Perplexed and Bursty: How to Exit WordPress Site Maintenance Mode

Understanding WordPress Maintenance Mode

Have you ever visited a website that displayed a message indicating it was undergoing maintenance? That’s what WordPress maintenance mode is all about. When a site owner wants to perform scheduled upgrades, update plugins or themes, or deal with technical issues, they activate maintenance mode to temporarily take their site offline. Maintenance mode informs site visitors and search engine crawlers that the site is not available for use at that time.

Why You Should Exit Maintenance Mode

WordPress maintenance mode is essential for keeping a site secure, running smoothly, and efficiently. However, keeping a website in maintenance mode for an extended time may lead to higher visitor bounce rates and lower search engine rankings. Visitors may also think the website is permanently down for maintenance, hence losing them to other sites, affecting your website’s overall reputation in the industry.

Steps to Take WordPress Site Out of Maintenance Mode

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to take WordPress site out of maintenance mode safely and easily.

Step 1: Log in to WordPress Admin Section

The first step is to log in to the WordPress admin section or dashboard. You should have the necessary login credentials to access the admin section.

Step 2: Navigate to the Plugin Section

In the plugin section, you can quickly check which plugin is keeping your website in maintenance mode. Here, you will be required to deactivate that particular plugin. You can either deactivate individual plugins or all plugins, depending on your preference.

Step 3: Deactivate the Maintenance Plugin

Once in the plugins section, locate the maintenance plugin and deactivate it. The plugin will no longer keep your site in maintenance mode. If, for example, you are unsure of the particular maintenance plugin, you can go ahead and deactivate all the plugins.

Step 4: Clear Cache

After disabling the maintenance plugin, it is recommended to clear your website’s cache. Go to your website page and if you don’t see any changes or updates, it is best to clear the cache manually.

Step 5: Preview Your Site

After clearing the cache, you may preview your site to ensure the maintenance mode is turned off. To do this, open a new tab on your browser and type in your website’s URL. The site should be live now and viewable to visitors.

Step 6: Verify Your Site Has Returned to Normal

To verify that the site is back to normal after exiting maintenance mode, click on various pages and links within your website. Ensure everything is working correctly and all links are properly redirecting.

Additionally, it is advisable to ask a friend to visit the site and verify if everything is functioning correctly from their end.

Conclusion

Taking a WordPress site out of maintenance mode is an easy and straightforward process. However, it may become a challenge for novice website owners or those experiencing technical issues. Following the steps above, you can easily exit maintenance mode safely, quickly and prevent any potential damage to your website reputation. It’s crucial to ensure you properly exit maintenance mode to avoid confusing visitors, lose potential clients, or lower your site’s reputation score.