Many people await for a way to re-direct their weblog or to display a temporary vacation-notice ("closed for maintenance, come upward upward back soon") slice they laid upward the changes.
However the only selection that Blogger has is making the entire weblog somebody (Settings > Permissions > Blog-authors-only). This isn't genuinely suitable, though, because it merely shows prospective readers a standard message saying that the weblog cannot alive accessed, without explaining why. It may fifty-fifty cost your blog's reputation, if mortal influential happens to await at it merely at the wrong moment.
Since at that location is no other locomote around (except for blogs with a custom-domain - come across the concluding division of this post), Blogger administrators have got to invention their changes carefully, every bit good every bit seat them inwards family quickly.
Plan carefully, every bit good every bit laid upward the changes quickly
If you lot lot weblog has a .blogspot URL, or if you lot lot don't similar the pick suggested below, every bit good every bit thence the only selection is to invention your changes genuinely thoroughly thence you lot lot tin minimise the 4th dimension that your weblog is inwards transition.
The offset mensuration inwards planning is to make a somebody testing blog that's similar the existent weblog (except possibly it only has 2-3 dummy posts instead of your existent conent).
Work out just what changes you lot lot necessitate to make, every bit good every bit the exactly details of how to laid upward them. Use the exam blog, non your existent one, to exercise all your research, experiments etc.
Keep a list
So you lot lot know just what changes necessitate to alive made.When I did this recently, I used Excel because I'd used it to find the divergence between ii template files. But at that location are many other suitable tools, ranging from the back of an envelope on your desk to a draft ship inwards your blog, or fifty-fifty a full-blown modify management system.
Prioritize
Sort the list thence that the changes that must turn over off offset are at the top,and the things that aren't thence of import are at the bottom. What's of import to you lot lot may alive unlike from what's of import to your readers: when I did changes to my local site, re-installing Google Analytics was the offset affair to exercise subsequently on changing the template, because collecting statistics is genuinely of import to ME. But if I'd been totally reader-focussed, I'd have got done things last, every bit good every bit done all the things that readers come across first.
Combine things:
Consider whether some items on the listing tin alive done at most the same time Eg if you lot lot necessitate to customise the template for several items on the listing (eg catch the heading, hide the navBar), every bit good every bit all the customisation tin alive done past times entering novel CSS rules every bit good every bit thence these tin all alive done at the same time.
(These ii steps may turn over conflicting results: but if you lot lot prioritise offset you'll alive able to laid upward skilful decisions virtually what's most important.)
Choose a 4th dimension of day
Choose the best 4th dimension to laid upward the changes. This could alive when your weblog has a relatively depression number of visitors, or you lot lot may role another criteria. For a weblog that's used past times people inwards my city, I chose 12-midnight when genuinely few people are interested inwards the topic. But for Blogger-hints-and-tips I chose 9am (local-time for me is Western European time) because most readers are 4-8 hours behind my 4th dimension zone.
Warn your readers
Some people recommend making a temporary ship telling readers that you're making changes every bit good every bit apologising for things looking strange. There are cases when this would alive a skilful idea, but overall I'm non convinced: most of your readers in all probability won't grab slice you're making the changes - except that a ship similar this going out on your RSS feed mightiness merely encourage them to grab forthwith to come across the novel look. And readers who instruct to your weblog via search every bit good every bit instruct guide to an older ship may non come across the ship anyway.Do the changes, quickly
Work fast, but alive careful every bit good every bit methodical too: locomote through your list, every bit good every bit tick off items every fleck you lot lot go. If you lot lot have got an bright ideas virtually what else you lot lot could do, resist them at to the lowest score until you've got your gist weblog features working correctly with the novel look.An pick for custom-domain blogs
If your weblog is published to a custom domain, you lot lot could:
- Prepare a temporary "come back tomorrow" message using another tool (eg Google Sites - or fifty-fifty merely another weblog with only i post)
- Switch your primary weblog back to published on Blog*Spot
(Setting > Publishing > Switch to Blog*spot)
- Re-direct your temporary message (site/blog etc) to role the custom domain
- Do the changes to your blog
- Undo the redirect for your temporary message
- Re-publish your weblog to the custom domai
Of score this won't locomote for people who navigate guide to i of your posts instead of going to the weblog every bit good every bit itself (eg to /search?q=seven-simple-steps-to-snazzy-new-look instead of /) - if you lot lot instruct a lot of visitors from Search, every bit good every bit thence they in all probability locomote into your weblog this way.
Also, if things instruct wrong during the re-direct processes it could convey a fleck longer than you lot lot planned to resolve the registry entry problems. (Things don't commonly instruct wrong, but it may non alive worth the risk.)
Related Articles
Switching your weblog to role a novel Designer template
Making a somebody weblog for testing template changes
Comparing ii template files, using Excel