6 causes for web site downtime (+ the best way to resolve it)

Web site downtime is a particularly irritating expertise for enterprise homeowners, bloggers, and different professionals throughout all industries. If this downside isn’t addressed rapidly and effectively, affected websites will seemingly expertise a giant drop in engagement and gross sales. 

I don’t must let you know that this case is much from splendid. 

My purpose in the present day is that can assist you deal with this downside by sharing among the most typical causes websites go down, in addition to actionable methods to repair it so you may get on with the remainder of your day. 

On that observe, let’s dive in! 

Firstly, what’s web site downtime? 

Earlier than we begin wanting on the causes for downtime and fixes, I believe it’s essential to outline the time period so we’re all on the identical web page. 

Put plainly, web site downtime refers to when a web site is inaccessible or in any other case non-functional. The size of time a web site stays on this state can range primarily based on a ton of various components. It will be down for just a few seconds, hours, and even days. 

When a website is impacted, it impacts everybody, together with all the guests and the crew working behind the scenes. 

An outage can have a detrimental impression on many various components of what you are promoting. Notably, you’ll see a drop in visitors, person belief, gross sales, and even search rankings. 

Give it some thought this fashion: you lastly resolve to buy with a model you’ve heard rather a lot about over the previous few weeks. You excitedly kind of their URL, however you might be greeted with a clean display or a 404 web page as an alternative of the web page you had been hoping for. There’s an excellent likelihood you’d rethink whether or not you need to change into a buyer and even return to their website. 

On this instance, three of the 4 issues I discussed, visitors, belief, and gross sales, will take successful. If this occurs sufficient, you would completely harm your status and likelihood at long-term progress.

No matter whether or not you’re a blogger or the proprietor of an eCommerce web site, there’s no query that you need to do every thing in your energy to resolve web site downtime as rapidly as attainable.

1. Server overload

Some of the frequent causes for web site downtime is named server overload. This downside normally happens when too many individuals are attempting to entry your website on the similar time. Nonetheless, there are different causes, similar to cyberattacks and poor server upkeep. 

You’re almost definitely to expertise an overload throughout flash gross sales or if one among your new advertising campaigns goes viral. In case your server isn’t ready for an inflow of recent guests, you would lose out on a ton of potential visitors and clients. 

When a website goes down attributable to server overload, guests are more likely to encounter 500, 502, or 503 error codes. Under is an instance with a 502 error. 

A website experiencing server overload won’t go down fully. As a substitute, there could also be noticeable delays in person requests. This nonetheless isn’t splendid as a result of, after 2 seconds, every 1-second delay in loading instances can lead to a 7% loss in conversions. 

A well known occasion of this downtime occurred again in 2018 when eCommerce big Amazon noticed their website go down for over an hour, mere minutes into their Prime Day extravaganza. They mentioned there have been spikes in visitors that had been larger than they had been anticipating by an element of two! Fortunately, they had been capable of get issues up and working, and other people had been nonetheless capable of benefit from the occasion. 

Learn how to repair it: 

• Put money into a Content material Supply Community (CDN): A CDN helps distribute visitors by caching your website throughout a number of servers across the globe, which may cut back the load in your major server.
• Scale Your Server Sources: When you count on a surge of visitors, you might have to scale your server’s bandwidth. You may normally do that by reaching out to your internet hosting firm. 
• Monitor Site visitors: All the time regulate web site visitors tendencies, particularly throughout particular occasions, so you may anticipate and put together for spikes. You’ll additionally need to pay cautious consideration to spikes from particular IP addresses since this might be an assault that would trigger a server overload.

2. DNS error

A Area Title Server (DNS) error happens when a web site’s area identify doesn’t align with its IP deal with. It’s a standard downside that, if not addressed, might make it onerous for folks to get pleasure from your web site.

Most often, this occurs as a result of a web site’s DNS settings aren’t configured accurately or there are delays when the server tries to speak with the IP. 

When you ever see a message just like the one proven beneath while you’re in your website, you’re experiencing a DNS error. 

