A client's website is down: what to check first
A client has emailed, or called, to say their website is down. Here is the order we would work in. It is written for whoever looks after the site, not for the client.
1. Is it down for everyone, or just for them?
Open the site yourself in a private window, so nothing is served from your browser's cache. Then try it on your phone with Wi-Fi turned off, so the request goes over a different network. If it loads for you on both, the problem is probably between the client and the site: their office network, a firewall that has blocked their address, their browser, or a cached old address. Ask them to try the same two things before you change anything. If it works for you and not for them, here is what to check.
2. Read the error, because it tells you where to look
- "Server not found", or an error code that mentions DNS or NXDOMAIN. The domain name is not turning into an address. Check the domain has not expired, and that its nameservers or DNS records were not changed recently. What to do when a domain stops working. Chrome's "This site can't be reached" covers several causes, so read the small error code under it.
- The page spins, then times out. The address is found but nothing answers. The server may be down, overloaded, or blocked by a firewall. Check the host. What to do when a site times out or refuses to connect.
- A warning that the connection is not private. Usually the security certificate has expired or does not cover this exact address, for example the www version. What to do when a certificate expired.
- "Error establishing a database connection", or a WordPress "critical error". The web server is fine; the site's code or its database is not. For the critical error, look at what changed recently, such as a plugin or theme update: what to do about the critical error. For the database error, the database server is usually down or its login details changed: what to do about the database error.
- 502, 503 or 504. Usually a proxy, CDN or load balancer in front of the site answered, but the site behind it did not, in time or at all. A 503 can also come from the site itself, for example WordPress maintenance mode or an overloaded host. Common during a restart or a traffic spike. What to do about a 500, 502 or 503 error.
- "Redirected you too many times". The site is sending visitors round in a circle between addresses, usually after a change to https, www or Cloudflare. How to find and fix a redirect loop.
- 403 Forbidden. A security rule is refusing the request. Sometimes it is only refusing some visitors or some countries, which is why it can work for you and not for the client. What to do about a 403 Forbidden error.
- 404 Not Found, or "Page not found". The server answered but has nothing at that address. One missing page is usually a deleted or renamed page; every page missing usually follows a move to a new host. What to do about a 404 Not Found error.
- A "suspended" or "account" page from the host. Billing or a policy problem. Look for an email from the host.
- It loads, but it is not the client's site. A parking page, a server's default page, a blank page or someone else's content. What to do when a site shows the wrong page.
- It works, just slowly. That is not an outage, but it can turn into one. How to find out why a site is slow.
3. Check the host and what changed
Look at the hosting company's status page and inbox for an outage, maintenance or billing notice. Then ask what changed in the last day: an update, a deploy, a DNS change, a renewal that did not go through. Most outages have a recent change behind them, and undoing it is often the fastest fix.
4. Tell the client before they ask again
A short note buys you time to fix it properly. For example:
Thanks for letting me know. I can see the site is not loading and I am working on it now. I will update you within the hour, or sooner if it is back.
When it is back, tell them when it went down, when it came back and what caused it, in one or two sentences.
5. Next time, hear about it first
The worst part of this is usually that the client noticed before you did. Bionic Uptime checks a website once every 60 seconds, alternating between two locations on two different companies' networks, and emails you when both locations and a retry agree it is down, with the error each one saw and when it started. That also gives you the times for the note in step 4. See the exact email, or watch a real website being monitored.
3 websites are free, forever, with no card. Looking after several client sites?