Often when we redesign a website, it is customary to leave an “under construction” or “coming up” web page, rather than leaving a blank page or a 404 error page. Error pages create an unpleasant experience for your website visitors. You must inform them that your site or page will be back soon.
About “coming soon” pages
Coming soon pages are basically the same as “under construction” pages. Instead of same old and boring way of just telling them that the page is down for now, you can actually use that page to tell more to them. They are already on the page, so you can use that opportunity to gain more mileage in some way or the other.
You can check ComingSoonWP.Com to find some great coming soon page templates to create a sense of expectancy, and hope among your audience. You can find some of the expertly designed coming soon WordPress pages on. They provide free and premium designs that will surely help you in making the most out of your temporary pages. You can customize the templates to give them your own unique touch.
How should you design a coming soon website?
Build up curiosity –
You just have some seconds to capture the attention of the users, when your website is under construction, because they can close it in few seconds. Come up with an engaging visual design to make them want to stay on the page for some more time.
Be honest with your commitment –
The best suggestion is, ‘Use the Right Words’. Be creative and find ways to make them want to come back again to check for developments. If you mention any deadline for coming back, then make it a point to keep to that commitment. Your page should get back live before that.
Missing of deadline can prove to be damaging for the reputation of your business. They may lose trust and start doubting on the professionalism of your company. Respect the emotions of your customers and keep your promises. If there are further delays, then update them about the same.
Use timers
Another effective method that you can use on temporary pages is the countdown timer. This feature will tell people how much time is remaining until the website will be up again.
This will give an idea to your regular customers who are eagerly waiting for your website to be up and working again. This time puts a stop at their curiosities, and gives them an idea of when they can again access your website.
Use Videos:
Many people like to watch videos, instead of just reading text information. You can stream a small presentation about what you plan to do next on that page. Talk more about how you can make things better for your customers. If your video presentation is good, then they will not bother seeking services or products from your competitors.
You can also use 302 redirects on temporary pages, so that the visitors get automatically redirected to a different URL. That way, you can retain your old page rankings too. WordPress users can do it easily with redirect WordPress plugin.