📖 Overview
When you add a website to Publication Media, it goes through an activation and onboarding process before it becomes Active. This article explains what happens during that process, what your site needs to be ready, and what to do if the status doesn't change.
⏱️ Activation Timeline
Activation is not always instant. After you submit a site, it is reviewed and set up before its status changes. Timing can vary depending on the site, the review queue, and whether anything on the site needs to be fixed first.
- Right after submission: The site appears in your account with an Inactive or Pending status.
- During review: The site is checked against the onboarding requirements listed below.
- After approval: The status updates to Active and the site is ready to use.
If your site has stayed inactive for 72 hours (3 days) or longer with no change, don't keep waiting. Follow the troubleshooting steps below, then contact our team using the chat widget.
✅ Onboarding Requirements
Before a site can be activated, it should meet these basic requirements. Most delays come from one of these items.
- The site is live and reachable: The URL must load in a normal browser without errors, and it should not be password protected, in maintenance mode, or marked as "coming soon."
- The URL is correct: Enter the full main address of the site, including the correct domain spelling and https://. Typos and redirect loops are a common cause of delays.
- The site has real content: Sites with very little or placeholder content may need more pages published before they can be activated.
- You own or manage the site: You should be able to confirm that you have the right to connect the site to your account.
- The site is not blocking access: Security plugins, firewalls, or settings that block automated visits can stop the review from completing.
- The site is not already connected elsewhere: A domain linked to another account or workspace may need to be resolved first.
🔎 Why Your Site May Still Be Inactive
If the 72-hour mark has passed, check the following common causes.
- Open your site in a private or incognito browser window and confirm it loads quickly with no errors.
- Check that the site does not redirect to a different domain or show a security warning.
- Confirm that no maintenance page, login wall, or firewall rule is blocking visitors.
- Review the URL you submitted for typos, missing https://, or a stray "www" mismatch.
- Make sure the site has enough published content to be reviewed.
If everything looks correct and the status is still Inactive, the site needs a manual check by our team.
➕ Adding Another Site
If you try to add an additional site and something goes wrong, these are the most common reasons:
- Plan limit reached: Your current plan may only include a certain number of sites. You may need to upgrade or free up a slot.
- Site unreachable: The new URL does not load correctly, or it blocks automated access.
- Duplicate domain: The domain may already be added to your account or to another account.
- Incorrect URL format: The address may contain typos, extra paths, or the wrong protocol.
- Pending sites: Another site in your account may still be awaiting activation.
Because each site is different, we can't determine the exact issue with a specific domain from this article alone. Our team can look at your account and the site directly and tell you precisely what is blocking it.
📝 What to Have Ready Before Contacting Us
Gathering the following details helps us resolve your request faster and avoids back-and-forth.
- The full URL of each affected site, for example https://yourdomain.com
- When you submitted the site, or roughly how many hours or days ago
- The status you currently see, such as Inactive or Pending
- Any error message you saw, or a screenshot if possible
- Whether the site is behind a firewall, login page, or maintenance mode
💡 Tips to Avoid Delays
- Make sure your site is fully live before submitting it.
- Double-check the URL for typos.
- Turn off maintenance mode and temporary access restrictions.
- Check your plan's site limit before adding more sites.
- Submit all affected sites in one message if you need help with several.
💬 Need Help?
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be instantly connected with a member of our team.