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How to Identify the Reason Behind Website Downtime

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December 31, 2024

Domain & Hosting 3 min read

How to Identify the Reason Behind Website Downtime

Just as brick-and-mortar stores face maintenance issues, a website can also experience downtime due to various technical issues. In today's digitally run world, even a short period of website downtime can significantly impact website owners. For instance, e-commerce website owners can face revenue loss and customer dissatisfaction due to an inaccessible website.

Consequently, timely deploy website maintenance and upkeep measures are of utmost importance. Simultaneously, it is crucial to have a quick recovery plan that is ready to avoid long-term consequences. This article will cover everything you need to know about website downtime and measures you can take to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

What Does Website Downtime Mean?

A website being down or offline translates to it not being functional or accessible for users in many ways. The downtime that a website suffers is manifested in several ways, including but not limited to:

  • A total failure of accessibility – Users cannot use the website at all
  • The duration of access is extremely extended, making it terrible to navigate. Due to the prolonged time, the experience scale drops dismally
  • It shows various errors like 404, 500, and even some DNS errors

A broken webpage can affect several business processes, revenue generation activities, operations, and sales. If a page is down for an extended period, that leads to particular clients being unhappy and switching to other competitors in the industry.

Moreover, constant interruptions can increase repair expenses and require the replacement of all existing elements. Therefore, it is recommended that website owners invest in research and development of business continuity and disaster recovery procedures, as such practices increase efficiency and improve support service during emergencies.

Also Read - How to Monitor and Respond to Website Outages in Real Time

How to Identify and Prevent Downtime?

While website downtime can always happen unexpectedly, there are some precautionary measures you can take to identify and prevent it in a timely manner. Statistics reveal that 19% of B2B businesses are not aware of their lack of preparation for downtime due to various reasons, such as the unreadiness of the IT team, lack of knowledge of downtime cost, limited resources, and more.

You can eliminate this by taking necessary preventive measures. Mentioned below are 5 tips you can keep in mind to identify and resolve downtime issues.

Also Read - How to Troubleshoot a Website Down Error in Minutes?

Use a Reliable Hosting Provider

Your website's performance heavily depends on your hosting provider. Proper research of the services and customer experience of your selected hosting provider is advisable to ensure you can effectively run a website with well-maintained servers.

It is also recommended that you thoroughly review your host's 'uptime guarantee,' which will be outlined in your contract. This guarantee stipulates eligibility for a full or partial refund if your website fails to meet the agreed-upon minimum uptime.

Reliable hosting providers offer quick customer support services. During emergencies like unexpected downtime, quick provider support can help you resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Avoid Using Unverified Plugins and Extensions

Although extensions and plugins can increase a site's functionality, using unverified ones can compromise performance and cause downtime. As such, the extensions and plugins you choose for your site should be well-reviewed and regularly updated. Before you make your final selection, confirm that they are compatible and that their user experiences are positive and well-reviewed.

Secure Your Website Properly

External threats can result in website downtime and data breaches, but adhering to best practices for website protection can significantly reduce these risks and potential technical issues. Some of these best practices you can follow are:

  1. Ensure you regularly create recent backups of your website. This will allow you to get your website up and running soon after recovering from the downtime
  2. Enable two-factor authentication to prevent hackers from accessing your dashboard or entering your website
  3. Add malware-scanning plugins from reliable sources to analyse your site and identify any malicious code which has been added
  4. Set up a  Web Application Firewall (WAF) to monitor your website’s traffic and block suspicious users
  5. Limit login attempts to prevent hackers from gaining access to your website by randomly testing multiple login credentials

Timely Renew your Domain Name Registration

Remembering all the annual or less frequent website maintenance tasks, such as domain name renewal, is crucial, as overlooking them can result in website downtime. Once a domain expires, there is no assurance you'll be able to reclaim the same domain name, so it's advisable to keep auto-renewals enabled by default.

Use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)

Content Delivery Networks, also known as CDNs, refers to servers that speed up web content delivery to users by storing copies of content on servers closer to them. During website downtime, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) can provide users with temporarily cached website files, allowing access even when the hosting server is unresponsive.

Summing Up

As a business owner, effectively managing unexpected website downtime can be daunting. Still, by understanding its common causes, implementing diagnostic strategies, and utilizing a dependable hosting platform, you can maintain optimal website accessibility and performance.

Vodien is a hosting platform that can elevate your online presence and help you achieve maximum growth. Its excellent services provide faster loading times, unlimited bandwidth, and scalable features.

Contact us now and get started!

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