Description
SiteHandoff helps WordPress agencies and freelancers deliver sites to clients in a structured way. While the site is in progress, visitors see a courtesy page with an optional live countdown. Clients and collaborators get individual preview links and can leave per-page feedback directly on the site.
Key Features
- Reviewer management — Add clients or collaborators with individual passwords and share their preview link via copy, email, or WhatsApp.
- Per-page feedback widget — Reviewers and admins can leave comments on any page; feedback is grouped by URL in the admin panel.
- Dashboard overview — See site status, reviewer count, and open feedback at a glance.
- Configurable countdown — Set a launch date and time; the plugin displays a real-time countdown timer.
- Auto-disable — The plugin automatically deactivates itself when the countdown reaches zero.
- Two content modes — Use the WordPress classic editor or insert fully custom HTML.
- Countdown shortcode — Place
[sitehandoff_countdown]anywhere to embed the timer. - Customizable colors — Choose background and accent colors with a built-in color picker.
- Gutenberg block — “Countdown Timer” block with date picker and redirect on completion.
- Translation ready — Includes a
.potfile with thesitehandofftext domain. Italian translation included.
How It Works
When the plugin is active, all unauthenticated visitors see the courtesy page. Administrators and anyone with a valid reviewer link can view the site normally and leave feedback using the floating widget.
Screenshots
Dashboard — Overview of site status, reviewer count, and open feedback. 
Reviewers — Add reviewers and share preview links via email or WhatsApp. 
Feedback — Per-page feedback grouped by URL with resolve/reopen actions. 
Settings — Countdown configuration, content editor, and color picker. 
Frontend — Courtesy page with active countdown and custom content. 
Blocks
This plugin provides 1 block.
- Countdown Timer Inserisce un countdown personalizzabile per data evento, classi CSS e redirect finale.
Installation
- Upload the
sitehandofffolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory, or install the plugin directly from the “Plugins > Add New” screen in WordPress. - Activate the plugin from the “Plugins” screen.
- In the admin sidebar you will find the “SiteHandoff” menu item. Click it to access the dashboard.
- Add reviewers, configure the launch date, content, and colors from the respective pages.
FAQ
-
Can I use custom HTML for the page?
-
Yes. In the settings, select the “Custom HTML” tab and enter the markup you prefer. You can include the
[sitehandoff_countdown]shortcode in your code. -
Does the plugin block administrators too?
-
No. Users with the
manage_optionscapability (typically Administrators) see the site normally and are never redirected to the courtesy page. -
How does a reviewer get access?
-
Add a reviewer from the Revisori page, then share their preview link. The link includes a unique password. After first use, reviewers can browse freely for 48 hours.
-
Does the plugin interfere with REST API or AJAX?
-
No. REST API, AJAX, and WP-Cron requests are automatically excluded from the block.
-
What happens when the countdown expires?
-
If you enabled the “Auto-disable” option, the plugin deactivates itself automatically when the date is reached. Otherwise, the courtesy page stays active until you manually disable it.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“SiteHandoff” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “SiteHandoff” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.2.1
- Fixed: added plugin owner username to Contributors in readme.txt.
- Fixed: converted inline script in settings page to wp_add_inline_script().
1.2.0
- Fixed: removed
custom_cssfield to prevent arbitrary CSS injection. - Fixed: removed
unfiltered_htmlcapability bypass; content is now always sanitized withwp_kses_post(). - Fixed: escaped output in
fullscreen-countdown.phpusingwp_kses_post(). - Fixed: renamed main class to
SiteHandoff_Plugin; all hooks, options, constants, and handles now use thesitehandoff_prefix. - Fixed: updated Gutenberg block
apiVersionfrom2to3.
1.1.0
- Plugin renamed to SiteHandoff.
- Added reviewer management with individual access keys.
- Added per-page feedback widget visible to reviewers and admins.
- Added Dashboard overview page.
- Added email and WhatsApp sharing for reviewer preview links.
- Admin UI restructured into Dashboard, Revisori, Feedback, Impostazioni subpages.
1.0.0
- Initial release.
- Courtesy page with real-time countdown.
- Two content modes: classic editor and custom HTML.
[opening_soon_countdown]shortcode with configurable attributes.- Customizable colors (background and accent) with color picker.
- Additional CSS from settings.
- Auto-disable on countdown expiration.
- Password-protected preview link with 48-hour cookie.
- “Countdown Timer” Gutenberg block.
- Italian translation included.