Website downtime is an extremely frustrating experience for business owners, bloggers, and other professionals across all industries. If this problem isn’t addressed quickly and efficiently, affected sites will likely experience a big drop in engagement and sales.
I don’t have to tell you that this situation is far from ideal.
My goal today is to help you tackle this problem by sharing some of the most common reasons sites go down, as well as actionable strategies to fix it so you can get on with the rest of your day.
On that note, let’s dive in!
Firstly, what is website downtime?
Before we start looking at the reasons for downtime and fixes, I think it’s important to define the term so we are all on the same page.
Put plainly, website downtime refers to when a website is inaccessible or otherwise non-functional. The length of time a website stays in this state can vary based on a ton of different factors. It would be down for a few seconds, hours, or even days.
When a site is impacted, it affects everyone, including all of the visitors and the team working behind the scenes.
An outage can have a negative impact on many different parts of your business. Notably, you’ll see a drop in traffic, user trust, sales, and even search rankings.
Think about it this way: you finally decide to shop with a brand you’ve heard a lot about over the past few weeks. You excitedly type in their URL, but you are greeted with a blank screen or a 404 page instead of the page you were hoping for. There’s a good chance you’d reconsider whether you want to become a customer or even return to their site.
In this example, three of the four things I mentioned, traffic, trust, and sales, will take a hit. If this happens enough, you could permanently damage your reputation and chance at long-term growth.
Regardless of whether you’re a blogger or the owner of an eCommerce website, there’s no question that you should do everything in your power to resolve website downtime as quickly as possible.
6 reasons for website downtime
Jump to content in this section:
1. Server overload
One of the most common reasons for website downtime is known as server overload. This problem usually occurs when too many people are trying to access your site at the same time. However, there are other causes, such as cyberattacks and poor server maintenance.
You’re most likely to experience an overload during flash sales or if one of your new marketing campaigns goes viral. If your server isn’t prepared for an influx of new visitors, you could lose out on a ton of potential traffic and customers.
When a site goes down due to server overload, visitors are likely to encounter 500, 502, or 503 error codes. Below is an example with a 502 error.
A site experiencing server overload might not go down entirely. Instead, there may be noticeable delays in user requests. This still isn’t ideal because, after 2 seconds, each 1-second delay in loading times can result in a 7% loss in conversions.
A well-known instance of this downtime happened back in 2018 when eCommerce giant Amazon saw their site go down for over an hour, mere minutes into their Prime Day extravaganza. They said there were spikes in traffic that were higher than they were expecting by a factor of two! Luckily, they were able to get things up and running, and people were still able to enjoy the event.
How to fix it:
- Invest in a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN helps distribute traffic by caching your site across multiple servers around the globe, which can reduce the load on your primary server.
- Scale Your Server Resources: If you expect a surge of traffic, you may need to scale your server’s bandwidth. You can usually do this by reaching out to your hosting company.
- Monitor Traffic: Always keep an eye on website traffic trends, especially during special events, so you can anticipate and prepare for spikes. You’ll also want to pay careful attention to spikes from specific IP addresses since this could be an attack that could cause a server overload.
2. DNS error
A Domain Name Server (DNS) error occurs when a website’s domain name does not align with its IP address. It’s a common problem that, if not addressed, could make it hard for people to enjoy your website.
In most cases, this happens because a website’s DNS settings aren’t configured correctly or there are delays when the server tries to communicate with the IP.
If you ever see a message like the one shown below when you’re on your site, you’re experiencing a DNS error.
Sometimes, DNS errors happen and are resolved quickly. If you notice that this is happening fairly often or for extended periods of time, you’re going to want to take steps to reduce how often this error pops up.
How to fix it:
- Check Your DNS Configuration: Ensure that your DNS records are correctly configured and up to date. Seemingly small errors can have a big impact on traffic and the overall user experience on your site.
- Use a Reliable DNS Provider: A reputable DNS host can help you keep errors and downtime to a minimum. Premium providers offer faster and more reliable connections compared to their cheaper counterparts.
3. Software failure
All websites rely on plugins, extensions, and other types of software to keep things looking good and (hopefully) running smoothly. Unfortunately, things don’t always go according to plan.
When software is poorly coded or has compatibility issues with other tools you’re using, it could cause website downtime.
If someone tries to visit your site during this outage, they’ll see a 500 error message, which you can see below. The message essentially means there’s an issue with the site that can’t quite be identified.
While software failure isn’t the only cause of this error, it is one of the most common reasons it pops up.
You’ll want to do everything you can to avoid software failure since they are often fixed via a process of elimination. You’ll need to sort through and disable them one at a time so you can find the troublemaker.
The folks at Google themselves actually had a software failure in 2022 that caused some serious problems. The search giant, which gets 99,000 searches every second, was down for about an hour.
This might not sound too bad until you consider that at least 1,338 servers in more than 40 countries were down during that time. Once it was over, Google admitted that this was all due to a software failure on their end.
How to fix it:
- Update Regularly: When you install a plugin or other software, make sure it’s up to date. I suggest testing updates in a staging environment to catch issues early.
- Revert Problematic Software: If a recent plugin or update causes your site to crash, roll back to a previous version that was stable. Most plugins allow you to do this in a couple of clicks.
