Typing your domain name in your browser and not seeing what you expect can be quite upsetting! There is typically no cause for alarm, as many issues that cause your website to be down are easy to identify and resolve. If your site isn't appearing when expected, take a look at the following steps to help guide you in troubleshooting the issue.

Please contact us if you encounter problems with these steps or have any other questions at all regarding your service.

1. Check Your Internet Connection

Firstly, check your internet connection! This may seem like a given but often your internet connection will drop suddenly and you won't be able to see your website. It can be surprising, and checking your connection isn't the first thing that often comes to mind. Check both the connection as displayed on your computer AND at the cable plug-in if you don't use wifi.

2. Go to the Website

The second step in checking to see if your site is down is accessing it within your browser. It is best practice to do so after clearing your browsers cache. If you see styling that resembles your website, but the content you're expecting is not appearing or is replaced by an error message, it is possible that a recent change (installing a plugin or updating a theme) is the culprit. If the issue occurs when you click a specific link within your site, it is likely the cause of an invalid file path or URL (your pages or URLs are linked to a page or site that is non-existent or inaccessible).

3. Try Viewing the Site from a Proxy Server

If the DNS and file paths appear to be correct, try viewing the site from a proxy server. This helps to determine whether the site is available or not. If the site loads, it is available to the public. If you believe propagation is responsible for your site not working, try flushing your DNS or changing the host file on your local machine.

Note: you may be experiencing this issue if you are accessing your site from a public location using special ports, as some public networks block various ports.

4. Run a Traceroute

If you are still unable to access your site, it is recommended that you run a traceroute from your local machine to ensure your computer is able to reach and communicate with your server. Then get in touch with us by submitting a ticket, and give us your traceroute info... we'll help ya out!