How to Unpublish Wix Website: Easy Tutorial

The internet is a dynamic space, and sometimes, you might need to take your website offline for a bit. Maybe you’re revamping your online presence, going on vacation, or simply taking a break. Whatever the reason, Wix, the user-friendly website creation platform, makes unpublishing your website a quick and painless process.

This step-by-step guide will guide on how to unpublish Wix website in just a few clicks. So, if you need to temporarily take your site down, keep reading to learn how to do it with ease!

Unpublishing Wix Website

Sometimes, you might need to take your Wix website offline for a while. This could be for various reasons, like:

• Website Revamp: Maybe you’re in the process of redesigning your website and don’t want visitors to see it under construction. Unpublishing allows you to make changes behind the scenes without affecting the public view.
• Temporary Hiatus: Are you taking a break from managing your website or online business? Unpublishing hides your site temporarily until you’re ready to bring it back online.
• Seasonal Changes: Perhaps your business has seasonal offerings and you want to take down your website during the off-season. Unpublishing allows you to control website visibility based on your needs.

Before diving into the steps, let’s clarify what unpublishing actually means on Wix:

• Unpublished vs. Deleted: Unpublishing hides your website from the public eye, but all your content and data remain safe within your Wix account. You can easily republish your site whenever you’re ready. Deleting your website, on the other hand, is permanent and cannot be undone.
• Search Engines and Unpublishing: When you unpublish your Wix website, it becomes invisible to search engines. This means visitors won’t be able to find your site through search queries.

Steps to Unpublish Wix Website: A Simple Guide

Unpublishing your Wix website is a straightforward process that takes just a few clicks. Here’s how to do it:

1. Accessing Your Wix Dashboard
   • Head over to Wix’s official website and log in to your Wix account.
   • If you haven’t created an account yet, signing up for Wix is quick and easy.
2. Locating the Unpublishing Option in Wix Settings
   • Once logged in, navigate to your website’s dashboard. This is where you can manage and edit your website content.
   • Look for the “Settings” section in the dashboard. Depending on your Wix interface, you might find it on the left-hand sidebar or as a dropdown menu.
3. Confirming the Unpublish Action
   • Within the “Settings” section, you’ll find options related to your website’s visibility. Look for a setting labelled “Website Visibility” or “Unpublish.”
   • Clicking on this option will usually present a confirmation message. Double-check that you want to unpublish your website and proceed by clicking “Unpublish” (or similar wording) to confirm.

Congratulations! Your Wix website is now unpublished and hidden from public view. Remember, you can access and edit your website content even while it’s unpublished. Whenever you’re ready to bring your site back online, simply follow the same steps and choose “Publish” instead of “Unpublish.”

Additional Tips

• While your website is unpublished, visitors who try to access your site address will see a message indicating that the site is unavailable.
• Consider creating a custom “Coming Soon” page to inform visitors about your website’s temporary status and when they can expect it to be back online.

Taking a Website Break: Unpublishing on Wix and SEO Considerations

The online world thrives on constant activity, but there are times when you might need to take your Wix website offline for a while. Whether you’re revamping your site, taking a hiatus, or making seasonal adjustments, unpublishing your Wix website offers a convenient way to temporarily hide it from public view. But what happens to your search engine ranking (SEO) during this downtime? Let’s delve into the effects of unpublishing on SEO and explore some alternative options.

Unpublishing and Search Engine Visibility: A Disappearing Act

When you unpublish your Wix website, it essentially goes into hiding as far as search engines are concerned. Google, Bing, and other search engines rely on crawling and indexing websites to understand their content and rank them accordingly. Unpublishing your site prevents search engines from accessing it, effectively removing it from search results. This means visitors won’t be able to find your website through organic searches, potentially impacting your website traffic and SEO ranking.