- Check Compatibility: Always make sure your software, plugins, and themes are compatible with your website before installing.
4. Domain or SSL certificate expired
This next one might come as a surprise, but some websites experience downtime because the owner forgot to renew their domain name or the SSL certificate.
Your visitors use both your SSL and your domain to make it to your site. If either one is expired, they won’t be able to access your content, which means less traffic and engagement.
Not only does this interrupt the flow of visitors to your website, but it can also put you at risk of losing your domain altogether. If you’ve spent years building your brand, this is something you should strive to avoid at all costs.
Luckily, this problem isn’t as common as it used to be, thanks to automatic renewals and sometimes overly aggressive email reminders. However, it’s still a reason for downtime that you should be aware of.
How to fix it:
- Renew Your Domain and SSL: Keep track of the renewal dates for both your domain and SSL certificate. Write it down if you have to!
- Turn on Automatic Renewals: Many domain registrars and hosting providers offer automatic renewals for domains and SSL certificates, which can help you avoid accidental downtime.
- Choose a Hosting Provider with SSL Included: Some hosting companies provide free SSL certificates with their plans, making it easier to manage. Invest in one of these options if you’re still worried you’ll forget.
5. Cyberattacks
There’s no question that cyberattacks, particularly Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, are becoming more frequent and sophisticated than ever before.
During a DDoS attack, cybercriminals flood your server with traffic from multiple sources, overwhelming its resources and rendering your website inaccessible. This could “technically” count as a server overload, but the big difference in my mind is intent.
A site down to server overload is accidental, one down to a cyberattack is intentional.
These attacks can last for hours or even days on end, significantly impacting your business. The bad news is once a site has been attacked, it’s more likely to be targeted again.
Beyond DDoS attacks, hackers may exploit security vulnerabilities on your website to cause downtime. This could happen through malware, ransomware, or other malicious attacks designed to slow down or take over your site.
If your site goes offline due to a cyberattack, you’ll not only lose traffic but also risk damaging your reputation.
Believe it or not, there was a DDoS attack at the end of September and the start of October, when the well-known non-profit Internet Archive experienced a data breach that compromised a mind-numbing 31 million user records, including usernames, email addresses, timestamps, passwords, and more.
What we know: DDOS attack–fended off for now; defacement of our website via JS library; breach of usernames/email/salted-encrypted passwords.What we’ve done: Disabled the JS library, scrubbing systems, upgrading security.Will share more as we know it.
— Brewster Kahle (@brewster_kahle) October 10, 2024
Internet Archive founder, Brewster Kahle, took X to explain the situation and how they’re working on cleaning up this mess and preventing a future attack.
How to fix it:
- Invest in DDoS Protection: Consider using a security service or CDN that offers DDoS protection. These services can detect and mitigate attacks by filtering out malicious traffic before it reaches your server.
- Keep Software Updated: Outdated software can have vulnerabilities that hackers exploit. Regularly update all software, including CMS, plugins, and security patches, to prevent breaches.
- Create Regular Backups: Make sure to back up your site frequently. If a cyberattack compromises your data, having an up-to-date backup allows you to restore your website quickly and minimize downtime.
6. Human error
Despite all the technology we have at our fingertips, human error is still a fairly common cause of website downtime.
When you think about it, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Mistakes can happen when you’re doing just about anything on your site. All it takes is a little type in your code, accidentally deleting files, or other seemingly small mistakes to set off a chain reaction.
Holger Sindbaek, serial entrepreneur and the founder of the brain training platform Online Solitaire, says,
“As a solopreneur and full-stack developer who has built multiple online businesses, I’ve faced my share of downtime caused by human error. Early on, a minor code deployment error led to hours of downtime, a hard lesson in the need for robust processes. Now, I rely on automated testing suites and continuous integration pipelines to validate every change before it hits production. This setup catches small mistakes that could cause bigger issues down the line. Additionally, I use version control meticulously, so if something goes wrong, I can instantly roll back to a stable state. These practices ensure that human error doesn’t compromise uptime or user experience even in a one-person operation.”
It’s worth remembering, though, that human errors might not always lead to full-blown outages. Instead, they can cause problems like slow performance or accessibility issues, so you’ll need to keep an eye on this by just checking to see if your site is still up.
How to fix it:
- Restore from Backup: If you accidentally delete important files or misconfigure your site, restoring from a recent backup can quickly undo the damage.
- Roll Back Settings: If you make changes to your website’s settings or code and things go wrong, rolling back to a previous configuration can resolve the issue. Most tools make this process easy enough.
- Collaborate with Developers: If the downtime is due to coding mistakes, work closely with your development team to troubleshoot and correct the issue. They can help identify and resolve errors more quickly and optimize your code to prevent future incidents.
Final Thoughts
As you can tell by now, it’s pretty hard to avoid website downtime. It’s an unavoidable challenge that has a ton of different causes.
Once you understand the problem and how to fix it, you can take proactive steps to reduce the impact and prepare for the future.
The strategies – and their accompanying problems – will help you stay alert and avoid unnecessary downtime. I would say the biggest takeaway here is to stay vigilant and not be afraid to take action. Establish a plan, so you and your team know what to do in the event of an outage.
By doing this and following the strategies outlined today, you can continue to maintain a reliable website that creates a positive experience for your customers while bringing you one step closer to your goals.
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