My website is down — what do I do?
Step-by-step first-response guide for when your website won't load, with what to check and when to contact us.
Take a breath. A website going down is stressful, but it happens — and most outages are short-lived and fixable. This guide walks you through exactly what to check, in the right order.
Quick summary
First, confirm it's really down (not just your browser). Then check your hosting, domain, and SSL in order. Note your site URL, any error message, and the time it started. If you can't find the cause in 10 minutes, contact us — we'll take it from there.
Step 1 — Confirm the site is actually down
Before anything else, rule out a problem on your end.
Visit your site from a different device. Try your phone on mobile data (not Wi-Fi) or ask a colleague to load it.
Use a "is it down?" checker. Go to downforeveryoneorjustme.com and enter your URL. If it says "it's not just you," the site is genuinely down.
Try a hard refresh. On your computer, press Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac). Sometimes your browser shows a cached version that looks like the site is broken when it isn't.
VPN or office network?
Some corporate networks and VPNs (software that routes your internet through another location) block certain sites. Try turning off any VPN and loading the page again.
Step 2 — Note the error message
The message in the browser tells you a lot. Write it down — you'll need it if you contact us.
| Error message | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED or "can't find the server" | Domain or DNS problem |
| 502 Bad Gateway | Hosting server error |
| 503 Service Unavailable | Server is overloaded or under maintenance |
| 500 Internal Server Error | Website software has crashed |
| ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR | SSL certificate problem |
| This site can't be reached | Could be domain, DNS, or hosting |
Step 3 — Check your hosting dashboard
Log in to your hosting control panel (Flywheel, WP Engine, Kinsta, or whichever host you use).
Look for any alerts or banners. Most hosts show a notice at the top of the dashboard if there is a known outage or scheduled maintenance.
Check the host's status page. Most hosts publish a live status page. Search "[your host name] status page" to find it.
Check that your hosting plan is active. If a payment failed recently, your hosting account may have been suspended.
Step 4 — Check your domain
A lapsed or misconfigured domain is a common cause of "site down" errors.
Log in to your domain registrar — the company where you registered your domain (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.).
Check the domain's expiry date. If it expired, see our guide: My domain expired.
Check the domain's status. It should say "Active." If it says "Suspended" or "Expired," renew it immediately.
Step 5 — Check for recent changes
Think back: did anything change in the last 24–48 hours?
- Was a plugin or theme updated?
- Did someone edit a page or settings?
- Was there a hosting migration or domain transfer?
Recent changes narrow down the cause quickly. Note what changed and include it when you contact us.
If this is a business-critical emergency
If your site being down is costing you sales or causing serious harm to your business, email us at support@chykalophia.com with "URGENT" in the subject line. Include your site URL, the error message, and what time it went down.
What to send us
Before you contact us, gather these details — they help us fix things faster:
- Your site URL (e.g.,
https://www.yoursite.com) - The exact error message shown in the browser
- The time the problem started
- Whether you (or anyone else) made any changes recently
- A screenshot of the error — see how to take a screenshot
Site back up?
Great. Even if it recovered on its own, let us know — we can check logs to understand why it happened and prevent a repeat.
Common questions
Related guides
- My domain expired
- 'Not secure' warning in the browser
- My site looks broken
- Info to gather before contacting support
- Hosting uptime & downtime explained
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