Effective Website Maintenance: Examples and Best Practices

 

Every website has to perform maintenance at some point or another. Whether it’s just to upgrade a portion of the site or because of some problem with the site, it’s an inevitable fact of website ownership. And in many cases, maintenance requires taking your site offline for at least a few minutes.

So what should you do if your site is going to be down for maintenance? You don’t want users coming to a 404 or other error page. And hopefully you’d like to encourage them to come back to your site sooner rather than later, right? If that’s the case, you’ll need to build a custom maintenance page. Below we present a list of best practices to building effective maintenance pages that will help keep your visitors, whether new or returning, happy.

1. Keep your maintenance pages simple and useful. 

The entire point of a maintenance page is to let visitors know that your site is still around and that the maintenance is only temporary. It doesn’t need to do anything beyond that. Make sure it’s immediately apparent what your page is about and provides your visitors with the information they’re interested in.

Another useful function for simple maintenance pages is to include your maintenance message in multiple languages. The Web is global, and while many of your visitors are likely to speak at least some English, providing multiple languages is helpful. Just be wary of using online translators, as sometimes they’re less-than-accurate. The last thing you want your maintenance page to do is further confuse people, or worse – offend them.

Delicious with a simple and clear message.

This Twitter maintenance page gives the bare minimum of information and keeps a simple design while still being inviting and friendly toward users.

Google’s Adsense page offers a simple maintenance message in a huge number of languages…

…and sometimes Google Adsense just explains in plain language what is happening and when the page will be online again. Notice that Google also reassures the users that earnings will continue to be tracked as normal, and ad targeting will not be affected during this downtime.

<figuree.com/adsense/”>

This maintenance screen from the Apple Store get to the point while still remaining casual.

MobileMe with a visually appealing maintenance screen in multiple languages.

2. Realize it’s an inconvenience to your visitors. 

When your site is down, your regular visitors are inconvenienced. It’s a simple fact. But don’t let inconvenienced visitors turn into alienated visitors. Simply acknowledging that your site’s downtime is a pain for your visitors is often enough to satisfy them. Apologize for the downtime, give them information that’s useful to them, and make them feel like you realize what this means to them.

Last.fm puts a big apology right at the top of their maintenance page.

Twitter takes a more light-hearted approach but still acknowledges that users might be getting impatient with the downtime.

3. Don’t be afraid to use humor. 

There’s no need to get all serious just because your site is down. Using a bit of humor or otherwise making your maintenance page entertaining helps to improve your site’s image in the eyes of visitors inconvenienced by the downtime. Think about different angles related to your site’s content that could be portrayed in a humorous light. Whether it’s doing something with your site’s logo or mascot, or even something seemingly unrelated to your site, there’s surely an angle out there for making your maintenance page funny.

Etsy shows Halm working on the current technical problems. Notice that Etsy also communicated what’s happening and the estimated downtime.

Soundcloud promises to be up soon and uses a pun to make the maintenance page stand out.

Ning uses a cute illustration and claims that its experienced technicians (pictured) are currently hard at work so as to bring Ning back online shortly.

Reddit’s maintenance page could use more information; Reddits probably shouldn’t have stopped using Lisp…

…and YouTube seems to be busy pushing out some new concoctions and formulas.

Mozilla: “Repairs in Progress”.

Revver.

Flickr’s maintenance page is not very informative, but funny. Flickr is having a massage.

FlashDen claims a 10 second downtime and offers up a cartoonish character doing maintenance on himself to make visitors smile.

Bloglines uses an image of a plumber to lighten things up when their site is down.

Apartmentguide.com: another instance of using a maintenance worker on a maintenance page.

4. Give your maintenance page the same look and feel as your regular site. 

You want visitors to immediately realize that they have arrived at the correct place, even if your site doesn’t quite look the same as always. If your maintenance page bears no resemblance to your regular site, many visitors may just assume they’ve gone to the wrong URL without bothering to read what your page says.

Make sure your maintenance page includes your logo and keeps the same general color scheme as your site. Even these two simple things can make visitors feel more at ease when they reach an unexpected page.

