We have all found a website online that said "Our Site is currently in Maintenance Mode." This can be annoying, but there is a good reason for putting a website into Maintenance Mode.

Usually, this is done when things need to be changed and the site owner doesn't want visitors to have a bad experience during the changes. Most website owners try to handle the maintenance during the slower hours of the day/week, but this isn't always possible. When you put your WordPress website in maintenance mode, you want to be able to do it the proper way.
<h2>Using the WP Maintenance Mode Plugin</h2>
The WP Maintenance mode Plugin will allow you to do everything you need to do, while you handle the maintenance of your website. This plugin has many features including:
<ul>
	<li>Countdown</li>
	<li>Contact Form</li>
	<li>Display social media icons</li>
	<li>Newsletter Subscription</li>
	<li>Contact Form</li>
	<li>Visual Customizations</li>
	<li>Mobile Friendly</li>
	<li>And More!</li>
</ul>
When you decide to download and activate the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-maintenance-mode/">WP Maintenance Mode plugin</a>, you will be able to customize the page showing to your visitors, while you make changes to your website. This gives you quite a bit of flexibility to continue to grow your newsletter lists, let visitors know when your site will be back up and allow them to find you on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social channels.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-7226" src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/WPMaintenanceModePlugin.png" alt="WP Maintenance Mode Plugin" width="773" height="258" />

After installing and activating the plugin, you will find it listed under "Settings" in your WordPress Dashboard.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-7227" src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/WPMaintSettings.png" alt="WP Maint Settings" width="165" height="508" />

Inside the settings menu, you will find three tabs called General, Design and Modules. These tabs allow you to do many things.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-7231" src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/MaintenanceModeTabs.png" alt="Maintenance Mode Tabs" width="333" height="152" />
<h2>The General Tab</h2>
Within the General tab, you will be able to activate or deactivate maintenance mode for your WordPress website.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-7228" src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ActivateDeactivate.png" alt="Activate Deactivate" width="273" height="79" />

You can also adjust many other options within this menu including:
<ul>
	<li>Allowing search bots to bypass maintenance mode</li>
	<li>Allowing backend and front end access to the site</li>
	<li>Using Robot Meta Tags</li>
	<li>Setting up a Redirect for the URL</li>
	<li>Excluding specific pages</li>
	<li>And More!</li>
</ul>
<h2>The Design Tab</h2>
The Design tab of this plugin will allow you to do many things. This is the section where you can create a customized message for your visitors and customize the page to fit your specific needs. You can add a custom tile and heading with a custom color and so much more.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-7229" src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/DesignTab.png" alt="Design Tab" width="545" height="251" />

This section will also allow you to change the background color of the page showing up when visitors arrive at your website.
<h2>The Modules Tab</h2>
If you want to activate a countdown to show visitors when your site will be back up, you can do it from the Modules tab.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-7230" src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Countdown.png" alt="Countdown" width="481" height="350" />

Many other modules are found here including:
<ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<ul>
	<li>Subscribe - Set up your maintenance mode page to allow visitors to subscribe to your newsletter.</li>
	<li>Social Networks - Display different social media icons on your maintenance mode page.</li>
	<li>Contact - You can display contact information for visitors to use to contact you.</li>
	<li>Google Analytics - Add Google analytics to track the activity of your maintenance mode page.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
These modules give more ways to customize your maintenance mode page and allow you to do far more with this page than if you just use a basic page given to you by WordPress or another plugin.
<h2>Why Should You Use Maintenance Mode?</h2>
Using maintenance mode isn't always necessary. When you make a small change to your website, you may not need to shut it down to make the change. However, if you plan to change themes or make a massive change to the way your site looks or functions, using maintenance mode is a great idea.

Putting your WordPress website into maintenance mode will allow you to make any necessary changes without visitors seeing what you're doing. You don't want them to land on a fragmented website because you're in the middle of making a change. It's much better for a visitor to know what's going on because they landed on a maintenance mode page instead of a fragmented website.

If you're making large changes or you have an issue you need to fix that may take some time, putting your website into maintenance mode is a good idea. By using the WP Maintenance Mode plugin, you can easily create and use a custom page, while making website changes. This is a great way to continue to engage visitors, while fixing the issue or updating your website.