What to Do if Your Site is Down Print

Finding your website inaccessible can be frustrating, but don't panic! Most downtime issues are temporary and can be quickly diagnosed. As your hosting provider, we're here to help, but here are some steps you can take first.

Step 1: Don't Panic – It Might Just Be You

1. Hard Refresh Your Browser: Sometimes, it's just a local caching issue. Try a hard refresh (Ctrl + F5 on Windows/Linux, Cmd + Shift + R on Mac).
2. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies: As described in our "How to Clear Your Browser Cache and Cookies" guide, outdated browser data can prevent a site from loading correctly.
3. Try a Different Browser: Open your site in a different web browser (e.g., Firefox if you were using Chrome, or vice versa).
4. Try an Incognito/Private Window: This bypasses browser extensions and local cache.
5. Check from a Different Network/Device: Try accessing your site from your phone (using mobile data, not Wi-Fi), a different computer, or a friend's network. If it loads elsewhere, the problem is likely with your local internet connection or device.

Step 2: Check Your Domain Name

1. Has Your Domain Expired? An expired domain name is a common reason for a site to go down.
   • Log in to your domain registrar's account (where you purchased your domain, e.g., Namecheap, GoDaddy).
   • Check your domain's expiration date. If it has expired, renew it immediately.
2. Are Your Nameservers Correct? Ensure your domain's nameservers are pointing to our hosting (your hosting provider). You can usually find the correct nameservers in your hosting welcome email or control panel.
   • Use a tool like whatsmydns.net to check global DNS propagation. Enter your domain, and look for inconsistencies. If you just updated nameservers, it can take up to 24-48 hours to fully propagate.

Step 3: Check Your Hosting Status

1. Visit Our Status Page: We will often post updates on our official status page (if you have one) or social media channels if there are widespread server issues or scheduled maintenance. Check there first for any announcements.
2. Log In to Your Hosting Control Panel: Access your client area or hosting control panel (cPanel/Plesk).
   • Can you log in? If not, there might be an issue with your hosting account.
   • Look for a "Server Status" or "Service Status" section within the panel.
   • Check if your account has exceeded any resource limits (disk space, bandwidth, CPU usage).

Step 4: Troubleshoot WordPress Specific Issues (If You Can Access wp-admin)

If you can log into your WordPress dashboard (yourdomain.co.za/wp-admin/) but the front-end of your site is down or showing errors:

1. Check for "Critical Error".
2. Plugin/Theme Conflicts: A recently installed or updated plugin/theme can cause conflicts.
   • If you know what you recently changed, try undoing it.
3. Corrupted Files: Rarely, core WordPress files can become corrupted.

Step 5: Contact Our Support Team

If you've gone through the above steps and your site is still down, or if you're unsure about any of the troubleshooting steps, it's time to contact us!

To help us assist you quickly, please provide the following information when you contact support:

• Your domain name.
• A detailed description of the problem (e.g., "site shows blank page," "critical error message," "domain not found").
• Any error messages you see (screenshots are very helpful!).
• What steps you have already tried (e.g., "I've cleared my cache," "I checked my domain expiration").
• When the problem started.