My website is down. What do I do?

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.

One question decides whether the rest of the list applies at all. After that it is an ordered checklist with a ten-minute limit on it.

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The diagram starts with a site that will not load, and one question before anything else: is it down for everyone? Try it on your phone over mobile data, or use an “is it down?” checker. If you are the only one who cannot reach it, the problem is on your end (a VPN, your network, or a cached page in your browser) and the rest of the checklist does not apply.

If it really is down for everyone, the remaining steps run in order. First, note the error message in the browser and write it down; the wording usually narrows the cause, and you will need it if you contact us. Then check three things, in this order: your hosting dashboard for alerts, the host’s status page and whether the plan is still active; then your domain, its expiry date and its status at your registrar; then anything that changed recently, in the last 24 to 48 hours.

If ten minutes pass and you still cannot find the cause, stop and send us five details: your site URL, the exact error message, the time the problem started, whether anyone made changes recently, and a screenshot of the error.

Troubleshooter

Where is the problem?

Does the site load on your phone using mobile data, or from an outside checker?

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.

Try an outside checker. Free "is this site down?" services load your URL from their own servers, which rules out your network and your device. If a checker reaches your site, the outage is local to you.

Try a hard refresh. On your computer, press Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows / Linux) 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"	The host name couldn't be resolved: a domain or DNS problem
502 Bad Gateway	A server in front of your site got an invalid response back from it
503 Service Unavailable	Server is overloaded or down for maintenance
500 Internal Server Error	The server hit an error it couldn't handle. A catch-all, often the site's own software
ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR	A problem with the secure (HTTPS) connection, not always the certificate itself
This site can't be reached	Could be domain, DNS, or hosting

Step 3: Check your hosting dashboard

Log in to wherever your site lives: your host's control panel (Flywheel, WP Engine, Kinsta, GoDaddy, or whichever host you use) or, if your site is built on a website platform, its dashboard (Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, Webflow).

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 status page. Most hosts and platforms publish a live status page. Our uptime guide links the common ones, or search "[your host or platform] status".

Check that your plan or subscription is active. If a payment failed recently, your hosting account or platform subscription 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, Squarespace, etc.). If you originally registered with Google Domains, Squarespace took over all of those registrations in September 2023, so Squarespace is now your registrar.

Check the domain's expiry date. If it expired, see our guide: My domain expired.

Check the domain's status. Registrars word this differently, but if it shows as anything other than a normal active registration (expired, suspended, on hold) sort that out immediately.

Step 5: Check for recent changes

Think back: did anything change in the last 24 to 48 hours?

Was a plugin, theme or app updated or installed?
Did someone add custom code, an embed or a tracking script?
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.

Don't try to fix hosting-level problems yourself if you're unsure

Well-meaning but incorrect changes to DNS settings, hosting configuration, or SSL certificates can turn a short outage into a much longer one. If you're uncertain, wait for us. We can usually diagnose and fix things faster than manual trial and error.

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

The site was working an hour ago. What changed?

Most short outages are caused by hosting server blips, a failed update, or a payment lapsing. Check your hosting dashboard for any alerts. If nothing is obvious, contact us and we'll look at the server logs.

My hosting company says everything is fine on their end. Why is my site still down?

If the host's or platform's infrastructure is fine, the problem is usually the website itself: a plugin or app conflict, a bad piece of custom code, a database error, or a misconfiguration. Contact us and we'll diagnose it.

Could it be a hack that took my site down?

It's possible but not the most common cause. Malicious attacks can take a site down, but so can a bad update, a full database, or a lapsed payment. Follow this checklist first. If you suspect a hack, also read I think I was hacked.

How long does it usually take to get a site back up?

Simple issues (lapsed payment, bad plugin or app) can be resolved in under an hour. Complex server or DNS issues can take several hours. We'll keep you informed throughout.