Whether you’re starting a new website, or revamping a current one, sometimes putting up a “Coming Soon” page might help. With WordPress, this is possible to do if you want to create a page, but why do that when there are plugins for that, right? In this article, you’ll learn about 7 of the best WordPress Coming Soon plugins.
What’s the purpose of a Coming Soon page?
The purpose of a Coming Soon page is for the website owner to be able to put up a placeholder or landing page, without installing an entirely separate theme. Once installed, the user can activate the plugin to show a custom landing page, which is to help with visitors to anticipate upcoming website changes.
This is a great option for brand new websites that have zero content created. While social media marketers like Gary Vaynerchuk say “build the steak, not the sizzle”, in a way Coming Soon pages are a means to create a little sizzle, while you’re building a solid website. In some cases, a Coming soon page can also be utilized as a Maintenance mode page. In fact, some plugins serve as both a Coming Soon and a Maintenance mode plugin.
What should be on your Coming Soon page?
There are a few things you should include in a Coming Soon page, like:
Short summarization of the upcoming project
Enticing graphics
A CTA (Call to Action)
Social media handles
Countdown clock
Short summarization of the upcoming project
While there’s not much on a Coming Soon page, you should write a couple sentences to describe what the upcoming site will be about. This allows your visitors to know whether you’ll be of interest, and could persuade them to either sign up early to your newsletter, or follow you on your social network channels.
Enticing graphics
A plain old white background with black text won’t do for a Coming Soon page. If you want people to be persuaded to return, use graphics that pop.
A call to action
What better to start collecting subscribers for your email list, than at the beginning. You might not have much content to look at, but those who are interested, will gladly sign up.
Social media handles
Displaying your social media handles on your Coming Soon page is a great way to start getting the conversation going with you and your followers before the big site unveiling. You can use your social channels to get your followers psyched up and start building your brand’s trust with them.
Countdown clock
Build the anticipation of your website’s launch with a countdown clock. This will keep your visitors coming back to check, just in case you launch early, or bookmark you so they can visit when your site is open for visitors.
Best WordPress Coming Soon Plugins
Each of the WordPress Coming Soon plugins all have free versions, but may have some premium add-ons.
- Coming soon and Maintenance mode
- Minimal Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode
- Website Builder by SeedProd
- WP Maintenance Mode & Coming Soon
- Under Construction
- CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin
- Nifty Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Page
1. Coming soon and Maintenance mode
The Coming soon and Maintenance mode plugin allows you to add a background image or background video to your page. In their free version, you also have access to:
- Ability to apply some custom branding
- Ability to customize an Under Construction page
- Add with social media profiles from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
2. Minimal Coming Soon and Maintenance Mode
- Simple drag and drop page builder
- Animated and video backgrounds design options
- Subscribe form
3. Website Builder by SeedProd
Website Builder by SeedProd originally started as a Coming Soon plugin, but after some time was expanded as also a landing page builder. Additionally, the layout for the pages have a drag and drop feature, in order to simplify creating your pages. This is great as an all-in-one solution if you need a Coming Soon page, Maintenance mode page, or a sales funnel page.
Other features include:
- Countdown clock
- Ability to add custom logos
- Ability to integrate with most email marketing services
- Includes contact form and subscription forms.
- Includes a built-in email autoresponder
- Google fonts are pre-loaded
- Referral tracking feature for specific pages
- Social follow and share options
- Drag and drop landing page builder
4. WP Maintenance Mode and Coming Soon
WP Maintenance Mode & Coming Soon, by the same people behind ThemeIsle, is another GDPR ready plugin that includes a lot of great features, like:
- Ability to change colors, text, and backgrounds
- Subscription form
- Countdown clock
- Contact form
- Coming soon page template
- Landing page templates
- Compatible with WordPress multisite
- Ability to add social media icons
- Exclude URLs from maintenance
5. Under Construction
The Under Construction plugin may seem to be more about putting your site under Maintenance mode, but you can utilize this simple plugin for a Coming Soon page too. When you want to utilize this plugin’s features, you can easily turn it off and on from your WordPress admin dashboard. Other features include:
- Ability to enable tracking with Google Analytics
- Add your own custom CSS
- Add social sharing icons
- Change page title and page description for SEO
- Change content and headings
- Add optin box and integrate some newsletter services
6. CMP – Coming Soon and Maintenance Plugin
CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin is GDPR compatible, so if you’re worried about anything that could affect your visitor’s privacy, then worry no more. It comes with three free themes, but you can opt to download either more free themes, or pay for some. Other features include:
- Custom branding tools
- Ability to add a background video.
- Ability to add your own custom CSS
- Capability to integrate with some email newsletter providers.
- Ability to add social media links.
- You can give a link of the site behind the Coming Soon page to others, so they can preview the website.
7. Nifty Coming Soon and Maintenance Mode Page
Nifty Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Page
- Responsive Coming Soon page templates
- Countdown timer
- Option for animated coming soon text messages
- Background slider feature with pattern and opacity overlays
- Preloader option
- Live Preview option
- Pre-loaded 300+ Google fonts
- Subscription form
In Summary
You’ve learned about Coming Soon pages, and what’s the best features to place on them. You now even know about some of the best WordPress Coming Soon plugins. Now you can use them any time you need to briefly take down your site for a maintenance mode or website design revamp, or when you’re about to launch a brand spanking new site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WordPress free?
All you need to do to use WordPress is to invest in a web hosting plan since the software itself is free.
Is managed hosting for WordPress worth it?
You want to make sure that your WordPress website is in the best hands, runs efficiently, and is secure. When you take into consideration all of the benefits that managed hosting for WordPress has, it is definitely worth the investment.
Who should use hosting for WordPress?
First of all - people using CMS WordPress
Are WordPress plugins free?
WordPress has loads of plugins you can install, some of them are free, but some of them you will need to pay for. You can learn how to use WordPress Plugins on our blog.
Nile Flores is a long time professional blogger, as well as WordPress website designer and developer from the St. Louis Metro East. Nile blogs at NileFlores.com, where she’s passionate about helping website owners, whether they’re small business owners or bloggers. She teaches about Blogging, Social Media, Search Engine Optimization, Website Design, and WordPress. Additionally, Nile loves to speak at WordCamps (WordPress conferences) across the United States. When Nile isn’t knee-deep in coding, she’s a proud mom of a college student, and enjoys oil painting, cigar smoking, nail art design, and practicing traditional Okinawan kempo karate.
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