2 Easy Methods for Using WooCommerce Maintenance Mode
As an E-Commerce store owner, you will admit the importance of maintaining your WooCommerce store on a regular basis. Without frequent updates, fixing glitches, and clearing storage, your store will fail to function optimally. So, routine maintenance tends to play a vital role in ensuring that your E-Commerce store functions seamlessly. An efficiently maintained WooCommerce website facilitates improving the user experience. Not only that, but it considerably boosts the search engine rankings of your site.
However, you may find the usage of WooCommerce maintenance mode to be challenging. So, to carry out this particular task, you can hire a professional WooCommerce development company or get in touch with WooCommerce experts. Also, in this guide, we will talk about two easy methods in which you can make use of the WooCommerce maintenance mode. So, let's dive in:
Step-by-step Guide to Enable WooCommerce Maintenance Mode: Method No. 1
Now, it is time to closely examine the key steps you should follow to enable maintenance mode in WooCommerce. Let's find those out:
Step 1# Installation and Activation of a WooCommerce Maintenance Mode Plugin
- The first and most crucial step of this process involves settling on a WooCommerce maintenance mode plugin. Here, we will employ the LightStart plugin.
- For this, all that you need to do is choose Plugins>Add New Plugin from your WordPress dashboard.
- The next step is to search for the LightStart plugin. Once you've found it, click 'Install Now' and 'Activate '. After that, you should focus on selecting a page template for maintenance, or you can choose to do this later.
Step 2# Tailoring and Enabling Your Maintenance Mode Page
- As a part of this step, you need to visit the LightStart's dashboard, which you are expected to find in your WordPress admin panel.
- Now, consider tapping the Design tab option and then the Edit page.
- The next step involves employing the WordPress Gutenberg block editor, which allows you to customize your maintenance page according to your unique brand identity.
- If you want specific pages not to display the maintenance mode screen, you can also achieve that.
- To do this, you first need to go to the General tab. Then, consider adding one slug/IP per line and employ # for comments.
- Once you are happy with the changes, you should make sure to save them and finally activate the maintenance mode. This step helps display the tailored page to visitors, especially during the maintenance period of your WooCommerce store.
Step 3# Making a Backup and Implementing Changes to Your Live Website
Once you have activated the WooCommerce maintenance mode, it is time to make changes to your website.
However, before you update anything, it is extremely important to focus on backing up your website. This typically incorporates the WooCommerce database and files. Following this particular step will help create a safety net, especially in case of any problems that may arise during the maintenance phase. If you find it tough to execute this step, then all you need is to contact professional WooCommerce experts.
Step 4# Closely Monitoring Changes
Before disabling the maintenance mode for viewing changes on the live website, it becomes important for you to authenticate the effectiveness of your efforts. For ensuring that everything functions as per the expectation, you should consider checking a varied checklist as follows:
- First, you should log into your WordPress dashboard to verify that all intended updates have been successfully implemented.
- The next step is to thoroughly inspect the front end of your WordPress website. In this case, you should make sure that it appears as expected with no image quality concerns or visual errors.
- Finally, you need to log in with a test customer account. Here, your main aim should be to meticulously check whether all elements function properly on your E-Commerce website.
Step 5# Disabling of the Maintenance Mode
Now that you are done making all the changes to your WooCommerce website, it is time to disable the maintenance mode in the specific plugin that is used here.
- You should consider visiting the LightStart's dashboard that is present in your WordPress admin panel, in order to achieve this goal.
- The next step involves going to the "General tab" and tapping the "Deactivated" radio option.
Leveraging the .htaccess File: Method No. 2
There is another easy way in which you can enable the WooCommerce maintenance mode. It involves employing the .htaccess file. In this regard, it is important to note that you must make customizations to the .htaccess file for this method to work well.
One precautionary measure you should essentially follow involves backing up your .htaccess beforehand. Additionally, you cannot access your WordPress dashboard as all requests will direct visitors towards the maintenance.html page.
- The first step of this process involves locating your .htaccess file. Once you have done this, you should log in to Hostinger hPanel and navigate to the File Manager. You will find the public_html folder there, which you need to open.
- The subsequent step involves quickly assembling a maintenance.html page, especially with your "under construction" message. But if you have one that is ready to go, you can consider uploading the file. It will help reveal your maintenance screen whenever required.
- Now, you will have to search for the .htaccess file in your public_html directory. You can open it by right-clicking on the icon. From there, you can choose the Edit option to make any changes.
You should again copy the contents of your .htaccess file and paste it into a completely new file referred to as .htaccess_default. It will help in ensuring that you have a backup. Finally, you need to incorporate this code snippet into the original content in the .htaccess document:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/maintenance\.html$
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://example.com/maintenance.html [R=307,L]
What are the Monthly WooCommerce Maintenance Tasks that One Should Consider?
Below are discussed some of the most important WooCommerce maintenance tasks that you should focus on performing on a timely basis every month:
. Closely Checking the Google Search Console for Detecting any Coverage Concerns
It is important for you to conduct regular inspections of the Google Search Console. This specific step helps detect and address any coverage problems that may impact your website's visibility in search results.
. Updating Your Content for a More Current Perspective
Another important thing you should never neglect is refreshing your content regularly, including new products, blog posts, and FAQ updates. This is a key step as it helps keep users engaged, ensuring that your website does not look abandoned.
. Verifying WooCommerce and Plugin Updates
You should adopt a proactive approach by consistently checking for updates to WooCommerce and plugins. These updates tend to play a pivotal role in maintaining optimal website performance and security. You can even choose WooCommerce development services to receive related aid.
Do You Need a Professional WooCommerce Development Company to Perform WooCommerce Updates?
With your business achieving growth, it can turn out to be challenging to run a WooCommerce site. There are many tasks, such as fixing unforeseen problems and updating plugins, which can become overwhelming to handle. Due to this specific reason, many people these days prefer to choose experts to conduct their website maintenance.
So, if you do not want to take the hassles of performing WooCommerce updates on your own, you can hire a professional WooCommerce developer who can offer you the best assistance. But, if you are confident enough and believe you can tackle it on your own, you can attempt to do it by following the key steps mentioned in this guide.
Final Verdict
We hope you have gained valuable insights from this guide, which has assisted you in activating WooCommerce maintenance mode. This process ensures a positive customer experience by showcasing a designated page for visitors, especially during maintenance activities. To learn more, you can reach out to a reliableWooCommerce development company that offers best-in-classWooCommerce store development services.