{"id":4310,"date":"2022-06-02T11:26:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T16:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/blog\/wordpress-website-maintenance\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T15:39:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T21:39:17","slug":"wordpress-website-maintenance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/blog\/wordpress-website-maintenance\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Essential Guide to Expert Website Maintenance"},"content":{"rendered":"

When talking about WordPress, most people focus on how easy it is to build a website. However, creating and maintaining a website are two very different things. Proper maintenance is needed to keep your site performing well over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a live WordPress website, therefore, it\u2019s important to know how to keep it running at its best. Fortunately, this isn\u2019t difficult, and you can get started by learning about the different types of maintenance that are required. There are also plenty of services and tools that can make the process easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll discuss website maintenance services, and explain how to use the WordPress maintenance mode. We\u2019ll then look at some key maintenance tips, the costs involved, and how WP Engine can help. Let\u2019s get right to it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Website Maintenance Services?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WordPress maintenance services take care of maintaining your website for you. However, not all support services are created equal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The right service should provide certain key features<\/a>, such as staging areas and automated daily backups. High-quality WordPress website maintenance services should also keep your website up-to-date<\/a> at all times. This includes everything from your site\u2019s plugins and themes to WordPress itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your website runs on WordPress, you should also look for a maintenance service that specializes in the platform. After all, maintaining a WordPress website is different from managing a Shopify or Wix site. Maintenance experts should also be able to answer any questions<\/a> you have in a way you can understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is WordPress Maintenance Mode?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most tasks on your WordPress website can be handled from the dashboard. However, you may want to enable a maintenance mode before performing certain administrative tasks. These are generally tasks that affect the performance of your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also a good idea to use maintenance mode if what you\u2019re doing will affect the site\u2019s theme or functionality. Maintenance mode will temporarily take your website offline, which prevents visitors from accessing broken or unfinished content. This is vital for providing a strong User Experience (UX).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do I Put My WordPress Website into Maintenance Mode?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a few ways you can enable a maintenance mode on your WordPress website. The easiest option is to use a WordPress<\/a> plugin<\/a> such as Coming Soon Page, Under Construction & Maintenance Mode<\/a> or WP Maintenance Mode<\/a>. You can also add a custom function to your site\u2019s functions.php<\/em> file. Let\u2019s look at both of these options in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method 1: Using a Plugin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Using a plugin is the easiest option, as it will handle everything for you. You also reduce the risks associated with enabling maintenance mode using code (which we\u2019ll explain later on). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Download a Plugin<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The first thing you\u2019ll need to do is select a maintenance mode plugin<\/a>. You can find many options in the WordPress Plugin Directory<\/a>. You\u2019ll then need to install and activate the plugin in your dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Turn on Maintenance Mode<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After activating the plugin, you\u2019ll want to navigate to its settings. These are generally located under the plugin\u2019s name: for example, SeedProd<\/em> > Settings<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can then enable maintenance mode. In the Coming Soon Page, Under Construction & Maintenance Mode plugin, this is located under the Status<\/em> section of the plugin\u2019s settings. If you\u2019re unsure how to proceed using your chosen tool, check out its documentation or contact its support team for help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method 2: Add a Function<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you are more comfortable with coding, or want to limit the number of plugins you use on your site, you can add some code to your site\u2019s functions.php<\/em> file<\/a> to enable maintenance mode. You will also be able to adjust the appearance of the public maintenance page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you use this method, you should create a website backup<\/a>. It\u2019s important to proceed carefully, as changes to this key WordPress file can break your site or lock you out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Open the functions.php<\/em> File<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To access your functions.php<\/em> file, you can navigate to Appearance<\/em> > Theme Editor<\/em> in your WordPress dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, select functions.php<\/em> from the options available in the right-hand menu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Copy and Paste the Function<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To activate maintenance mode, you\u2019ll need to copy and paste the following function into the functions.php<\/em> file. You can place this code at the top or bottom of the file:<\/p>\n\n\n

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function wcr_maintain() {\n    \/\/ we show this message if\n    \/\/ 1. you're not logged in\n    \/\/ 2. you're not on \/wp-admin\/ (index.php is redirecting you to wp-login.php)\n    \/\/ 3. you're not on login page\n    if (\n         !is_user_logged_in() && \n         !is_admin() && \n         !in_array($GLOBALS['pagenow'], array('wp-login.php'))\n       ) {\n        $period = 3 * HOUR_IN_SECONDS; \/\/ 3 hours, but you can change if you need\n        header($_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL'] . ' 503 Service Unavailable', true, 503);\n        header('Retry-After: ' . $period);\n        \/\/ you can insert whatever you want :)\n        echo 'content goes here';\n        exit;\n    }\n}\nadd_action('init', 'wcr_maintain');<\/code><\/pre>\n\t
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