My Website Is Down: 5 Quick Checks Before You Panic
Quick answer: If your website is down, first check whether it is only down for you by trying another device or mobile data. Then check whether your domain has expired, whether your hosting account is active, what the error message says and what changed recently. These five checks find the cause in most cases within minutes.
You open your website and nothing loads. Maybe a customer called to say it is broken. Before you assume the worst, take a breath. Many “website down” problems have a simple cause that you can find in a few minutes.
Here are five quick checks to work through, in order, and what to do once you know the cause.
5 quick checks when your website is down
1. Is it down for everyone, or just you?
Try opening your website on your phone using mobile data instead of Wi-Fi, or in a private browser window. You can also use a free “is it down for everyone” checker online. If the site loads somewhere else, the problem is your device, browser or internet connection, not your website.
2. Has your domain expired?
Domains renew every year or few years, and a failed card payment can let one lapse. Log in to the account where you bought your domain and check the expiry date. If it has expired, renew it right away. Your email may have stopped working too.
3. Is your hosting account active?
Check your hosting account for unpaid invoices, a suspended account or an outage notice. Most hosts have a status page that shows problems on their side. If the host is having an outage, there is nothing to fix on your site; it will come back when they resolve it.
4. What does the error message say?
The message on the screen is a clue:
- “There has been a critical error on this website” means a WordPress plugin, theme or update failed. Follow our guide on how to fix a WordPress critical error.
- 500 Internal Server Error usually points to a problem in the site’s code or settings.
- 503 Service Unavailable often means the server is busy, under maintenance or out of resources.
- “This site can’t be reached” often points to a domain or connection problem.
- A security or privacy warning can mean an expired SSL certificate or a hacked site.
5. What changed recently?
Think about the last day or two. Did someone update plugins, change the theme, edit a setting or move hosting? Most outages follow a change. Undoing it, or restoring a backup from before it, is often the fastest fix.
What to do once you know the cause
- Device or connection: nothing to fix on the website. Clear your cache or restart your router.
- Domain or hosting: renew or pay the account, or wait for the host to fix their outage.
- Error after a change: undo the change or restore a backup.
- Strange pages, redirects or warnings: your site may be hacked. Read what to do in the first hour after a website hack.
When to call for help
Every hour your website is down, customers who were ready to call find someone else. Get help if the checks above do not show the cause, if you are not comfortable changing files or settings, or if you need the site back today.
Our emergency website repair team gets most websites working again within 3 to 5 hours, 7 days a week. You get a clear quote before we start, and a plain summary of what went wrong.
How to avoid surprise outages
- Turn on auto-renew for your domain and hosting, and keep your card details current
- Take a backup before every update
- Use a free uptime monitor that emails you the moment your site goes down
- Keep WordPress, your theme and plugins up to date
If your site keeps going down because it is old or poorly built, it may be time for a fresh start. Our website design service builds fast, reliable sites, and our same day website design can get a professional one-page site live in 4 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my website down but working for other people?
It is usually your device, browser or internet connection. Try your phone on mobile data, clear your browser cache or use a private window. If it works there, the site is fine.
How long can a website be down before it hurts my Google rankings?
A few hours rarely causes problems. If your site stays down for days, Google may start removing pages from search until it can reach them again, so it is worth fixing quickly.
Can an expired domain take my website down?
Yes. When a domain expires, the website and often your business email stop working. Renew it right away in your domain account. Most providers give a short grace period.
Who do I call when my website is down?
Start with your hosting company if the whole site is offline. If the host says everything is fine on their side, the problem is usually in the website itself, and a web developer should look at it.
Quick Leadz Marketing is a digital marketing agency based in Surrey, BC. We build, fix and look after websites for small businesses across Canada.
Is your website down right now?
Call 236-550-0303 or send us the details. We will find the cause, give you a clear quote and get your site back up, usually within 3 to 5 hours.
Every website and host is different. This guide covers the most common causes as of November 2026. Always take a backup before changing your site.
