Few things are more stressful than discovering your website isn’t working. You type in your domain, hit enter and… nothing. Maybe you see an error message, a blank page or a message saying the site can’t be reached.
Before you assume your website has disappeared, or immediately call a developer to help fix the issue, take a breath.
A website that isn’t loading doesn’t necessarily mean something is seriously wrong. The problem could be your internet connection, browser, domain, DNS settings, hosting account or even a temporary server issue.
Here are eight things to check before you panic.
1. Is your website actually down for everyone?
First, find out whether the problem is affecting everyone or just you. Ask a friend or colleague to visit your website, or try checking it from another internet connection, such as your mobile network.
If other people can access the website, the problem may be local to your device, browser or internet connection. If nobody can access it, it’s time to investigate further.
2. Check your internet connection
It sounds obvious, but it’s an easy one to overlook. Try visiting another website. If several websites aren’t loading, your internet connection could be the problem rather than your website.
If needed, restart your modem or router, or switch to mobile data to see whether your website loads. If everything else is working normally, move on to the next check.
3. Try another browser or device
Sometimes the problem isn’t your website at all.
An internet cache is a temporary storage location on your device or a server that saves website files, such as images, scripts, and HTML pages. Your browser may have cached an outdated version of your website, an extension may be causing an issue, or your browser settings may be misconfigured. Try:
- A different browser
- A private or incognito window
- Another computer or phone
- Clearing your browser cache
If your website works elsewhere, you’ve narrowed down the problem considerably.
4. Check whether your domain has expired
This is especially important if your website suddenly stops working across multiple devices, because your domain name must remain registered for people to find it. If the domain expires, your website and associated services can be affected.
Check your domain registration details and renewal date through your registrar. Your registrar offers a renewal process with grace periods to help you regain access to your domain.
It’s also worth checking that your payment details are up to date if your domain is set to renew automatically. A few minutes checking your domain could save hours of troubleshooting.
5. Check your hosting account
Next, log in to your hosting account. Look for notifications, service alerts or anything indicating that your hosting plan has been suspended, expired or exceeded its available resources.
For example, your website could potentially be affected if you’ve reached a storage limit or another hosting resource limit.
If you’ve recently changed your website, installed a new plugin, or made other significant updates, note when the problem started, as this information can help with troubleshooting.
6. Have your DNS settings recently changed?
If you’ve recently registered a domain, moved your website, changed your hosting provider or updated your DNS settings, the changes may need time to propagate.
DNS, or Domain Name System, connects your domain name with the server where your website is hosted. When you change DNS records, the update doesn’t necessarily happen everywhere immediately.
If you’ve just made changes and your website isn’t appearing as expected, don’t assume something has gone wrong right away. Check that the DNS settings are correct and allow time for changes to propagate.
7. Look for server or hosting issues
If your internet connection is fine, your domain hasn’t expired, and your website isn’t working across multiple devices, the problem could be with your hosting environment. Check whether your hosting provider has a status page or service notifications.
Temporary server issues can happen, even with your hosting provider’s reliable 99.9% uptime. The key is knowing whether your provider is aware of the problem and working to fix it.
This is one reason reliable hosting and accessible customer support matter.
8. Contact your hosting provider
If you’ve worked through the checks above and your website is still offline, it’s time to get some help.
Contact your hosting provider and explain:
- Your domain name
- When you first noticed the problem
- What error message you’re seeing
- Whether the site works on another device or network
- Any recent changes you’ve made
The more information you can provide, the easier it may be for your hosting provider to identify the issue.
And remember, you don’t have to be a technical expert to run a website, that’s what good hosting support is there for.
How can you prevent website downtime?
You can’t prevent every possible website problem, but you can make your website more resilient.
Choose reliable hosting
Your hosting provider plays an important role in keeping your website available. Look for a provider that offers reliable infrastructure and a clear uptime commitment. Help.com.au, for example, offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee with its hosting plans.
Keep regular backups
Backups give you a safety net if something goes wrong with your website. Help.com.au hosting includes daily backups, helping you protect your website data and giving you a recovery option when you need it.
Keep your website secure
An SSL certificate helps protect information exchanged between your website and its visitors. Help.com.au includes free SSL certificates with its hosting plans, so you don’t need to purchase one separately.
Keep WordPress and plugins updated
If you’re using WordPress, keep your WordPress installation, themes and plugins up to date. Updates can include important security and performance improvements. Before making significant changes, having a recent backup is always a good idea.
Monitor your website
You don’t want to discover your website is down because a customer tells you. Website monitoring can help you identify downtime sooner, allowing you to investigate the problem before it starts affecting more visitors.
Have support you can actually reach
When something goes wrong, you shouldn’t have to figure everything out alone. Help.com.au provides 24-hour support, so you have somewhere to turn when you need assistance.
Don’t panic, troubleshoot first
The next time your website refuses to load, don’t immediately assume the worst.
Start with the basics, and check whether it’s down for everyone, test your connection, try another device, check your domain and hosting, investigate DNS, and look for server issues.
If you’ve worked through those steps and your website is still offline, contact your hosting provider. If website problems are becoming a regular occurrence, it may be worth asking whether your current hosting provider is giving you the reliability, security and support your website needs.
Your website is too important to leave you wondering what to do when something goes wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my website suddenly not working?
There are several possible causes, including an expired domain, hosting issues, DNS changes, server problems, internet connectivity or an issue with your website itself. Start by checking whether the website is down for everyone.
How can I tell if my website is down?
Try accessing it from another device, browser or internet connection. You can also ask someone else to visit the website. If nobody can access it, the problem is more likely to be with the website, domain, DNS or hosting.
Can my hosting provider help if my website goes down?
Yes. Your hosting provider should be your first point of contact for many hosting-related issues. Having accessible support can make resolving problems much easier, particularly if you’re not technically experienced.
How can I prevent my website from going down?
Choose reliable hosting, keep your domain registered, maintain regular backups, use SSL, keep WordPress and plugins updated and consider website monitoring. No hosting provider can prevent every outage, but the right setup can reduce risk and make problems easier to resolve.
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