How to safely edit or build pages on a live website?

In the Website Builder, edits and content updates save immediately. When your website is already live and receiving traffic, you can manage work in progress using two primary tools:

1. Hidden Subpages: Perfect for drafting new sections or redesigning single pages while the rest of your site remains online.

2. Maintenance Mode: Ideal for major, site wide redesigns, structural changes, or planned service updates.

Method 1: Building New Pages in Secret (Hidden Subpages)

If you want to design a new page without displaying it in your website navigation before it is ready, you can hide the subpage from the menu.

1. Create the Page

1. Open the Website Builder editor.

2. Go to Settings and select Subpages.

3. Choose the option to add a new subpage and enter a working title (such as "New Services Draft").

2. Hide the Page from Navigation

1. In the subpage list under Settings > Subpages, locate your newly created page.

2. Open its individual page settings.

3. Turn on the option to hide the subpage from the menu.

4. Save your changes.

3. Build and Review Your Content

• Because the page is excluded from the navigation bar, casual visitors browsing your site will not see a link to it.

• You can work on the content, add modules, and format your layout at your own pace.

• To preview the page, open it directly from the editor or visit its direct URL address.

4. Publishing the Page to Your Menu

When you are ready to make the new page public:

1. Return to Settings > Subpages.

2. Open the page settings and turn off the hide setting.

3. Drag and drop the page into your preferred position in the menu order (or nest it as a submenu item).

4. Save your changes to make it visible to all visitors.

Method 2: Updating an Existing Live Page

If you need to make extensive changes to an existing page (such as your homepage or main services page) without disrupting the live version:

1. Clone or Recreate the Page: Go to Settings > Subpages and create a new subpage as a draft version.

2. Keep the Draft Hidden: Ensure the new draft page is hidden from the main menu.

3. Build the New Layout: Add your updated text, graphics, and elements to the hidden draft page until it is complete.

4. Swap the Content: Once the design is ready, copy the final layout or content blocks over to the live page, or rename the URLs in page settings so the new page takes the live address.

5. Clean Up: Delete the temporary draft subpage once the live page is updated.

Method 3: Enabling Maintenance Mode for Sitewide Updates

When undertaking a complete site redesign or substantial restructuring, you can place the entire website into Maintenance Mode.

How Maintenance Mode Works

• Regular visitors visiting any URL on your domain will see a temporary "Under Maintenance" holding screen.

• You can continue editing your website normally from within the builder.

• You can set an access password so that clients, colleagues, or stakeholders can enter the password and preview the live website while it remains locked to the public.

Turning Maintenance Mode On

1. Open your Website Builder editor.

2. Go to Settings and locate the Maintenance Mode section.

3. Enable Maintenance Mode.

4. (Optional) Set a preview password if you want specific reviewers to inspect the site.

5. Save your settings.

Turning Maintenance Mode Off

Once you have verified your changes across desktop and mobile layouts:

1. Return to Settings.

2. Switch Maintenance Mode Off.

3. Save your settings to restore public access immediately.