You try to open your website and it won't load. Before you assume the worst, it's worth finding out whether the site is genuinely offline or the problem is only happening on your side. The steps below help you tell the difference quickly.
Check if it's just you
Most "site is down" scares turn out to be a local issue: a cached page, a DNS record still pointing at old information on your device, or a temporary network hiccup. Rule these out first.
- Try loading the site on a different device or network, for example switch from your office Wi-Fi to your phone's mobile data.
- Open the site in a private or incognito browser window. This skips your saved cache and cookies, which can sometimes show you an old, broken version of a page.
- Clear your browser cache and, if you've recently changed DNS records or nameservers, clear your local DNS cache too.
- Search online for a free "website status checker" tool. These test your site from several locations around the world and tell you whether it's reachable from outside your own network.
If you've made DNS or nameserver changes recently, don't mistake normal propagation delay for the site being down. Changes can take a few hours to reach all networks. See How Long Do DNS Changes Take to Propagate? if you've just updated a record.
If the site loads fine elsewhere but not on your device, the problem is local. Try clearing your DNS cache and restarting your router.
If it's down for everyone
If a status checker or a device on another network also can't reach your site, the issue is on the hosting or domain side. Work through these possibilities in order.
- Hosting account suspended: an overdue invoice can suspend a hosting account. Log in to your client area and check your billing status.
- Domain expired: an expired domain stops resolving entirely. Check your domain's expiry date and renew it if needed.
- Server-side error: if the site loads but shows an error page (such as a 500 or 403 error), the problem is likely with your website's code, a plugin, or a misconfigured file rather than the server being offline.
- DNS or nameserver misconfiguration: if you recently moved your domain or changed nameservers, a mistake in that setup can take the site offline for everyone.
A quick way to check for billing issues is to review your account directly, since an unpaid invoice is one of the most common causes of an unexpected outage. See How to Renew Your Hosting Plan Before It Expires to avoid this happening again.
When to contact support
If you've ruled out a local issue, confirmed the site is unreachable from outside your network, and your billing and domain status both look fine, get in touch with your hosting provider's support team. Have ready: the exact error message you're seeing, the time you first noticed the problem, and confirmation of which status checker or network you tested from. This helps support diagnose the issue faster instead of having to repeat the same checks.