EHERO Maintenance Mode – Maintenance mode and coming soon for WordPress

WordPress maintenance mode without losing rankings or locking yourself out of your own website

Putting a website into WordPress maintenance mode seems trivial until it goes wrong. The two accidents we see again and again: the plugin returns a 200 —or worse, a 404— and Google understands that the pages have really disappeared, or someone gets locked out of the dashboard and has to enter via FTP to disable the plugin manually.

EHERO Maintenance Mode is built around those two problems. Maintenance mode returns a 503 with a Retry-After header and noindex, which is exactly the signal search engines expect from a temporarily unavailable site: they neither deindex you nor penalize you. And the anti-lockout is structural, not a checkbox: wp-login, the dashboard, cron and the REST API are never blocked, no matter what you do with the settings.

EHERO’s WordPress maintenance mode is switched on with a toggle and switched off the same way. In addition, the public page is genuinely lightweight —it doesn’t load your theme unless you want it to—, can be customized in a couple of clicks, and can collect emails from anyone who wants to be notified when you’re back. It is free and complete: there is no Pro version, no locked features, and no ads.

Correct SEO: the right status code for each case

It’s the difference between a pause and a drop in rankings. Each mode sends a different, deliberate signal.

• Maintenance: HTTP 503 + Retry-After and noindex. Google understands “I’ll be back soon” and keeps your rankings.
• Coming soon: HTTP 200, for a site under construction that does want to start being known.
• Redirect: temporary 302 to another URL, with built-in loop protection.
• SEO title, meta description, and Open Graph image specific to the maintenance page.

Impossible for it to lock you out of your own website

The reasonable fear of anyone who has had to enter via FTP to disable a plugin. That can’t happen here.

• wp-login.php, the dashboard, cron, WP-CLI and REST/AJAX are never blocked. It is not configurable: it is always like that.
• Bypass by capability (default manage_options) and by specific roles.
• Secret link with token to show a client without giving them an account; it expires after the days you choose and can be revoked.
• Allowed IPs, exact or by CIDR ranges: the office and the VPN always get in.
• URL exclusions: keep contact, legal notice, or a specific landing page accessible.

One-click design, or your own page

Without fighting with CSS, but without being trapped in a template if you want something of your own.

• Two included templates —centered and split— and eight predefined color palettes.
• Or serve any WordPress page built with Bricks, Elementor or Gutenberg, while keeping the correct status code.
• Your logo, gradients, four included abstract backgrounds, background image or video (YouTube or MP4, muted and looped with an overlay for readability).
• Custom CSS and extra HTML in the header, for administrators only.

Countdown that actually does something when it reaches zero

Most plugins just show a nice clock and that’s it. This one can act on its own.

• Countdown to your opening date, interpreted in the site time zone: all visitors see the same end time.
• When it reaches zero: do nothing, turn off the mode automatically (the site opens by itself), or redirect to a URL.
• Scheduled start: leave it enabled in the afternoon and the lock starts at the time you specify.

Email capture: let the wait leave you something

If someone reaches your site while it’s closed, that’s traffic you’ve already paid for. At least let them leave their email.

• “Notify me when it’s ready” form with honeypot and IP limit: no captchas or external services.
• Emails are stored in your own database, with a management screen, search, date filters, pagination, and CSV export.
• Optional GDPR consent checkbox, validated on the server, with a link to your privacy policy.
• Optional integrations with Mailchimp (with double opt-in), Brevo and MailPoet: if the external service fails, the capture is not lost.
• If you have EHERO Leads Manager, the contacts are also recorded there.

When to use each mode (and why choosing well matters)

The three modes exist because three different situations call for three different signals. Choosing wrong is what causes damage.

• You’re working on a site that already ranks → maintenance mode. The 503 tells Google “I’ll be back in a bit,” keeps the rankings, and asks it to retry later.
• The site doesn’t exist for anyone yet → coming soon mode. It returns 200 because you do want it to start being indexed and known while you finish it.
• You’ve moved the site or are migrating it → redirect mode. A temporary 302 sends visitors where you are, with loop protection.
• If in doubt, stick with maintenance: it’s the only one of the three that protects what you already had.

Also designed for WooCommerce stores

Closing a store is more delicate than closing a corporate website: there are orders in progress, gateways calling back, and customers with accounts open.

• The dashboard and REST API stay open, so payment gateway notifications and integrations do not break during the downtime.
• With URL exclusions you can keep only what you need accessible: the customer area, order tracking, or a legal page.
• Cron keeps running, so scheduled WooCommerce tasks do not pile up.
• It does not touch your theme or your WooCommerce settings: it only intercepts the visitor request.

Details that are appreciated

Small things that prevent big mistakes.

• Admin bar badge so you don’t forget the site is closed.
• Dedicated Google Analytics 4 field for the maintenance page.
• Eight-language interface: Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, and Polish.
• When uninstalling, captured emails are not deleted without warning: they are contacts for your business.

Ideal for

The WordPress maintenance mode is needed more often than one might think: anyone who is going to touch a production site needs it. Where it matters most:

📋 System requirements

Works on any current WordPress, with or without WooCommerce.

🎁 Free, and truly free

There is no Pro version waiting behind a button. All the features you read on this page are in the download: the three modes, full anti-lockout, templates, countdown, email capture with export, and the eight languages. No ads, no upgrade notices, and no installation limit.

We ask for one thing in return: your email, so we can notify you when we publish a new version. Nothing else.

🛟 Technical support

It is a free plugin under the GPLv2 license, so it is provided as is and without warranty. That said, we wrote it and we do reply: if you find a bug, write to soporte@consultoriaehero.com and we’ll take a look. What it does not cover is custom configuration or development.

⚖️ Comparison: why EHERO Maintenance Mode?

There are many maintenance plugins. These are the differences that matter when the website is your business.

Works especially well with…

If you’re closing the site to work on it, you’re probably interested in what comes next:

• EHERO Cleaner, also free: use the downtime to thoroughly clean the database before reopening.
• EHERO Analytics to measure what happens when you reopen, without cookies or sending your visitors’ data to third parties.
• EHERO Smart Search if the redesign includes fixing the search, where most sales are silently lost.

Frequently asked questions

Can it lock me out of my own website?

No. wp-login.php, the dashboard, cron and the REST API are never blocked, and administrators still see the normal site. You also have the secret token link and the allowed IP list as a safety net.

Will it hurt me on Google?

Quite the opposite: maintenance mode returns a 503 with Retry-After and noindex, which is exactly what search engines expect from a temporarily unavailable site. What does cause harm is what other plugins do: return a 200 with a “we’ll be back soon” page or a 404.

Where are the emails I capture stored?

In your own database, with its management screen in the dashboard: you can search, filter by date and export to CSV whenever you want. If you connect Mailchimp, Brevo or MailPoet, they are sent there too, but the local copy is always saved even if the external service fails.

Is it really free or is there a Pro version?

It’s free and complete. There is no Pro version, no locked features, and no ads in the panel. It is distributed under GPL-2.0+ and you can install it on as many sites as you want.

Can I use my own Bricks or Elementor page?

Yes. In addition to the two included templates, you can tell it to serve any WordPress page you’ve built with your page builder, and the plugin makes sure it is delivered with the correct status code.

What if I forget to turn it off?

That’s what the badge in the admin bar is for: it reminds you on every screen. And if you set an opening date, you can make it switch off automatically when it reaches zero.