Website Down? Emergency Troubleshooting Checklist
Step-by-step guide to diagnose why your website isn't loading and how to fix it quickly.

- TL;DR
- Your Site is Down. Don't Panic.
- Quick Diagnosis (Under 2 Minutes)
- Detailed Troubleshooting
- When to Contact Support
- Prevention: Avoid Future Downtime
- Still Stuck?
- Common Error Codes Explained
- AI-Assisted Diagnosis
- DIY Fixes vs. Professional Help
- Prevention Checklist
- Emergency Contacts
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
TL;DR#
- First check: Is it down for everyone or just you? (Use downforeveryoneorjustme.com)
- Common causes: DNS issues, hosting problems, SSL expiry, code errors, exceeded resources
- Check your hosting provider’s status page for known outages
- If you changed something recently, that’s likely the cause—revert it
Your Site is Down. Don’t Panic.#
Take a breath. Website outages happen to everyone. This checklist will help you identify and fix the problem systematically.
Quick Diagnosis (Under 2 Minutes)#
Step 1: Is It Down for Everyone?#
Go to downforeveryoneorjustme.com and enter your URL.
If it’s just you:
- Clear your browser cache
- Try a different browser
- Try from your phone (on cellular, not WiFi)
- Flush your DNS:
ipconfig /flushdns(Windows) orsudo dscacheutil -flushcache(Mac)
If it’s down for everyone: Continue to Step 2.
Step 2: Check the Error Message#
What do you see when you try to load your site?
| Error | Likely Cause | Jump To |
|---|---|---|
| Connection timed out | Server or DNS issue | Server Issues |
| 500 Internal Server Error | Server/code problem | 500 Errors |
| 502 Bad Gateway | Server overload/config | 502 Errors |
| 503 Service Unavailable | Server maintenance/overload | 503 Errors |
| SSL/Certificate Error | SSL certificate issue | SSL Issues |
| DNS_PROBE_FINISHED | DNS problem | DNS Issues |
| White screen | PHP error (WordPress) | WordPress Issues |
Step 3: Did You Change Anything Recently?#
The most common cause of a working site suddenly breaking is a recent change:
- Installed a plugin or theme update?
- Made code changes?
- Changed hosting settings?
- Updated WordPress/PHP version?
- Modified .htaccess file?
If yes: That’s likely your culprit. See if you can revert the change.
Detailed Troubleshooting#
Server/Hosting Issues#
Check your hosting provider’s status page
Most hosts have status pages (e.g., status.siteground.com, status.cloudways.com). Check for known outages.
Check if your account is suspended
- Overdue payment?
- Resource limits exceeded?
- Terms of service violation?
Log into your hosting control panel. Suspended accounts usually show a notice.
Check server resources
- Is CPU/memory maxed out?
- Is disk space full?
- Have you hit bandwidth limits?
DNS Issues#
If you see DNS errors, your domain isn’t pointing to your server correctly.
Check DNS propagation:
Use whatsmydns.net to see if your DNS is resolving globally.
Verify DNS settings:
- Log into your domain registrar
- Check that nameservers point to your host
- Verify A record points to correct IP
Recent DNS changes?
DNS can take up to 48 hours to propagate, though usually it’s much faster.
SSL Certificate Issues#
SSL errors often show as “Your connection is not private” or similar warnings.
Check certificate expiry:
Click the padlock in your browser → View certificate → Check expiry date
Certificate expired?
- Many hosts auto-renew Let’s Encrypt certificates
- Log into hosting and check SSL settings
- Manually renew if needed
Mixed content?
If some resources load over HTTP instead of HTTPS, browsers may block them.
WordPress-Specific Issues#
White Screen of Death:
- Enable debug mode – add to wp-config.php:
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
-
Check /wp-content/debug.log for errors
-
Try disabling plugins via FTP:
- Rename /wp-content/plugins folder to plugins_old
- If site loads, a plugin is the issue
- Rename back and disable plugins one by one
-
Try default theme:
- Rename your theme folder in /wp-content/themes
- WordPress will fall back to a default theme
Database connection error:
- Check wp-config.php credentials
- Verify database server is running
- Contact host if database is down
Code/Application Errors#
Check error logs:
- Apache: /var/log/apache2/error.log
- Nginx: /var/log/nginx/error.log
- PHP: Check php.ini for error_log location
- Hosting control panel usually has log viewer
Recent code deployments?
- Check version control for recent changes
- Roll back to last known working version
PHP errors:
- Version incompatibility?
- Memory limits exceeded?
- Fatal errors in code?
When to Contact Support#
Contact your hosting provider when:
- Their status page shows no issues but your site is down
- You’ve ruled out DNS and SSL issues
- Error logs point to server-side problems
- You see database connection errors
- You’re not technical enough to diagnose further
Information to provide:
- Your domain name
- The exact error message
- When the problem started
- Any recent changes you made
- Steps you’ve already tried
Prevention: Avoid Future Downtime#
Basic Measures#
- Enable automatic backups
- Keep WordPress/plugins/themes updated
- Use uptime monitoring (UptimeRobot, Pingdom)
- Set up email alerts for downtime
For Business-Critical Sites#
- Use a CDN (Cloudflare, etc.) for redundancy
- Consider managed hosting with high uptime SLAs
- Implement staging environment for testing changes
- Have a rollback plan for deployments
Still Stuck?#
If you’ve gone through this checklist and your site is still down:
- Take screenshots of error messages
- Document what you’ve tried
- Contact your host with all this information
- Consider hiring help if it’s business-critical and you’re out of your depth
Every minute of downtime costs something. Sometimes the fastest solution is paying an expert to fix it quickly.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels
Common Error Codes Explained#
500 Internal Server Error#
What it means: The server encountered an error processing your request.