Grooveshark keeps their header and basic color scheme in tact.

StumbleUpon also keeps their header and logo in tact, and even the colors used in the illustration echo their brand colors.

Naturalinstinct uses the same color scheme and provides users with alternative contact options.

5. Let visitors know when your site will be back. 

Maintenance times can vary greatly. Sometimes a site might be down for only a few minutes. Other times it could be an hour or two, or even longer. Let your visitors know what time you expect to be back up and running. This way they’ll have an idea of when to come back. An open-ended maintenance page encourages them to put a return visit off for hours or even days. Something that says you’ll be back in five minutes encourages them to do the same.

iStockPhoto’s maintenance page informs its visitors about the estimated time when the site will be back.

Blogger uses a simple page that includes the time the site is expected to be back up.

Linkedin lets the users know when the site will return online.

StudiVZ suggests to drink a cup of tea and informs the visitors that the site will be online at 8am.

6. Provide recommended content. 

Keeping a few articles from your site on a static page for maintenance downtime is one way to offer your visitors something to look at while you’re performing maintenance. Other sites even recommend content from other websites, generally that they think would be of interest to their visitors. Giving your visitors something else to do while they wait for your site to come back online is a great way to show them that you care, and that you realize it’s inconvenient for them (see number 2 above).

Librarything’s “downtime” image suggests to read a couple of books while the site is down.

Digg offers a list of other sites they thing their visitors might be interested in.

Github offers an entertaining YouTube video for visitors to watch while their site is down.

Mixx provides a few of their favorite “Mixxed” stories for visitors to check out.

Sears had to be closed for site enhancements during the Black Friday. The maintenance page provides users with further navigation options – such as Lands’ End, Parts Direct and Sears Credit.

7. Invite your visitors to come back when the site is online again 

Since your users actually have visited your service during the downtime, they, of course, would like to use the service. Therefore it makes sense to notify them when the site is online again. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to notify all users of the service that the site is back online. So it’s a good idea to make it possible for users to get notified when the service can be used again. The latter can be done either via e-mail, SMS or a tweet.

Soindustry makes offers its users to submit their e-mails to get notified when the site is online again.

8. Inform your visitors about the progress of the maintenance 

Of course, many unexpected problems can occur during the maintenance, and it’s a good idea to keep your users informed about the progress. An instant feedback is important and let the user know that everything is going just fine and someone on the other side is working on the problem and that just a little portion of patience is required.

Habbo, a virtual world where you can meet and make friends, provides a sweet illustration on its maintenance page and also inform the visitors about the maintenance progress.

37signals also keeps the users updated about the status of maintenance.

Further Resources 

• Create a Memorable Maintenance Page Offers a brief overview of good maintenance pages as well as examples.
• Creating a Down for Maintenance Page From the Pylons Cookbook.
• Maintenance Mode Plugin Creates a splash page for maintenance in WordPress.
• Web 2.0 Error Pages Flickr Pool
• Web 2.0 Offline Sightings Flickr Group

60 Rare and Unusual Vintage Signs

 

In the U.S., most outdoor signs made between 1890 and and 1950 were constructed of a base of heavy rolled iron, which was die cut into the desired shape, then coated with layers of colored powdered glass and fired in a kiln.

This process made them durable and weather-resistant. Signs made this way were known as porcelain enamel signs or simply enamel signs.

Porcelain enamel signs originated in Germany and were imported into the U.S. They quickly became a staple of outdoor advertising across the country. Around 1900, designers experimented with bold colors and graphics on the signs and they were used to advertise everything from cigarettes and beer to farm equipment and tires. Early designs were stenciled, but American designers switched to silkscreens and started using a steel base instead of iron. Later, when porcelain enamel became too costly, tin bases were used instead of steel.

Now it is difficult to find antique porcelain enamel signs in excellent condition. Collectors pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for each addition to their collections. Many of the signs were vandalized, discarded due to etching or crazing in the finish or melted down for the metal during World War II. After the war, the signs were too expensive to manufacture, so we are left with only the dazzling pieces that remain from the era.