Typically, DNS errors occur and are resolved rapidly. When you discover that that is taking place pretty usually or for prolonged intervals of time, you’re going to need to take steps to cut back how usually this error pops up. 

Learn how to repair it: 

• Examine Your DNS Configuration: Be certain that your DNS data are accurately configured and updated. Seemingly small errors can have a huge impact on visitors and the general person expertise in your website.
• Use a Dependable DNS Supplier: A good DNS host may help you retain errors and downtime to a minimal. Premium suppliers provide sooner and extra dependable connections in comparison with their cheaper counterparts. 

3. Software program failure

All web sites depend on plugins, extensions, and different kinds of software program to maintain issues wanting good and (hopefully) working easily. Sadly, issues don’t all the time go based on plan. 

When software program is poorly coded or has compatibility points with different instruments you’re utilizing, it might trigger web site downtime. 

If somebody tries to go to your website throughout this outage, they’ll see a 500 error message, which you’ll be able to see beneath. The message basically means there’s a problem with the location that may’t fairly be recognized.

Whereas software program failure isn’t the one explanation for this error, it is likely one of the most typical causes it pops up. 

You’ll need to do every thing you may to keep away from software program failure since they’re usually fastened by way of a means of elimination. You’ll have to type by and disable them one by one so you will discover the troublemaker. 

The parents at Google themselves really had a software program failure in 2022 that induced some critical issues. The search big, which will get 99,000 searches each second, was down for about an hour.

This won’t sound too dangerous till you contemplate that a minimum of 1,338 servers in additional than 40 international locations had been down throughout that point. As soon as it was over, Google admitted that this was all attributable to a software program failure on their finish.

Learn how to repair it: 

• Replace Usually: Once you set up a plugin or different software program, make sure that it’s updated. I counsel testing updates in a staging surroundings to catch points early.
• Revert Problematic Software program: If a current plugin or replace causes your website to crash, roll again to a earlier model that was secure. Most plugins permit you to do that in a few clicks.
• Examine Compatibility: All the time make sure that your software program, plugins, and themes are suitable along with your web site earlier than putting in.

4. Area or SSL certificates expired

This subsequent one would possibly come as a shock, however some web sites expertise downtime as a result of the proprietor forgot to renew their area identify or the SSL certificates.

Your guests use each your SSL and your area to make it to your website. If both one is expired, they received’t have the ability to entry your content material, which implies much less visitors and engagement.

Not solely does this interrupt the circulation of tourists to your web site, however it will probably additionally put you prone to shedding your area altogether. When you’ve spent years constructing your model, that is one thing you need to attempt to keep away from in any respect prices. 

Fortunately, this downside isn’t as frequent because it was, due to computerized renewals and typically overly aggressive e-mail reminders. Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless a cause for downtime that you ought to be conscious of.

Learn how to repair it:

• Renew Your Area and SSL: Maintain monitor of the renewal dates for each your area and SSL certificates. Write it down if it’s important to!
• Activate Computerized Renewals: Many area registrars and internet hosting suppliers provide computerized renewals for domains and SSL certificates, which may help you keep away from unintended downtime.
• Select a Internet hosting Supplier with SSL Included: Some internet hosting corporations present free SSL certificates with their plans, making it simpler to handle. Put money into one among these choices in the event you’re nonetheless apprehensive you’ll neglect.

5. Cyberattacks

There’s no query that cyberattacks, significantly Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assaults, have gotten extra frequent and complex than ever earlier than. 

Throughout a DDoS assault, cybercriminals flood your server with visitors from a number of sources, overwhelming its sources and rendering your web site inaccessible. This might “technically” rely as a server overload, however the huge distinction in my thoughts is intent. 

A website right down to server overload is unintended, one right down to a cyberattack is intentional.

These assaults can final for hours and even days on finish, considerably impacting what you are promoting. The dangerous information is as soon as a website has been attacked, it’s extra more likely to be focused once more.