Common causes:
- PHP fatal errors
- Corrupted .htaccess file
- Plugin conflicts
- Memory limit exceeded
- Database connection issues
- Corrupted WordPress files
How to fix:
- Check error logs in hosting control panel
- Temporarily rename .htaccess file
- Disable plugins via FTP
- Increase PHP memory limit
- Check database connection in wp-config.php
502 Bad Gateway#
What it means: One server received an invalid response from another server.
Common causes:
- Server overloaded
- PHP-FPM process crashed
- Reverse proxy issues
- Upstream server timeout
How to fix:
- Wait a few minutes (may be temporary)
- Check server resources (CPU, memory)
- Restart PHP-FPM service
- Contact hosting support
503 Service Unavailable#
What it means: Server is temporarily unavailable.
Common causes:
- Server maintenance
- Overloaded server
- Resource limits exceeded
- DDoS attack
How to fix:
- Check hosting status page
- Wait for maintenance to complete
- Check resource usage
- Contact hosting support
404 Not Found#
What it means: The requested page doesn’t exist.
Common causes:
- Permalink structure changed
- File deleted
- Incorrect URL
- .htaccess rewrite rules broken
How to fix:
- Check if URL is correct
- Reset permalinks in WordPress
- Restore .htaccess from backup
- Check file exists on server
AI-Assisted Diagnosis#
Using AI Tools for Troubleshooting#
ChatGPT/Claude prompts:
- “My website shows [error code]. What are the most common causes?”
- “I changed [X] and now my site is down. How do I fix it?”
- “My WordPress site shows a white screen. What should I check first?”
AI can help:
- Interpret error messages
- Suggest troubleshooting steps
- Explain technical concepts
- Generate code fixes
Limitations:
- Can’t access your actual server
- May suggest generic solutions
- Always verify AI suggestions
- Use as starting point, not final answer
DIY Fixes vs. Professional Help#
When to DIY#
You can likely fix it yourself if:
- Error message is clear
- You made a recent change you can revert
- It’s a simple configuration issue
- You have time to troubleshoot
- You’re comfortable with basic technical tasks
Common DIY fixes:
- Clearing cache
- Disabling problematic plugins
- Restoring from backup
- Fixing DNS settings
- Renewing SSL certificate
When to Call a Pro#
Hire help if:
- Site has been down for hours
- You’ve tried everything and it’s still down
- It’s business-critical and losing money
- Error logs show complex issues
- You’re not technical and feeling overwhelmed
- Database corruption is suspected
What to provide to a professional:
- Error messages (screenshots)
- Recent changes log
- Hosting account access
- Error logs
- Timeline of when it broke
Prevention Checklist#
Regular Maintenance#
Weekly:
- Check site is accessible
- Review error logs
- Monitor uptime
- Test backups
Monthly:
- Update WordPress/plugins
- Review security logs
- Check SSL certificate status
- Review resource usage
Quarterly:
- Test disaster recovery
- Review hosting plan
- Update security measures
- Performance audit
Monitoring Tools#
Free options:
- UptimeRobot (50 monitors free)
- Pingdom (1 check free)
- Google Search Console (uptime alerts)
- Hosting provider monitoring
What to monitor:
- Site uptime
- Response times
- SSL certificate expiry
- Disk space usage
- Error rates
Emergency Contacts#
Keep these handy:
- Hosting support phone/email
- Domain registrar contact
- Backup service contact
- Developer/agency contact
- Hosting account login URL
Document:
- Hosting account number
- Domain registrar account
- Recent changes log
- Backup locations
- Access credentials (securely stored)
Conclusion#
Website downtime is stressful, but most issues are fixable. Start with the quick diagnosis steps, work through the checklist systematically, and don’t hesitate to contact support when needed.
Key takeaways:
- Always check if it’s down for everyone first
- Recent changes are usually the culprit
- Error messages tell you where to look
- Keep backups and know how to restore
- Monitor your site proactively
The bottom line:
Most website downtime is caused by preventable issues. Regular maintenance, monitoring, and careful change management can prevent most problems. When issues do occur, this checklist will help you resolve them quickly.
For more troubleshooting help, check out our slow website diagnosis guide or learn about email deliverability issues.
Frequently Asked Questions#
How do I know if my site is down for everyone?#
Use a tool like downforeveryoneorjustme.com or isitdownrightnow.com. These check your site from external servers. If it’s just you, try clearing your browser cache, using a different browser, or trying from your phone on cellular data.
My site shows a white screen. What does that mean?#
A white screen (white screen of death) usually indicates a PHP error on WordPress sites, often caused by a plugin conflict, theme issue, or memory limit. Check your error logs or try disabling plugins via FTP.
How long can my site be down before it affects SEO?#
Brief outages (minutes to a few hours) typically don’t affect SEO. Extended downtime (days) can cause pages to be temporarily deindexed. Google is generally forgiving of technical issues if resolved quickly.
Should I contact my hosting provider?#
Yes, if basic troubleshooting doesn’t identify the issue. Check their status page first—if there’s a known outage, they’re already working on it. If not, contact support with specific details about the error you’re seeing.