Signs were later made of tin and other materials and painted with enamel paint. More of these types of signs remain, but they are often rusted, scratched and distressed. After WWII, “enamel” signs were simply enamel paint on a metal, usually tin, base.There is a huge market for vintage signs and collectors must be wary of distressed reproductions. Often vintage signs are stamped with the date they were manufactured, while other times research and knowledge about antique signs may be required to discern a real antique from a knockoff.

Rare and Unusual Antique, Vintage and Retro Signs #

Vintage Tin 7up Display Sign
This vintage 7up sign was made to be attached to the rods of a wire display inside a store. It is believed to have been manufactured in the 1950s or 1960s by the Indiana Wire and Specialty Company of Indianapolis, Indiana and measures 12” x 12”.

Vintage 7up Enamel Painted Store Sign
This 7up sign is stamped metal and is painted with enamel paint. It measures 20” x 18” and was manufactured in 1963 by Stout Sign Co. in St. Louis.

Southwestern Bell Porcelain Sign
This is a large metal Southwestern Bell sign, measuring approximately 28” to 30” tall and 19” to 20” wide. This sign is still faily shiny, but does have a few chips and some rust spots.

Chevrolet Bel Air Dealer Poster
In the 1950s, car dealerships used posters like this one as indoor signage. These posters were eye-catching and colorful and could be easily changed when new models were introduced.

Vintage Tin Hrobak’s Beverages Sign
This is a rare sign from Hrobak’s Beverages in Philadelphia. It is believed to have been made in the 1940s and measures approximately 20” x 9”.

Blue Bell Tobacco Porcelain Sign
This is a heavy steel and porcelain double sided sign. It measures 14” x 22” and is in great shape for its age.

Antique Buick Dealership Sign
This is an antique neon sign from a Buick car dealership. It was likely manufactured in the 1950s.

Cadbury’s Chocolate Enamel Sign
Cadbury’s chocolate is a favorite in Europe, which is likely where this antique painted enamel sign was made.

Canada Dry Beverages Porcelain Sign
This vintage sign is porcelain over metal and was manufactured for Canada Dry Beverages. It measures 24” x 7” and has chips in the porcelain and rust on the base. Despite its flaws, it is still a valuable collectors item.

Chesterfield Cigarettes Sign
This vintage Chesterfield Cigarettes sign was found hanging on the side of a shed at a gas station in North Carolina. Its age is unknown, but it is authentic. It measures 34” x 12” and was likely manufactured in the 1930s or 1940s.

** Stothers Chest & Lung Mixture Sign** This vintage sign was likely made in the 1940s. While is is slightly warped along the bottom, it is still in good condition for its age.

Large Vintage Coca-Cola Sign
This 1939 Coca-Cola sign remains in the wooden frame in which it was originally shipped. It measures 71.5” x 35.75 and has some dents and surface rust, but is still a nice piece for a collector.

Rare Coca-Cola Cardboard Sign
This Coca-Cola sign is printed on cardboard and measures 20” x 36”. It was shrink wrapped onto an acid-free backing board. Printed during the war in 1944, it features two young woman pointing to the area on the globe where their men are serving.

Post-WWII Cardboard Coca-Cola Sign
After WWII, signs had to be made more inexpensively. One option used by Coca-Cola were cardboard signs. This Coca-Cola sign was made in 1948 by Edwards & Deutsch Lith Co. in Chicago and measures 27” x 16”.

Congress Beer Pressed Tin Sign This pressed tin sign advertises Congress Beer, which was made by the Haberle Congress Brewing Company in Syracuse, New York. Age has yellowed the lettering on the sign, but it is otherwise in good condition and is a nice collectors item.

Wolf’s Head Oil & Lubes
This unique sign was produced in the 1940s and is 22” x 17”. It is an original piece and has been preserved over the years so that it remains in excellent condition. This type of sign in this condition is rather rare and is sought after by the choosiest collectors.

