How to Monitor and Respond to Website Outages in Real Time

Customers increasingly rely upon websites and online platforms to engage with brands, get information, and do business. In the current business environment, most transactions are done virtually.

A strong and reliable online presence is crucial for a successful business venture. An unreliable online presence, with frequent website outages, can frustrate users and cause severe revenue and reputation loss to businesses.

80% of businesses have experienced website outages in the previous three years. More than 60% of website outages cause losses of over $100,000.

To maintain your users’ trust and assure them of service continuity, website outages should be monitored in real-time and responded to immediately. In this article, let us explore the tools, strategies, and best practices for monitoring and resolving a website outage before it worsens.

What is a Website Outage?

Website outages are when a website or online platform is unavailable for access. In the present scenario, websites with broken functionality that do not allow users to complete tasks are also considered to experience an outage. Website outage is also known as website downtime.

During a website outage,

• The entire website might not load at all and display an error message
• The website might take a long time to load or respond slowly to the user’s requests
• Some core website features might not work. For example, if a user is unable to add an item to the cart while visiting a shopping website, the website is said to be down

Common Causes of a Website Outage

Businesses can minimise a website outage if they know its causes.

1. Server Overload

Outages occur when servers get more requests than they can handle. Choosing a reliable and scalable web hosting service helps. Dedicated web hosting services balance heavy loads by spreading them across multiple servers.

2. DDoS Attacks

The hackers send a huge volume of server requests during a DDoS attack. This forces the servers to use their CPUs to handle such requests, leading to a website outage. Use web hosting services with integrated DDoS protection to prevent website outages.

3. Hardware and Software Issues

Website outages can happen due to faulty hard drives or RAM. Software issues such as outdated libraries and frameworks can also lead to website outages. Wrong configuration of DNS records can also cause them.

With a scalable dedicated server, you get access to the best CPUs and generous amounts of RAM. Since dedicated servers are managed fully, the provider is responsible for updating operating systems, security, and software installations.

Monitor Website Outages in Real Time

To reduce the problems associated with website outages, you need to monitor them and detect them quickly. The earlier you find them, the sooner you can start fixing it. There are two ways to monitor website outages: uptime monitoring tool and online website outage checkers.

Website Uptime Monitoring Tools

Uptime is the proportion of time that users can access your website. A website uptime monitoring tool informs businesses of website outages in real time.

An uptime monitoring tool helps in

• 24/7 website monitoring from different geographical locations
• Build trust with customers and end-users
• Avoid cyber-attacks

How Does a Website Uptime Tool Work?

Uptime monitoring services ensure that your website is working through these checkpoints.

• An uptime monitoring tool establishes a connection with the website and checks the status of the website’s response
• Record each webpage load time and generate reports on the website’s performance
• Notifies the website owner immediately about website outages

Online Outage Checkers

You can also use online outage checkers, such as Downdetector or IsItDownRightNow. These checkers provide real-time information about website outages using multiple sources, such as user reports and automated tests

Online website outage checkers provide

• Real-time outage maps showing which websites are currently down
• User comments and reports about website issues
• Data on past outages

Respond to Website Outages

A business should undertake proactive incident management and communication strategies during a website outage. If your website is facing an outage, try these strategies to bring it back online.

DNS Issue

• With a DNS issue, the browser struggles to connect to the internet
• You can flush or reset the DNS settings
• Check if your domain name matches with the right IP address

Server Issues

• Always check with your host if changes were made to the permissions, domain, environment or settings
• Check if there are any scheduled server maintenance that is causing the website outage

.ht  Access

• The .htacces file defines the file permissions of your website
• Access your server’s.htaccess file and edit it blank to restore your website

File and Folder Permission

• If your website is set to block “read” and “execute” permissions from the public, there might be an outage. You can reset your website’s file and folder permissions

PHP Issues

• Check for Hypertext Processor (PHP) issues when your webpage fails to load
• Problems with PHP file permissions might prevent the website from loading properly. Use the help files specific to your server and update the settings

If your website seems to be there but loads slowly or some elements like photos don’t load, respond in the following ways.

Content Management System

• Update the plugins of your website’s content management systems with compatible ones

Loading Time Issues

• Set right outdated scripts on the website
• Reconfigure your content delivery network
• Check and solve any hacking incidents

Conclusion

Website outages can be frustrating and have far-reaching consequences for businesses. Most online platforms aim for zero website outages. However, website outages are inevitable and can be managed with a robust infrastructure, high-quality web hosting solutions, and constant monitoring.

To ensure a website’s smooth functioning, businesses should be updated about website outages in real-time. A website outage alert helps to take immediate action and minimises the detrimental effects of a website outage.

Look no further than Vodien, which offers scalable, enterprise-level multiple servers for your website. Experience security with top-class hardware resources, DDoS and SSL protection, and round-the-clock customer services. Contact Vodien today to enhance your online presence.