Are you using Wix to build and manage your website but considering unpublishing it? Unpublishing a website is a common task when revamping or making changes that are not ready to launch yet.
However, it can be a bit tricky to navigate the Wix platform effectively, especially if you're new to it. That's where our visual, step-by-step guide comes in handy. In this guide, we will show you how to unpublish your Wix website using simple and easy-to-follow instructions.
By the end of this guide, you'll know precisely how to take your Wix site offline and publish it again when you're ready to go live.
So, if you are ready to unpublish your Wix site and want to learn how to do it in a few easy steps, keep reading.
5 Steps to Unpublish a Wix Site
Unpublishing your Wix website can seem daunting if you've never done it before. Fortunately, it's not as complicated as it may seem. In fact, with our easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide, you can have your site offline in just a few clicks.
Step 1: Go to Sign Up Wix
Go to the Wix homepage at www.wix.com. Start the sign-up process by clicking "Get Started"
Once you do this, you will be directed to a new page with three different sign-up options: email, Facebook, or Google. Depending on your preference, you can choose any of these methods by clicking on the corresponding button.
Step 2: Navigate to Settings in Your Site’s Dashboard
In the Wix dashboard, the “Settings” option can be found in the left-hand side menu. It is represented by a gear icon located near the menu's bottom.
Step 3: Click Website Settings
You will see a drop-down menu with several options when you click the setting option. One of these options will be "Website settings."
Clicking on this option will take you to the settings page, where you can customize various aspects of your website, such as the site's basic information, SEO, domain, social media images, favicon, URL’s, mobile optimization, and more.
Note:
This option will not appear until you create a new website after signing up. Ensure that you will first design a website and then unpublish it.
Step 4: Click to Unpublish
If you've published a website on Wix and want to unpublish it, here's what you can do. First, log in to your Wix account and find the website you want to unpublish.
Once on the website settings page, look for the "site status" option. This should be under the "site details" section. When you find it, you should see a button that says "publish site" next to it. To unpublish your site, simply click on this button.
After you click the "unpublish site" button, you'll see a confirmation message asking if you want to unpublish your site. If you're sure you want to go ahead with this, click "unpublish," and your site will no longer be live on the internet.
Toggle the switch next to "Site is live" to the off position.
The pop-up window will ask you to confirm that you want to unpublish your site. Click "Unpublish" to confirm.
Once you have unpublished your site, it will no longer be accessible to the public. However, you can still access and edit the site through your Wix account. If you want to republish the site later, simply toggle the switch back on in the Site Availability section.
Step 5: For Confirmation click on Pop up “Unpublish”
So it is the last step to unpublish a site by following the above steps.
Reasons to Unpublish Your Wix Site
Here are a few reasons to take into account when considering the unpublishing of your Wix site:
- Revamping your website: If you're redesigning it and want to make changes without your audience seeing them until you're ready to launch, you may want to unpublish your site.
- Changing the Focus of Your Website: Sometimes, you may want to shift the focus of your website or rebrand it completely. In such cases, you may want to unpublish the existing site while you work on the new one.
- Updating Website Content: If you have outdated information or need to update your content, you may want to unpublish your site until you've made the necessary changes.
- Privacy Concerns: If you've published personal information on your website that you want to remove, you may need to unpublish your site to ensure your privacy.
- Temporary Absence: If you're going to be away from your website for a while, you may want to unpublish it to avoid any negative impact from outdated content or an unattended site.
Impact of Unpublishing on the Website’s Visibility
When you unpublish a website on Wix, it will no longer be visible to the public, meaning it will have no visibility or impact on your website's online presence. This is because search engines like Google and Bing can only index and rank websites that are publicly accessible.
If your website were previously published and indexed by search engines, unpublishing would cause it to disappear from search results. This can harm your website's visibility and traffic, as users can no longer find your website through search engines.
It's important to note that unpublishing your website does not delete it completely. Your website will still exist in your Wix account; you can republish it anytime.
However, if you want to delete your website permanently, you will need to cancel your Wix account and follow the instructions to delete your website.
Top CMS for Republishing Your Site
Content management systems (CMS) provide a powerful solution for publishing your content to a wider audience. Here, we'll explore the top CMS platforms for republishing your site and provide tips for maximizing your reach.
1. One Smart Sheep
One Smart Sheep offers a hassle-free, professional website creation service within 7 days, including a WordPress site editor, hosting, content, logo, and ongoing support at an affordable monthly rate. Perfect for businesses looking to enhance their online presence without the complications or high costs of traditional web design.
2. Squarespace
Squarespace stands out as a website publishing platform, offering a wide array of customizable templates and features to create unique websites. Famed for its sleek, modern designs and user-friendly interface, Squarespace is perfect for both beginners and experienced users. It allows individuals and businesses to build visually captivating and functional websites, catering to various industries and purposes, while ensuring a seamless and intuitive design experience.
3. Weebly
Weebly is a versatile website publishing platform, providing drag-and-drop website building tools, customizable templates, and e-commerce features for users. Its user-friendly interface makes it an ideal choice for beginners looking to create their online presence. Weebly simplifies the process of building attractive and functional websites, catering to a range of industries and purposes, while empowering users with the tools to design, launch, and manage their sites effortlessly.
4. Shopify
Shopify is a leading e-commerce platform, enabling users to create and publish their online stores with ease. Offering a variety of customizable templates and features, it caters to diverse businesses and industries. Shopify's built-in payment processing and inventory management tools streamline the shopping experience for customers, while simplifying store management for business owners.
5. Joomla
Joomla is an open-source content management system that allows you to create and publish a website. It offers a range of features and customization options, as well as a large community of users and developers who create and share plugins and templates.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, the ability to unpublish a Wix site is an invaluable tool for website owners who need to make changes, updates or simply take their site offline temporarily.
Our visual step-by-step guide has demonstrated the straightforward process involved in unpublishing a Wix site, ensuring that even beginners can navigate the platform with ease.
By following these simple instructions, you can manage your online presence confidently and effectively. Remember that you can always republish your site once you've completed your desired updates, making this feature a versatile component of the Wix platform.
It's important to note that unpublishing doesn't delete your site; it remains in your Wix account for future republishing.
To permanently delete your site, you must cancel your Wix account. Alternatives to Wix include One Smart Sheep, Squarespace, Weebly, Shopify, and Joomla, each offering unique features.
Unpublishing gives you control and flexibility to manage your site's visibility while making changes or addressing privacy concerns. Follow the steps provided and explore alternative platforms to effectively manage your website.