Crown Gasoline Double Sided Porcelain Sign
This Crown Gasoine Standard Oil Company sign is double sided, which is somewhat unusal for a porcelain sign. It measures 26” square and is showing signs of its age, but is still extremely valuable.

Dad’s Root Beer Tin Sign
This is a 1950s Dad’s Rootbeer sign measuring 27” x 13”. It is enamel paint on a tin base and has rusted a bit around the edges.

Delaware Quality Feeds Metal Sign
This vintage Delaware Quality Feeds sign doubled as a public service announcement to warn of an upcoming cow pass. This unique piece measures 12” x 15” and is extremely weathered.

Vintage Dr. Pepper Metal Sign
This style of Dr. Pepper sign was introduced in 1958 and discontinued in the early 1970s. It measures approximately 20” x 7” and is constructed of thin sheet metal and enamel paint.

Extremely Rare Eldredge Brewing Company Sign
This antique sign was produced in the 1800s for Eldredge Brewing Company in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is marked “Wells & Hope Co. Pat Metallic Advertising Signs, Philada, P.A.” and features an image of a man and a woman enjoying Eldredge lager beer. It measures 20” x 29” and aside from some minor wear around the edges, is in wonderful condition.

“Standard” Esso Porcelain Sign
The essense of vintage Americana, this large porcelain Esso sign is a valuable collectors item. Esso stations were the original ExxonMobile gas stations and these signs were once very common along U.S. roadways.

Vintage Foot Rest Hosiery Sign
This vintage sign measures 11.25” x 17.25 and is constructed of tin with a cardboard backing. The image of the child holding the sign is one example of classic antique advertising.

Vintage Coca-Cola Fountain Service Sign
This porcelain sign was made in 1933. It measures 25.5” x 23” and shows some signs of its age, but is still a sought-after collectors item.

Mitchell’s “Golden Dawn” Cigarettes
Made in an era when smoking cigarettes was glamorized, this tin enamel sign is was designed to be simple and shiny. The name of the company and little else is displayed on the face, which is now chipped and rusting with age.

Unique Good Year Tire Porcelain Signs
These winged Good Year Tire porcelain signs are embossed on the back with “Property of Good Year Rubber Company W-73”. These are large signs, with the larger one measuring 64” x 23” and the smaller measuring 46.5” x 17”. Both signs were originally white, but a clear lacquer has yellowed the smaller one.

Hi-Plane Tobacco Sign
This 1940s tin store sign advertises an all but forgotten brand of tobacco. It measures 35” x 12” and is a colorful collectors item.

Vintage Hires Root Beer Sign
This vintage Hires Root Beer sign measures 9.5” x 27.5” and was manufactured by Press Sign Co. in St. Louis.

Merry War Lye Sign
This vintage Merry War Lye sign was made in the 1940s. It was found in the back room of an old general store and measures 14” x 11”.

Kool Cigarettes Sign
This store sign was made in the 1950s to advertise Kool cigarettes. It measures 26” x 11” and has raised letters and design.

Leaf Spearmint Gum Sign
This Leaf Spearmint Gum sign was made in the 1940s and measures 25” x 9” and is in fairly good condition for its age. Its colorful design makes it a popular collectors item.

Miller “High Life” Beverages Sign
This sign is an original advertisement for Miller “High Life” Beverages. It was made in the 1940s and measures 20” x 13.5”.

MobileGas Porcelain Restroom Pledge Sign
This heavy porcelain sign is measures 7.5” x 7.75”. It is a rare and nostalgic piece, bound to bring back memories of the time when customer service was everything.

Vintage Mr. Cola Sign
This unique Mr. Cola sign was made in 1945 by Stout Sign Co. of St. Louis. It measures 11.75 square and the lettering is embossed.

Muratti’s Cigarettes Sign
This colorful tin sign is an antique lithographed advertisement for Muratti’s cigarettes. A collectors item for sure, the sign promotes cigarettes for “young ladies.”