Here’s a breakdown of how unpublishing affects SEO:

• Crawling and Indexing: Search engines send out “crawlers” like digital spiders to explore websites and gather information. When you unpublish your site, these crawlers encounter a dead end and can’t access your content. This means your website’s ranking signals and content freshness (important factors in SEO) become stagnant.
• Backlinks: Backlinks are essentially links from other websites that point to yours. These act as votes of confidence for search engines, influencing your website’s authority and ranking. While backlinks remain even if you unpublish, the lack of fresh content and user engagement on your site can negatively impact their effectiveness over time.

The Duration Matters: The impact of unpublishing on SEO depends on the duration. A short-term unpublishing (a few days or weeks) might not cause significant harm. However, extended periods of unpublishing can lead to a decline in rankings, especially for websites that rely heavily on organic traffic.

Alternatives to Unpublishing: Maintaining Visibility While Taking a Break

If you’re hesitant to unpublish your website due to SEO concerns, here are a few alternative approaches:

• Coming Soon Page: Create a captivating “Coming Soon” page that informs visitors about your website’s temporary status and provides an estimated relaunch date. This keeps your website address active and maintains a touchpoint with potential visitors. You can even leverage the “Coming Soon” page to capture email addresses for a relaunch announcement, building anticipation and potentially boosting traffic upon return.
• Password Protection: Wix allows you to password-protect your entire website. This way, you can restrict access to the public while still allowing authorised users (like yourself or collaborators) to access and edit the website content. This option is useful if you’re making significant changes and want to maintain a level of privacy during the development process.
• Search Engine Optimisation While Unpublished: Even though search engines can’t access your content, you can still use the downtime to optimise your website for better performance when you relaunch. This includes tasks like keyword research, content optimisation, and improving your website’s technical SEO.

By implementing these alternatives, you can maintain some level of online presence while your website is under construction or on hiatus. This helps minimise the SEO impact and allows for a smoother transition when you bring your website back online.

Remember: Unpublishing your Wix website is a great way to temporarily take your site down, but it’s crucial to consider the SEO implications. By understanding the effects and exploring alternative approaches, you can make informed decisions that balance the need for a break with maintaining your website’s search engine visibility.

Bringing Your Site Back Online: Republishing Your Wix Website

Taking your Wix website offline for maintenance, revamps, or seasonal adjustments can be a strategic move. But once you’re ready to bring your site back to the public eye, republishing is a straightforward process. Here’s a quick guide to get you started:

Steps to Republish Your Wix Website

1. Access Your Wix Dashboard: As with unpublishing, the first step is to log in to your Wix account and navigate to your website’s dashboard.
2. Locating the Publish Option: Recall from the unpublishing steps that the “Settings” section houses website visibility controls. Look for the option labelled “Website Visibility” or “Publish” within this section.
3. Confirming Republish Action: Clicking on the “Publish” option (or similar wording) will likely present a confirmation message. Double-check that you’re ready to make your website visible again, and proceed by clicking “Publish” to confirm.

Congratulations! Your Wix website is now live and searchable once more. Visitors can access your site through its usual web address.

Timing Considerations for Republishing

The timing of your republishing strategy can influence how quickly your website regains its SEO momentum. Here are some factors to consider:

• Duration of Unpublishing: A short unpublishing period (a few days or a week) usually doesn’t cause significant SEO damage. Search engines might take some time to re-crawl and index your website after republishing, but the impact on ranking should be minimal.
• Content Updates and SEO Optimisation: Did you take advantage of the downtime to make website improvements or SEO optimisations? Fresh, high-quality content and a well-optimised website can actually boost your ranking upon republishing.
• Backlink Strength: The quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your website play a significant role in SEO. If you’ve actively built backlinks during your website’s absence, it can positively impact your ranking after republishing.

Tips for a Smooth Republishing Process

• Double-Check Your Website: Before republishing, take a final look at your website to ensure all content and functionalities are working as intended.
• Announce Your Return: Consider sending an email blast or social media announcement to your audience, informing them that your website is back online. This can generate renewed interest and encourage visitors to return.
• Monitor Your SEO Performance: Keep an eye on your website’s SEO performance after republishing. Tools like Google Search Console can provide valuable insights into your website’s ranking and traffic.