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Why your website is down, and how to find the cause

A website goes down for one of six reasons: the domain has expired, the hosting has lapsed or been suspended, a DNS record has changed, the certificate has expired, the server has a fault, or the site is up and only your own connection is failing. The error the browser shows points to which. Start by loading the site from a second network.

Updated

This guide, surveyed at release eab6db0 on 19 October 2026: words per section.

Each sounding opens its section

  1. 01 First: is it down for everyone? 42 words
  2. 02 What the error tells you 84 words
  3. 03 The domain has expired 62 words
  4. 04 The hosting has lapsed or been suspended 41 words
  5. 05 A DNS record has changed 44 words
  6. 06 The server has a fault 57 words
  7. 07 Keep it from happening again 56 words
  8. 08 Questions people ask 133 words
  9. 09 Free competitor gap report 95 words
  10. 10 More in this series 116 words
Words
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Site 366–1,117 · median 749.5
Sections (H2)
10
Site 3–14 · median 9
Internal links
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Site 1–36 · median 19
File
71.8 kB
HTML, uncompressed · of 83.6 kB budget · 0 scripts

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098 of 126

Release eab6db0

Standard 49 · 101 checks

First: is it down for everyone?

Load the site on a phone with wifi off. If it opens, the site is up. Restart the router, try another browser, and the problem is usually gone.

If it fails on both, read the error.

What the error tells you

  • “This site can’t be reached”, or a message that the server cannot be found: the domain or its DNS records.
  • “Your connection is not private”: the certificate. Our guide to why a website says not secure covers it.
  • A number from 500 to 504: the server.
  • A page from the host saying the account is suspended: billing, or a breach of the host’s terms.
  • A page of advertisements or a “domain for sale” notice: the domain registration has lapsed.

The domain has expired

Renewals fail quietly: the card on file runs out, or the reminders go to an address nobody reads. A registration lookup shows the expiry date, and our guide to who owns your domain shows how to run one.

Renew on the same day. Registrars hold an expired domain for a period before releasing it, and their terms differ.

The hosting has lapsed or been suspended

An unpaid invoice is the common cause. A host may also suspend an account that has exceeded its limits or that has been hacked. Our guide to a hacked website covers the second case.

A DNS record has changed

DNS records tell browsers where the site lives. A site goes dark when someone edits them, when the domain’s name servers are changed, or when a domain is transferred and its records are not recreated at the new provider.

The server has a fault

A 500-series error is the server reporting its own failure. The cause may be the host’s equipment, or the site’s own software after an update. The host’s status page and support desk are the first call. Our guide to server errors in Search Console covers what Google does when it meets one.

Keep it from happening again

Four records prevent most outages from lasting.

  • Where the domain is registered, and when it renews.
  • Where the site is hosted, and how that is paid.
  • A login to both that the business holds itself.
  • A monitor that checks the site every few minutes and sends an alert when it fails.

Questions people ask

How do I check if my website is down for everyone?

Open it on a phone using mobile data, with wifi switched off. A site that loads there is up, and the fault is in your own network or device.

Why is my website down when I changed nothing?

The usual causes need no change from you: a domain or certificate that reached its expiry date, a failed payment for hosting, or a fault at the host.

Who do I contact when my website is down?

Contact the company the fault belongs to. An expired domain is a matter for the registrar, and a server error or a suspended account is a matter for the host. On a platform such as Wix, Squarespace or Shopify, the platform is the host.

Free competitor gap report

A site that stays up is the baseline. Name up to three competitors and we measure yours against theirs on speed, structure and search presence, then send you what to fix first.

  1. Speed and technical health, side by side
  2. On-page SEO and site structure
  3. The content they are found for and you are not
  4. Who holds the searches that matter in your market
  5. A prioritised list of what to fix first
Request your free report by email
Address
contact@hadalmedusa.com
Include
your site; up to three competitors; where you compete

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