Are you getting ready to launch a new WordPress-based website or blog? Don’t want the public to see the site while it is still under construction, but you want to see exactly what the site would look like when it goes live? While you could certainly test it out on a separate domain or subdomain, it might prove to be more user friendly by trying a solution like the Custom Coming Soon Page WordPress plugin.

In short, this plugin allows you to display a special “coming soon” or “under construction” page to normal visitors. This special page can be completely customized with unique titles, background images, and templates. You can also implement a countdown timer, so visitors will know exactly when your site will go live for the first time.

On the back end, you can have full access to the real site, tweaking and making changes in preparation for the full launch. In this “hidden” area, you can perform upgrades, install new plugins, preview your enhancements, and fix bugs without affecting the regular site visitors. They won’t see any error messages or changes to the design until you are ready to let your site go live.

For more information and to download the Custom Coming Soon Pages WordPress plugin, check out the official page on CSS Jockey‘s site.