Past DDoS assaults, hackers might exploit safety vulnerabilities in your web site to trigger downtime. This might occur by malware, ransomware, or different malicious assaults designed to decelerate or take over your website. 

In case your website goes offline attributable to a cyberattack, you’ll not solely lose visitors but in addition threat damaging your status.

Consider it or not, there was a DDoS assault on the finish of September and the beginning of October, when the well-known non-profit Web Archive skilled a information breach that compromised a mind-numbing 31 million person data, together with usernames, e-mail addresses, timestamps, passwords, and extra. 

What we all know: DDOS assault–fended off for now; defacement of our web site by way of JS library; breach of usernames/e-mail/salted-encrypted passwords.What we’ve finished: Disabled the JS library, scrubbing methods, upgrading safety.Will share extra as we all know it.

— Brewster Kahle (@brewster_kahle) October 10, 2024

Web Archive founder, Brewster Kahle, took X to elucidate the state of affairs and the way they’re engaged on cleansing up this mess and stopping a future assault. 

Learn how to repair it:

• Put money into DDoS Safety: Think about using a safety service or CDN that provides DDoS safety. These companies can detect and mitigate assaults by filtering out malicious visitors earlier than it reaches your server.
• Maintain Software program Up to date: Outdated software program can have vulnerabilities that hackers exploit. Usually replace all software program, together with CMS, plugins, and safety patches, to forestall breaches.
• Create Common Backups: Be sure that to again up your website continuously. If a cyberattack compromises your information, having an up-to-date backup permits you to restore your web site rapidly and reduce downtime.

6. Human error

Regardless of all of the expertise we’ve at our fingertips, human error continues to be a reasonably frequent explanation for web site downtime. 

When you consider it, this shouldn’t come as a shock. Errors can occur while you’re doing absolutely anything in your website. All it takes is a bit of kind in your code, by chance deleting information, or different seemingly small errors to set off a sequence response. 

Holger Sindbaek, serial entrepreneur and the founding father of the mind coaching platform On-line Solitaire, says,

“As a solopreneur and full-stack developer who has constructed a number of on-line companies, I’ve confronted my share of downtime attributable to human error. Early on, a minor code deployment error led to hours of downtime, a tough lesson within the want for sturdy processes. Now, I depend on automated testing suites and steady integration pipelines to validate each change earlier than it hits manufacturing. This setup catches small errors that would trigger larger points down the road. Moreover, I exploit model management meticulously, so if one thing goes fallacious, I can immediately roll again to a secure state. These practices make sure that human error doesn’t compromise uptime or person expertise even in a one-person operation.”

It’s price remembering, although, that human errors won’t all the time result in full-blown outages. As a substitute, they’ll trigger issues like gradual efficiency or accessibility points, so that you’ll have to regulate this by simply checking to see in case your website continues to be up.

Learn how to repair it:

• Restore from Backup: When you by chance delete essential information or misconfigure your website, restoring from a current backup can rapidly undo the harm.
• Roll Again Settings: When you make modifications to your web site’s settings or code and issues go fallacious, rolling again to a earlier configuration can resolve the difficulty. Most instruments make this course of straightforward sufficient.
• Collaborate with Builders: If the downtime is because of coding errors, work carefully along with your growth crew to troubleshoot and proper the difficulty. They may help establish and resolve errors extra rapidly and optimize your code to forestall future incidents.

Remaining Ideas

As you may inform by now, it’s fairly onerous to keep away from web site downtime. It’s an unavoidable problem that has a ton of various causes. 

When you perceive the issue and the best way to repair it, you may take proactive steps to cut back the impression and put together for the long run. 

The methods – and their accompanying issues – will assist you keep alert and keep away from pointless downtime. I might say the most important takeaway right here is to remain vigilant and never be afraid to take motion. Set up a plan, so that you and your crew know what to do within the occasion of an outage. 

By doing this and following the methods outlined in the present day, you may proceed to keep up a dependable web site that creates a constructive expertise on your clients whereas bringing you one step nearer to your objectives.