Few things are more frustrating than realizing your website isn’t loading — especially when potential customers might be clicking that link. The good news? Most downtime has a simple explanation — and a fast fix (when you know where to look).
Here are the most common culprits we see:
- Expired Domain — If your domain wasn’t renewed on time, your whole site disappears. We track domain expirations and renew proactively for our clients.
- Hosting Outage — Even good hosts have the occasional hiccup. We monitor uptime and work with hosting support to get sites back online fast.
- Plugin or Theme Conflicts — A bad update can break your site’s layout — or take it down entirely. We carefully test updates and roll them back if needed.
- Hacked or Compromised Site — Malware infections can knock a site offline or trigger hosting suspensions. We secure sites, monitor for threats, and can restore clean backups when needed.
- DNS or Configuration Errors — A misstep with your domain records (especially after a redesign or migration) can break site access. We handle DNS setup and troubleshoot misconfigurations.
Common Website Error Codes — What They Mean
| Error Code | What it Means | Quick Explanation |
|---|---|---|
|
400 Bad Request |
The browser sent something the server couldn’t understand. |
Often caused by a corrupted link, cookie issue, or bad form submission. |
|
401 Unauthorized |
Access is restricted — login required. |
You need to be logged in to view this page.
|
|
403 Forbidden |
You’re not allowed to access this. |
Either permissions are wrong, or access is intentionally restricted.
|
|
404 Not Found |
The page doesn’t exist. |
Most common error — broken link or the page was removed.
|
|
408 Request Timeout |
The server took too long to respond. |
Usually a temporary connectivity issue or overloaded server.
|
|
500 Internal Server Error |
Something broke on the server. |
Could be a misconfigured file, bad plugin, or temporary glitch. |
|
502 Bad Gateway |
Bad response from an upstream server. |
Usually a hosting or CDN issue — server isn’t responding properly. |
|
503 Service Unavailable |
The server is down — temporarily unavailable. |
Server is overloaded, under maintenance, or offline. |
|
504 Gateway Timeout |
The server didn’t respond in time. |
Common with slow or overloaded servers — site can’t load properly.
|
Your website is the front door to your business — we make sure it stays open.
If your site’s ever gone down unexpectedly, or you want peace of mind that someone’s keeping an eye on it — let’s talk. We offer reliable Website Care Plans so your site stays secure, fast, and available.
