What is the proper workflow in Webflow for having a coming soon page while building the full website without overwriting it? Can this be done within one project or should multiple projects be created?
TL;DR
- Create a "Coming Soon" page, design it, and ensure it's ready to be published.
- Set it as the homepage temporarily via the Pages panel.
- Publish your site, making only the Coming Soon page visible.
- Restrict access to unfinished pages using password protection if needed.
- Revert to the full website by restoring the original homepage and republishing.
- A separate project can be used but is generally unnecessary.
If you want to display a Coming Soon page while building your full website, Webflow allows you to do this within a single project without overwriting your work. Here’s the best workflow to achieve this.
1. Create a New Page for "Coming Soon"
- In Pages panel, click + New Page and name it something like Coming Soon.
- Design a simple "Coming Soon" layout.
- Ensure the page is ready to be published before moving to the next step.
2. Set the "Coming Soon" Page as the Homepage Temporarily
- Go to Pages panel and find your new Coming Soon page.
- Click Settings (⚙️ icon) next to it.
- Check Make this my homepage and save.
- Your main homepage design is still safe in the project, just not live.
3. Publish Your Site
- Click Publish and choose where to publish (staging or custom domain).
- Only the Coming Soon page will be shown as the homepage.
- Your full site can still be worked on in the background.
4. Restrict Access to Other Pages (Optional)
- If you don’t want unfinished pages to be accessible, go to Page Settings for those pages.
- Under Page Protection, set a password or use Webflow Memberships to control access.
5. Swap Back to the Full Website When Ready
- When the full site is done, go to the Pages panel.
- Click Settings for your original homepage and set it back as the homepage.
- Publish again, and now the full site replaces the Coming Soon page.
Alternative: Use a Separate Project (Less Recommended)
- You could make a separate Webflow project just for the Coming Soon page, but it’s unnecessary unless you need different hosting or project settings.
- If used, you would later move your domain from this temporary project to the final site.
Summary
You can keep both the Coming Soon page and full website in one Webflow project without overwriting anything. Simply set the Coming Soon page as the temporary homepage, restrict access to unfinished pages if needed, and revert back to the full homepage when it’s ready.