Old Virginia Cheroots Sign
This turn of the century sign measures 8.5” square and is extremely rare. The graphic is lithographed onto a tin base

Green Spot Orange Drink Sign
This vintage Green Spot Orange Drink sign was used on an in-store advertising rack. It measured 22” x 19” and was manufactured by Arnamac Products Inc. in Cincinatti, Ohio.

Pabst Blue Ribbon Sign
This is a 1940s Pabst Blue Ribbon beer sign constructed of tin over cardboard, which advertises beer for 15 cents.

Pee Gee Paint Sign
This double sided porcelain Pee Gee Paint sign was made in the early 1920s. Although it is definitely showing some age, it is sitll very valuable to collectors.

Vintage Cardboard Pepsi-Cola Sign
This vintage Pepsi-Cola sign was made in the 1950s and measures 8.25” x 15”. During this time period, companies were tring to save money and printing on thick cardboard was cheaper than making metal signs.

Phillips 66 Porcelain Sign
This porcelain Phillips 66 sign was made in 1945. It is a double sided sign and likely one of the last porcelain signs of its kind. It was manufactured by Veribrite Signs in Chicago.

Red Coon Tobacco Sign
This brightly colored vintage sign measures 10” x 14”.

Vintage Redman Tobacco Die Cut Paper Sign
This original die cut Redman Tobacco sign is believed to have been made in the 1950s. It measures 20.5” x 15.5,” is made of paper and is in remarkably good condition.

Antique Railroad Sign
This antique railroad crossing sign is stamped on the back with “National Colortype Co. Signs and Signals, Bellvue, K.Y.” It is constructed of metal and has cat eye marble reflectors.

Antique Railroad Stop Sign
This antique railroad stop sign has cat-eye marbles spelling out the word “Stop,” making it a unique collectors item.

Senior Service Tobacco Sign
This unique sign is believed to have been made in the 1930s and measures 12” x 4”.

Porcelain No Smoking Gas Station Sign
This vintage porcelain “No Smoking” sign came from a gas station. It is still in very good condition and measures 18” x 5.5”.

Vintage Squirt Soda Sign
This tin sign advertising Squirt soda was made in 1958. It features an embossed design and measures 27.5” x 9”.

Standard Feeds Metal Sign
This old metal farm sign measures 23.5” x 11.75”. It is an original made by Stout Sign Co. of St. Louis, Missouri.

Porcelain Star Tobacco Sign
This is a very early porcelain sign, likely made at the turn of the century. Signs this old and in this condition are rare and quite valuable.

‘

Double Sided Star Motor Gasoline Sign
This double sided flange metal sign is measures about 12” in diameter. It is an original sign, likely produced in the 40s.

‘

Raybestos Brake Service
This rare vintage sign is double sided and flanged and measures 18” x 13.75”. It is believed to have been made in the 1950s.

‘

Sunbeam Bread Door Push Plate
This is a door push plate measuring 4” x 12”. It was produced in 1953, but never used, which makes it a rare item for the serious collector.

‘

Vintage John Graf Sylvan Dry Soda Sign
This is a vintage tin sign that measures 20” x 11.5”. It was manufactured by Donaldson Art Sign in the 1940s.

‘

Allied Mills Inc. Wayne Feeds Sign
This is an original die cut Allied Mills Inc, Wayne Feeds tin sign. It measures 14” x16” and is believed to have been made in the early 1930s.

‘

Vintage Whistle Soda Sign
This 19” x 27” tin Whistle soda sign is believed to have been made in the 1930s. It features embossing on the entire design and lettering on the sign state it was manufactured by “The American Art Works, Inc., Coshocton, O.”

‘

Sweet-ORR Porcelain Sign
Sweet-ORR produced Union Made pants, shirts and overalls. This 23.5” x 10” porcelain sign has some wear, but is still in relatively good condition and would be valuable to a collector.

‘

Dairy Queen License Plate Topper
This metal 6.25” license plate topper was made in the 1960s. Because this one was never used, it remains in perfect condition.

‘

Antique Beech-Nut Tobacco Porcelain Sign
This is an original Regina Beech-Nut tobacco 12” x 9” porcelain sign, showing signs of its age on the edges.

‘