Resolving 'URL Not Found' and Preview Errors in SeedProd's Maintenance Mode

If you're using the 'Website Builder by SeedProd' to hide your site with a Coming Soon or Maintenance Mode page, you might occasionally run into a frustrating error when trying to preview your work: The requested URL was not found on this server. This guide will walk you through why this happens and the most common steps to resolve it.

Why This Error Occurs

Based on community reports, this error is rarely a fault of the SeedProd plugin itself. Instead, it is typically caused by external factors that interfere with how the temporary preview page is loaded and displayed in your browser. The most common culprits are:

• Browser Caching: Your web browser has stored an old, outdated version of the page and is showing that instead of fetching the new preview from the server.
• Server-Level Caching: Your web hosting provider may be using server-level caching mechanisms (like Varnish, as seen in one thread) that serve cached content, preventing the new preview from generating correctly.
• Mod_Security Rules: Some hosts run a security module called Mod_Security. If it detects what it considers suspicious code in your custom HTML, it can block the request and generate a "Not Acceptable" or "Not Found" error.
• Temporary URL Issues: If you are building a site using a temporary URL provided by your host, these URLs can sometimes behave unpredictably with certain plugins.

How to Troubleshoot and Fix the Issue

Try these solutions in order, starting with the simplest and most common fix.

1. Clear Your Browser and Server Cache

This is the most frequent solution. Caching is designed to speed up page loads, but it often causes problems during development.

• Browser Cache: Fully clear your browser's cache and history. After doing so, completely close and restart the browser before trying the preview again.
• Server Cache: If your hosting provider has a caching mechanism or you use a caching plugin, clear that cache as well. The 'WP Super Cache' plugin was mentioned in one thread, but many other caching plugins exist.

2. Test in a Different Browser or Incognito Mode

As shown in one user's experience, a page might preview correctly in Firefox but not in Chrome. Open your browser's "Incognito" or "Private" window (which loads pages without using the cached data from your main browser session) and try the preview link there. If it works, it confirms the issue is with your main browser's cache.

3. Check with Your Web Host

If clearing caches doesn't work, contact your hosting provider's support team and ask them two specific questions:

• "Can you check if server-level caching (like Varnish) is enabled and clear it for my site?"
• "I am encountering a 'Not Found' or 'Not Acceptable' error when trying to preview a page. Can you check if Mod_Security is blocking my requests?"

4. Verify Your Settings in SeedProd

While less common, it's good to double-check your settings within the SeedProd plugin. Ensure that the page is set to 'Enabled' and that you have assigned the correct page to be your Maintenance or Coming Soon page in the plugin's settings.

When to Seek Further Help

If you have tried all the steps above and the error persists, the issue might be more specific to your server configuration. The 'Website Builder by SeedProd' team has a history of addressing bugs, as seen with the 'Division by zero' error that was promptly patched. For complex issues, you may need to provide them with specific details, such as a temporary admin account (as was requested in one thread) so they can investigate directly.

Remember, troubleshooting is often a process of elimination. Starting with your browser's cache is almost always the best first step.