My website is down - what to check first

When your website stops responding, follow this checklist to find the cause quickly.

Check if it's your browser

• Clear your browser cache: Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac), clear cached images and files, then reload your site.
• Try incognito/private mode: Open your site in a fresh browser window with no cache or extensions.
• Try a different browser: Open the site in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge to rule out a single browser issue.

Check your internet connection

• Reload the page: Hit refresh or press F5 / Cmd+R.
• Test another site: Visit a major site like google.com to confirm your internet is working.
• Restart your router: Unplug your modem/router for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and wait for lights to stabilize.

Check DNS resolution

DNS converts your domain name (yourdomain.com) into an IP address your browser can reach. If DNS is broken, your site appears unreachable.

- Use an online DNS checker: Visit a tool like MXToolbox DNS Lookup, enter your domain, and check that it resolves to an IP address.
- Flush your local DNS cache:
- Windows: Open Command Prompt and run:
```
ipconfig /flushdns
```
- Mac: Open Terminal and run:
```
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache
```

If DNS doesn't resolve or shows an unexpected IP, your domain may be misconfigured or pointing to the wrong server. Check your domain registrar's settings and verify your DNS records match your hosting provider's nameservers.

Check your hosting account status

- Log in to your client portal / billing area and verify:
- Your hosting account is active (not suspended or expired).
- Your domain is active and assigned to your hosting account.
- Any recent billing issues or payment failures.
- Whether you received any automated alerts about account problems.

Check the server status

• Visit your hosting provider's status page to confirm there are no ongoing server outages or maintenance.
• Try reaching your site by IP address: Ask your hosting provider for your server's IP, then visit http://[IP-address] directly in your browser (replace [IP-address] with the actual IP). If your site loads this way, the problem is DNS. If it doesn't, the problem is the server.

Check common service issues

• Is your web server running? Ask your hosting provider to confirm Apache/Nginx is running.
• Is SSL/TLS configured? If you use https://, a misconfigured or expired certificate will block access. Check your hosting control panel to see if your SSL certificate is valid.
• Is there a .htaccess rule blocking access? An incorrect mod_rewrite rule or deny all statement in .htaccess can take your site offline.

Escalate to your hosting provider

If none of the above reveals the problem, contact your hosting provider with:

• The exact URL you're trying to reach
• What error message you see (if any)
• Whether the site works by IP address
• The result of your DNS lookup
• When the problem started
• Any recent changes you made (domain, DNS, SSL, file uploads)

Common causes

• Expired domain: Registrar parking page or "domain for sale" appears instead of your site.
• Account suspended: Often due to payment failure or violation of terms. Check your email and billing portal.
• DNS pointing to the wrong server: Domain resolves to an old IP after a migration.
• Server overload or resource limits: High traffic exhausted your hosting resources. Check CPU/memory usage in your control panel.
• Firewall or security rule: A rule is blocking access to your site. Check your hosting security settings.