Dont Show This Message Again on Splash Page
Every website has to perform maintenance at some point or another. Whether it's just to upgrade a portion of the site or because of some problem with the site, it'south an inevitable fact of website buying. And in many cases, maintenance requires taking your site offline for at least a few minutes.
So what should you practise if your site is going to be down for maintenance? You lot don't desire users coming to a 404 or other error page. And hopefully y'all'd similar to encourage them to come back to your site sooner rather than later, right? If that'south the example, you'll need to build a custom maintenance folio. Beneath we present a list of best practices to building effective maintenance pages that volition help keep your visitors, whether new or returning, happy.
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1. Proceed your maintenance pages elementary and useful.
The entire point of a maintenance folio is to let visitors know that your site is still around and that the maintenance is simply temporary. It doesn't need to do anything across that. Make certain it's immediately apparent what your folio is nigh and provides your visitors with the data they're interested in.
Another useful function for simple maintenance pages is to include your maintenance bulletin in multiple languages. The Spider web is global, and while many of your visitors are likely to speak at least some English, providing multiple languages is helpful. Only be wary of using online translators, as sometimes they're less-than-accurate. The last thing you want your maintenance page to practice is further confuse people, or worse – offend them.
Delicious with a uncomplicated and articulate bulletin.
This Twitter maintenance page gives the bare minimum of information and keeps a simple design while still existence inviting and friendly toward users.
Google's Adsense page offers a simple maintenance message in a huge number of languages…
…and sometimes Google Adsense just explains in plain language what is happening and when the page volition be online once again. Detect that Google also reassures the users that earnings volition keep to be tracked every bit normal, and ad targeting will not be affected during this reanimation.
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This maintenance screen from the Apple Store get to the point while still remaining casual.
MobileMe with a visually appealing maintenance screen in multiple languages.
2. Realize it's an inconvenience to your visitors.
When your site is down, your regular visitors are inconvenienced. Information technology'southward a simple fact. Only don't permit inconvenienced visitors turn into alienated visitors. Simply acknowledging that your site's downtime is a hurting for your visitors is oftentimes enough to satisfy them. Apologize for the reanimation, give them information that's useful to them, and make them feel like you realize what this means to them.
Concluding.fm puts a big apology correct at the top of their maintenance page.
Twitter takes a more light-hearted arroyo but still acknowledges that users might be getting impatient with the reanimation.
3. Don't be afraid to utilise humor.
There's no need to become all serious but because your site is down. Using a bit of humor or otherwise making your maintenance page entertaining helps to improve your site'southward image in the optics of visitors inconvenienced by the downtime. Think well-nigh different angles related to your site'southward content that could be portrayed in a humorous calorie-free. Whether information technology's doing something with your site'southward logo or mascot, or even something seemingly unrelated to your site, there'due south surely an angle out at that place for making your maintenance page funny.
Etsy shows Halm working on the current technical problems. Notice that Etsy also communicated what'south happening and the estimated reanimation.
Soundcloud promises to be upward before long and uses a pun to brand the maintenance page stand out.
Ning uses a cute illustration and claims that its experienced technicians (pictured) are currently hard at work so every bit to bring Ning back online shortly.
Reddit'south maintenance page could use more than information; Reddits probably shouldn't take stopped using Lisp…
…and YouTube seems to exist decorated pushing out some new concoctions and formulas.
Mozilla: "Repairs in Progress".
Revver.
Flickr'southward maintenance page is not very informative, but funny. Flickr is having a massage.
FlashDen claims a 10 2nd downtime and offers up a cartoonish character doing maintenance on himself to brand visitors grin.
Bloglines uses an image of a plumber to lighten things up when their site is downward.
Apartmentguide.com: another instance of using a maintenance worker on a maintenance page.
4. Give your maintenance page the same look and feel equally your regular site.
You lot desire visitors to immediately realize that they accept arrived at the correct place, even if your site doesn't quite look the same as e'er. If your maintenance folio bears no resemblance to your regular site, many visitors may just assume they've gone to the wrong URL without bothering to read what your page says.
Make sure your maintenance page includes your logo and keeps the aforementioned general color scheme as your site. Even these two unproblematic things can make visitors feel more at ease when they reach an unexpected page.
Grooveshark keeps their header and bones color scheme in tact.
StumbleUpon also keeps their header and logo in tact, and even the colors used in the illustration echo their make colors.
Naturalinstinct uses the aforementioned color scheme and provides users with alternative contact options.
five. Let visitors know when your site will be dorsum.
Maintenance times can vary greatly. Sometimes a site might be downwardly for only a few minutes. Other times it could exist an hour or two, or even longer. Let your visitors know what fourth dimension you expect to exist back up and running. This way they'll accept an idea of when to come up back. An open-ended maintenance folio encourages them to put a return visit off for hours or fifty-fifty days. Something that says yous'll exist dorsum in 5 minutes encourages them to do the aforementioned.
iStockPhoto'south maintenance page informs its visitors about the estimated time when the site will be back.
Blogger uses a simple page that includes the fourth dimension the site is expected to exist back up.
Linkedin lets the users know when the site volition return online.
StudiVZ suggests to drink a loving cup of tea and informs the visitors that the site volition be online at 8am.
half-dozen. Provide recommended content.
Keeping a few articles from your site on a static page for maintenance downtime is one way to offer your visitors something to look at while yous're performing maintenance. Other sites even recommend content from other websites, mostly that they recall would be of interest to their visitors. Giving your visitors something else to exercise while they expect for your site to come up back online is a keen way to show them that y'all care, and that y'all realize information technology'south inconvenient for them (see number 2 to a higher place).
Librarything'southward "downtime" paradigm suggests to read a couple of books while the site is downwardly.
Digg offers a list of other sites they thing their visitors might exist interested in.
Github offers an entertaining YouTube video for visitors to watch while their site is down.
Mixx provides a few of their favorite "Mixxed" stories for visitors to check out.
Sears had to exist airtight for site enhancements during the Black Friday. The maintenance folio provides users with further navigation options – such as Lands' End, Parts Direct and Sears Credit.
vii. Invite your visitors to come back when the site is online again
Since your users really have visited your service during the reanimation, they, of course, would like to employ the service. Therefore it makes sense to notify them when the site is online again. Apparently, you wouldn't desire to notify all users of the service that the site is dorsum online. Then it'due south a good idea to make information technology possible for users to get notified when the service can exist used again. The latter can be done either via e-mail, SMS or a tweet.
Soindustry makes offers its users to submit their due east-mails to become notified when the site is online again.
eight. Inform your visitors about the progress of the maintenance
Of grade, many unexpected problems can occur during the maintenance, and it's a good idea to go along your users informed about the progress. An instant feedback is important and allow the user know that everything is going only fine and someone on the other side is working on the problem and that just a little portion of patience is required.
Habbo, a virtual world where you lot can meet and make friends, provides a sweet illustration on its maintenance page and also inform the visitors about the maintenance progress.
37signals also keeps the users updated about the status of maintenance.
Further Resource
- Create a Memorable Maintenance Page Offers a brief overview of good maintenance pages as well as examples.
- Creating a Downwards for Maintenance Folio From the Pylons Cookbook.
- Maintenance Style Plugin Creates a splash page for maintenance in WordPress.
- Web ii.0 Error Pages Flickr Pool
- Web 2.0 Offline Sightings Flickr Group
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Source: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/06/effective-maintenance-pages-examples-and-best-practices/
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