations (e.g., Mailchimp for subscriber collection).
      • Countdown timers for sales (e.g., “Sale starts in 2 hours!”).
      • Social media buttons and advanced animations.
    • Purchase Pro at seedprod.com/pricing/ (per video).
  2. WooCommerce Integration:
    • Use Maintenance mode for sale launches (per video, e.g., with Finale Lite from your “Sales Countdown” guide).
    • Pair with NotificationX for sale alerts post-launch (from your “NotificationX” guide).
    • Secure payments with Razorpay or UPI QR Code (from your “Razorpay” or “UPI Payment” guides).
    • Promote with Search & Filter or FiboSearch (from your “Search & Filter” or “FiboSearch” guides).
  3. Custom Styling:
    • Add CSS in Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS:
    • css

.seedprod-container { background: #f5f5f5; padding: 20px; }

.sp-headline { color: #0073aa; font-size: 24px; }

  • @media (max-width: 600px) { .seedprod-container { padding: 10px; } }
  • Align with Neve’s design (from your “Neve” guide).
  1. SEO and Analytics:
    • Link with Google Site Kit for analytics tracking (from your “Google Site Kit” guide).
    • Optimize meta tags with Yoast SEO (from your “Blog Page” guide).

Step 8: Best Practices

  1. Mode Selection:
    • Use Coming Soon for pre-launch to allow indexing (per video).
    • Use Maintenance for short-term downtime to avoid SEO penalties (per video).
  2. User Experience:
    • Keep messages clear (e.g., “Sale Starts at 8 PM!”).
    • Use high-quality images/GIFs for visual appeal.
    • Ensure mobile responsiveness for all visitors.
  3. Testing:
    • Test splash page in incognito mode to simulate guest access.
    • Verify admin bypass works for logged-in users.
    • Check SEO tags and analytics tracking.
  4. Performance:
    • SeedProd is lightweight; cache splash pages (from your “Backup and Migration” guide).
    • Monitor load times with GTmetrix, especially with large GIFs.

Pro Tips

  • Engagement: Add a newsletter signup (Pro) or promote via Join.chat (from your “Join.chat” guide).
  • Security: Protect the site during maintenance with Wordfence (from your “Malware Removal” guide).
  • Compliance: Use GDPR Cookie Consent for analytics cookies (from your “Cookie Notice” guide).
  • SEO: Optimize splash page SEO with Yoast SEO (from your “Blog Page” guide).
  • Backup: Save settings with UpdraftPlus (from your “Backup and Migration” guide).
  • Styling: Match SeedProd with Neve’s design (from your “Neve” guide).

Congratulations!

You’ve created a Coming Soon or Maintenance Mode page with SeedProd and 6fc Live! Your WordPress site now presents a professional splash page, perfect for launches or updates. For advanced templates and subscriber features, explore SeedProd Pro (seedprod.com). Combine with your other guides (e.g., “Google Site Kit,” “NotificationX,” “Neve”) for a dynamic platform. Need help with design, SEO, or troubleshooting? Comment below or visit seedprod.com/support/!

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