When your website goes glitches or fails, it is not just inconvenient, it’s costing you money in missed opportunities.
Did a customer message to say a link doesn’t work. Do you get an error message on the screen. Is a page refusing to load. Is the shopping cart missing. So many questions and no idea what’s gong on or why!
Trouble shooting guides are generally written for corporate IT teams or tech-savvy developers. They assume you have time, technical knowledge and a support team. As a side hustler in the UK, probably fitting your hustle around a full-time job, family, wellness and general life things these sorts of guides are not helpful.
The guide below cuts straight to the most common reasons your website is not working and what you can do about each one. You’ll know exactly what to check, what to fix yourself and when it is worth calling in help.
Is It Your Website or Your Connection?
Before you do anything, confirm the problem is with your website and not your internet. I know its sounds cliché but it really might be that there are router issues.
Open a different website such as DuckDuckGo or Google. If that loads fine, the problem is with your site. If nothing loads at all, restart your router or switch to mobile data because the problem is your internet connection.
If other sites load fine but yours does not, try visiting your website from a different device or browser such as Chrome or Firefox. If it works on another browser, you have found your culprit without having to do anything technical.
Use a free tool like isitdownrightnow.com to check if your site is down for everyone or just for you. Type in your web address and it tells you in seconds.
The Most Common Reasons Why Your Website Is Not Working
Your domain name has expired
This is one of the most common reasons and the most fixable. Your domain name (the .co.uk or .com part of your web address) has to be renewed every year. If the payment fails or you forget, your website disappears overnight.
Log into wherever you bought your domain. Common UK providers include:
- GoDaddy
- Namecheap
- 123 Reg
- IONOS
Check the expiry date on your domain. If it has lapsed, renew it. Your site should come back within a few hours to 48 hours. I have had many clients come to me in the belief that they have a website domain only for me to confirm that they do not. Expired domains happen more often than you think.
Going forward, set your domain to auto-renew and keep your payment card up to date. A .co.uk domain costs roughly £20 per year. Losing your website over that is not worth it. Some providers give a small window for renewal if you miss the final date but if it over a week, I can almost guarantee you, your site is gone!
Your browser cache is causing the problem
Your browser saves copies of websites to help them load faster. Sometimes that saved data becomes outdated or corrupted and it causes your site to display incorrectly or not at all.
Clear your browser cache and cookies. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data, tick cached images and files, and clear.
If you are not sure how to do this, try a different browser first. If your site loads in Firefox but not Chrome, it is a cache issue. Clear your cache in Chrome and the problem is solved.
Your hosting payment has failed
Your website files live on a server. Domains and hosting are two very different things. The server that your website files sit on, costs money to maintain. If your hosting payment has failed or your account has been suspended, your site goes down.
Log into your hosting account and look for alerts, failed payments or suspension notices. Sort the payment and your site should come back online.
Check your hosting renewal date at the same time. Hosting typically renews annually or monthly depending on your plan and it’s easy to miss an email about a failed card payment.
A plugin or update has broken your WordPress site
If your site is built on WordPress, a plugin update, the theme or WordPress itself can cause a conflict. The most common symptom is a blank white screen or a string of error text.
Go into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins. Deactivate the most recently updated plugin and refresh your site. If it comes back, that plugin was the culprit.
If you cannot access your dashboard at all, contact your hosting provider’s support team. They can help you access your files directly to deactivate the plugin. If your package allows. I have also had to fix blank website screen via the files. This is not for the faint of heart and as a novice, you really don’t want to make it any worse.
Most providers, if not all, have automatic backups. If you do not have backups in place on your site right now, sort that out before you do anything else.
Your SSL certificate has expired
The padlock symbol in your browser address bar is your SSL certificate. It tells visitors your site is secure. When it expires, browsers block your site with a red warning screen and most visitors will not click through it.
Log into your hosting account and look for SSL settings. Most providers offer free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt and they renew automatically. If yours has not renewed, you can usually reinstall it in a few clicks from your hosting dashboard.
If you are not sure where to find this, your hosting provider’s support may be able to walk you through it.
What If You Are on Wix, Shopify, or Squarespace?
If you built your site on a website builder platform, you do not control the server. That means you cannot fix server-side outages yourself.
Check the platform’s status page to see if there is a known outage:
- Wix: status.wix.com
- Shopify: shopifystatus.com
- Squarespace: status.squarespace.com
If there is an outage, you have to wait. If there is nothing showing on their status page, contact their support team directly. The issue may be specific to your account. WordPress allows you to manage most outages.
When Should a Side Hustler Get Professional Help?
Get help when you have worked through the checks above and still cannot find the problem. Get help if you are not sure about what you are doing. The more you break the more the designer will have to fix. Think of it like you car warning light. You want to fix the problem at low cost before the problem gets harder to fix at an astronomical cost. Your time has value. Spending three evenings going around in circles, crying, frustrated and screaming at your computer is not a productive use of your time.
Get help when your site has been down for more than 24 hours. Every day your website is down, potential customers are finding someone else. If your site goes down regularly, that is a sign the foundations are not right. A poorly built website on an unreliable platform will keep causing you problems no matter how many times you fix the symptoms.
So…Is It Time to Invest in a Website That Holds Up?
A lot of side hustlers get in touch with me after a moments like these. They have been getting by on a free platform or a DIY site and a problem like this is the moment they decide to do things properly.
A professionally built WordPress website is more stable, more secure and more visible in Google searches than a free builder site. You do not need to be earning from your side hustle yet to afford it. Many of my clients use their full-time income to pay in instalments via a payment plan or put it on a credit card paying it off over a few months. My Website Audits start from £195.
I’m Onika Sabrina, web designer in Great Barr, Birmingham who works exclusively with side hustles and small businesses. Transparent pricing from £1,500, payment plans available and your website delivered in 2-4 weeks. No agency overhead, no corporate pricing, just affordable websites that convert.
See If I’m Right for Your Project
Fill in this quick form and I’ll let you know within 24 hours if I can help.
Or have a quick question first? WhatsApp me
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my website down but the internet is working?
Your internet being fine does not mean your site is up. Your hosting, domain or SSL certificate could have an issue that only affects your website.
How do I know if my website is down for everyone or just me?
Use a free tool like isitdownrightnow.com. Enter your web address and it checks the status from multiple locations worldwide.
Why is my website not loading on mobile?
This is often a browser cache issue on your phone or a problem with your mobile data connection. Try loading it on Wi-Fi instead or clear the cache on your mobile browser.
How long does it take for a website to come back after a domain expires?
Usually between a few hours and 48 hours after you renew. The exact time depends on your domain provider and how quickly DNS updates.
Can a WordPress update take down my website?
Yes. Plugin, theme and core WordPress updates can cause conflicts that break your site. This is why regular backups before updates are essential.
Why is my website showing a security warning?
Your SSL certificate has likely expired. Browsers display a red warning screen when this happens. You can usually fix it by reinstalling your SSL certificate through your hosting account.