Do You Have a Constantly Crashing Website Because of Hosting?

If you find that your website is repeatedly crashing or having long periods of downtime, you need to find a solution as soon as possible. After all, it is frustrating to be working with a potential client and trying to direct them to a specific part of your website, only for the client to tell you that the website isn’t working for them. Not to mention, a frequently crashing website could be costing you business. If someone is trying to access your website, only to receive an error message, they might assume that your business is no longer active. They’ll then turn to a competitor’s website, which means you no longer have that person’s business.

While all sites go through periods of downtime when a server is updated, it isn’t normal for a site to go down several times a week or without communication from the web host.

Reasons Your Website Is Crashing

Most people assume that when their website is down, their web host has something to do with the crash. Sometimes a crash can occur due to a server being updated or because there isn’t enough bandwidth to handle the amount of traffic on your site, but make sure you rule out some of the other common reasons as well.

Along with a server problem, a crashed website could be the result of broken coding, a virus, a hacker, or a plugin malfunction. It could also be the result of an expired domain. When a domain expires, the site is offline until the domain is renewed.

Preparing for a Potential Outage

While nobody wants to deal with a website outage, there are certain steps you can take in case it happens to you. For starters, you should make sure your web host is backing up your content. Web hosts should be able to retrieve files for you, even ones that have been deleted or are offline.

However, you may also want to backup your website files to your computer as well. If you’re not sure how to do this, work with an IT professional to find a solution. This will allow you to easily have access to your website content in the event of an unexpected crash.

If you have experienced a number of downtime due to the host, then you seriously need to consider looking for a new place to host your website. Hosting Foundry put a lot of effort into their web hosting comparisons and their website is packed full of great reviews and a lot of helpful information.

Taking Note of Crashes

If you notice your website is crashing frequently, but your web host is saying there isn’t a problem, start logging in when your website crashes. Note the time of the crash, how long the website was down for, and which parts of the website were impacted.

You should also note if the website is only crashing for certain people. For example, if you’re able to access the website just fine from your office, but an employee that is working from home can’t access it, add that information to your log. You can submit this data to your web host to help determine what the problem is.

Fixing a Crashed Website

Whenever your website crashes, the first thing to do is wait a few minutes to see if it comes back up. Sometimes, websites momentarily go down for a quick update or because they’re overwhelmed with traffic.

If it doesn’t come back up within a few minutes, however, reach out to your web host to receive an estimate of how long your site will be down. They may also be able to tell you what caused the crash and what steps are being taken to fix the problem. If the crash impacts employees or clients, reach out to them to let them know what is happening.

Looking for a New Host

If your website is repeatedly crashing and your web host doesn’t have a clue as to why it is occurring or doesn’t help find a solution, it could be time to look for a new hosting website.

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When looking at potential web hosts, look to make sure they have enough bandwidth, have a strong support system, and have security measures in place. Reading online reviews is a good place to start because it will give you an idea of what using that web host is like. Compare multiple web hosts before settling on one that you will use.

A Couple of Final Thoughts

A frequently crashing website is annoying for you and your business, your employees, and your clients. Your website is only as good as your web host, so if you determine the reason behind your crash is due to your web host, don’t hesitate to start finding a new one. The success of your business could depend on it!