Website down: Common errors and how to fix them
Definitions
If your website appears ‘down’, refer to the steps and fixes below to get it operational again.
Before you start
✅ 99.9% of website down cases are caused by the issues listed below, which you can fix quickly and easily. You can also check your website error log for details.
🚨 For an immediate solution to an error, restore your website from backups right away.
⚠️ When it comes to website errors, consulting with a website developer is highly recommended.
ℹ️ Follow each step by step fix below to see why your website is down and take measures to avoid encountering it in the future.
Step by step
Review your nameservers and DNS settings
Check that your domain name is using the correct nameservers or DNS settings.
1. Open this guide to review and complete any required updates:
2. If your domain nameservers or main A record settings are incorrect, update them and then wait 24 hours for the internet to load the update:
Fix website errors
In many cases, your website may appear ‘down’ due to errors. Below is a list of common errors and fixes.
Most common website errors
There has been a critical error on this website
White screen error (blank page)
500 Internal Server error
503 Service Unavailable error
Other typical website errors
Briefly Unavailable for Scheduled Maintenance error
Error establishing a database connection
403 Forbidden Error
404 Not Found error
504 Gateway Timeout error
Error 524 a timeout occured error
ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED error
This site can’t be reached error
‘Publishing failed. The response is not a valid JSON response.’ error
Fix plugin and theme conflicts
Wordfence plugin errors
Jetpack plugin errors
Check for overdue payments
Your website may be ‘down’ because you have not paid an invoice to renew your hosting service, domain name or both. Follow the steps to check for and pay overdue invoices.
1. Open this guide to pay any overdue invoices: Pay your invoice
2. After payment, wait a few moments for the system to process your service reactivation
Request to restore accidentally canceled or closed services
If you canceled or closed your hosting service by mistake, open a support ticket to request an emergency service restore.
⚠️ Note (Hosting): Only hosting services with data available in disaster recovery can be restored. Disaster recovery data is kept for a limited time, and restore fees apply.
⚠️ Note (Domains): If your domain name is expired and beyond the grace period, redemption fees may apply.
Diagnose your slow website
Your website may appear ‘down’ because it is running slow. If that’s happening, run an X-ray report to diagnose your website and build a checklist to optimize performance.
Restore your website from backups
Restoring from backups is the quickest way to get your website operational again.
- Go here: Restore your data from backups
❗When restoring a website from backups, always start by restoring your website files, and if the issue persists, proceed to restore your database.