My website is down
Take a breath. Most outages have a small cause and a quick fix. Here is how to work out what is wrong, then how to stop it happening again.
01 / What probably happened
Here is what is most likely going on
When a website suddenly disappears, it is almost always one of four things: the domain has expired, the hosting bill went unpaid, the SSL certificate lapsed, or something on the server crashed. None of these are mysterious and none of them mean your site is gone forever. They just mean somebody needs to look at the right layer.
Before you panic, try loading the site from your phone on mobile data. If it loads, the problem is your local network or browser cache and there is nothing wrong with the site. If it does not load anywhere, you have a real outage and the next step is finding which layer broke.
If you tell us the domain, we can usually work out the cause within ten minutes from public records alone. No logins required for the first conversation.
02 / Things to check right now
Six checks that solve most outages
Work through these in order. Most sites are back online before you get to the bottom of the list.
Check it from somewhere else first
Open the site on mobile data, on a different network, or via a tool like downforeveryoneorjustme.com. If it loads elsewhere, the issue is local to you, not the site itself.
Run a DNS lookup
If your domain returns no IP address, your DNS records are missing or your nameservers point nowhere. This is the most common cause of a site that 'just stopped' for no reason.
Check the domain expiry date
A whois lookup tells you in 30 seconds if your domain has expired. Expired domains usually park on a holding page within hours of lapsing.
Look for an SSL certificate error
If browsers show 'your connection is not private', the certificate has expired or is misconfigured. The site is technically up but no visitor will get past the warning.
Check the hosting account
Hosting accounts get suspended for unpaid invoices, bandwidth overuse, or terms-of-service flags. Log in, or ask whoever set up the hosting to log in.
Read the actual error code
A 500 means your code or database is broken. A 502 or 503 means the server is overloaded. A 404 means the file is missing. The number tells you which corner to look in.
03 / How we handle it
Our emergency response sequence
Triage
We confirm the site is actually down for everyone, identify the layer at fault (DNS, hosting, code, certificate) and tell you what we found in plain English.
Stabilise
We put up a holding page if needed so visitors see something useful, not a broken server error. Phones keep ringing, enquiries keep landing.
Fix
We work through the actual cause: restoring records, paying outstanding invoices, renewing certificates, or rebuilding from the most recent good version.
Prevent
We move you onto monitored hosting, automatic backups and a calendar of renewals you actually see. The next time this might have happened, you hear from us first.
FAQ
Common questions
How quickly can you get my site back online?
Often within an hour if it is a DNS, certificate or hosting-account issue. A genuine code break or hack can take longer because we have to find a clean version to restore. We will give you an honest time estimate within 15 minutes of you getting in touch.
I do not know who hosts my site. Can you still help?
Yes. We can usually trace the host from public DNS records and the domain registrar. If we hit a wall, we will tell you exactly which old emails or invoices to dig out so we can get in.
Will I lose my content if the site has been down for weeks?
Often no. Content can frequently be recovered from hosting backups, search engine caches, or the Wayback Machine. The longer you leave it the harder it gets, so it is worth getting in touch sooner rather than later.
What does this cost?
Initial triage and a clear diagnosis are free. If you want us to fix it and then keep the site running, you go onto a monthly plan from £79/month which covers the rebuild, hosting and ongoing changes. No big one-off invoice.
Why does my site keep going down?
Usually because nobody is watching it. Cheap shared hosting, no monitoring, no backups and no renewal alerts means small issues become outages. A managed plan watches the site every minute and catches problems before you notice.
Do I need to give you passwords now?
Not yet. The first conversation is just diagnosis. We only need access once you have decided you want us to fix it, and we will tell you exactly which credentials we need and why.
Want to stop this happening again?
Move onto a managed plan from £79/month. Hosting, monitoring, backups and a real team watching the site so the next outage never happens.