Your new website will not be available to the public until you launch your site. In this guide, you will learn how to launch your site and what you can do after the site is live.
Before your website goes live, visitors will see a “Coming Soon” page. You can launch at any time, but here are some helpful steps to complete first:
- Review your site’s content, including your site title and navigation menu to make sure everything looks the way you want.
- Confirm your email address, which is required for launch.
- Set your domain name as your site’s primary address. If you don’t have a domain name yet, you can register a new one, connect an existing domain name, or continue using your free WordPress.com address.
- Add a way for visitors to contact you through your website, such as a contact form.
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If you recently registered or connected a domain name, it can take 24-72 hours to become fully active. Make sure your domain name is active before launching your site.
Now that you’re ready to publish your site, follow these steps to make your site live:
- Visit your site’s dashboard.
- Navigate to Settings → Reading.
- Scroll to the Site Visibility section.
- Click the “Launch site” button. If you don’t see this button, your site has already been launched.
Congratulations! Your site is now live.
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If you still see the “Coming Soon” page after launching, try clearing your browser cache or viewing your site in an incognito/private browsing window. Changes may take a few moments to propagate.
Here are recommended next steps for your live site:
Try checking out your website like a regular visitor would. Use a browser where you’re not logged into WordPress.com and check it on a phone too. This way, you’ll see exactly what your visitors see. Click around, test out links, buttons, and any contact forms to ensure everything behaves as you want it to.
Now, it’s time to announce that your site is up and running! Our guide on boosting your site’s traffic will walk you through various strategies, such as search engine optimization (SEO) and promoting your site on social media.
If you need to make major changes or temporarily take your site offline, you can unlaunch your site. After launching, the Site Visibility section will show privacy options instead of the launch button.
To unlaunch your site, follow these steps:
- Visit your site’s dashboard.
- Navigate to Settings → Reading.
- Scroll to the Site Visibility section.
- Select the “Coming Soon” radio button.
- Click the “Save Changes” button
Visitors will once again see the “Coming Soon” page, and you will continue to see your site’s content while you are logged into your WordPress.com account.
