Website Down But Hosting Says It's Up? Here's What to Check

Your website won't load. You contact your host. They say everything is fine on their end.

Frustrating, but often true. Many "website down" issues aren't hosting problems—they're DNS, caching, or local issues.

Here's a systematic approach to diagnosing and fixing the problem.

First: Is Your Site Actually Down?

Check from Multiple Sources

Your site might work for others but not you.

Tools to check:

• downforeveryoneorjustme.com - Quick check
• isitdownrightnow.com - Status history
• uptimerobot.com - Free monitoring

What results mean:

Result	Meaning
Down for everyone	Likely server/hosting issue
Down just for you	Local issue (DNS, ISP, cache)
Intermittent	Could be various causes

Check from Different Networks

Try accessing your site from:

• Your phone (on cellular, not WiFi)
• A VPN (different IP address)
• Ask someone else to check

If it works on other networks, the issue is likely your local network or ISP.

Common Causes and Fixes

1. DNS Issues

What it is: DNS translates your domain name to an IP address. If DNS is broken, browsers can't find your server.

Symptoms:

• "Site can't be reached"
• "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN"
• Works with IP, not domain
• Works on some networks but not others

Diagnosis:

# Check DNS resolution
nslookup yourdomain.com
# or
dig yourdomain.com

If no IP address returns, DNS is the problem.

Fixes:

Cause	Fix
DNS not propagated	Wait 24-48 hours after changes
Nameservers wrong	Update at domain registrar
Domain expired	Renew domain immediately
DNS cache on your computer	Flush DNS cache

Flush DNS cache:

• Windows: ipconfig /flushdns
• Mac: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
• Chrome: Visit chrome://net-internals/#dns and clear

2. SSL Certificate Issues

What it is: Expired or misconfigured SSL certificate blocks access.

Symptoms:

• "Your connection is not private"
• "NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID"
• Browser blocks access
• Works with http:// but not https://

Diagnosis:

• Check certificate expiration at ssllabs.com/ssltest
• View certificate details in browser

Fixes:

Cause	Fix
Certificate expired	Renew SSL (Let's Encrypt or paid)
Certificate wrong domain	Install certificate for correct domain
Mixed content	Fix http:// resources on https:// page
Hosting misconfiguration	Contact host to fix SSL setup

3. Browser Cache

What it is: Your browser is showing a cached version (or cached error).

Symptoms:

• Works in incognito/private mode
• Works in different browser
• Others can access, you can't

Fixes:

• Hard refresh: Ctrl+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)
• Clear cache: Browser settings → Clear browsing data
• Try incognito mode to bypass cache

4. Local Internet Issues

What it is: Your ISP or router is blocking or routing incorrectly.

Symptoms:

• Works on cellular data, not WiFi
• Other websites work fine
• Site accessible via VPN

Diagnosis:

# Trace the network path
traceroute yourdomain.com
# Windows
tracert yourdomain.com

Look for where the trace stops or times out.

Fixes:

Cause	Fix
Router DNS cache	Restart router
ISP DNS issues	Use Google DNS (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1)
ISP blocking	Contact ISP or use VPN
Firewall blocking	Check firewall/antivirus settings

5. Domain Not Pointing to Server

What it is: Domain points to wrong IP or no IP.

Symptoms:

• Site loads different content (old site, parking page)
• "This site can't be reached"
• Changed hosts recently

Diagnosis:

# Check where domain points
dig yourdomain.com A +short

Compare result with your hosting IP address.

Fixes:

• Update A record at DNS provider to correct IP
• Update nameservers to hosting provider's nameservers
• Wait for DNS propagation (24-48 hours)

6. Server Errors

What it is: Your hosting server has an issue.

Symptoms:

• 500 Internal Server Error
• 502 Bad Gateway
• 503 Service Unavailable
• Site down for everyone

Fixes by error:

Error	Likely Cause	Fix
500	PHP error, .htaccess	Check error logs, fix code
502	PHP timeout, memory	Increase limits, optimize
503	Server overloaded	Wait, upgrade hosting
504	Gateway timeout	Check database, increase timeout

7. Plugin or Code Issues (WordPress)

What it is: A bad plugin or code change broke the site.

Symptoms:

• Broke after update
• White screen of death
• PHP errors visible

Fixes:

1. Access via FTP/SFTP
2. Rename /wp-content/plugins/ to /wp-content/plugins_disabled/
3. If site loads, a plugin was the problem
4. Rename back and disable plugins one by one

8. Database Connection Error

What it is: WordPress can't connect to database.

Symptoms:

• "Error establishing a database connection"

Causes and fixes:

Cause	Fix
Database server down	Contact host
Wrong credentials in wp-config.php	Verify DB name, user, password
Database corrupted	Repair database via phpMyAdmin
Exceeded connections	Reduce traffic, optimize, upgrade

9. Hosting Account Suspended

What it is: Host suspended your account.

Symptoms:

• Suspension message shows
• Can't access cPanel either
• No email from hosting email

Common reasons:

• Non-payment
• Terms of service violation
• Malware detected
• Resource overuse

Fix: Contact host support immediately to resolve.

10. Malware or Hack

What it is: Site compromised and blocked or broken.

Symptoms:

• Google "This site may be hacked" warning
• Redirect to spam sites
• Foreign content appearing
• Host suspended for malware

Fixes:

1. Restore from clean backup
2. Scan with Wordfence or Sucuri
3. Clean infected files
4. Update all passwords
5. Patch vulnerabilities

Diagnostic Flowchart

Site Won't Load
     │
     ├─ Check if down for everyone or just you
     │   │
     │   ├─ Just me → DNS, cache, or local network issue
     │   │
     │   └─ Everyone → Continue...
     │
     ├─ Check for error message
     │   │
     │   ├─ SSL error → Certificate issue
     │   ├─ 500 error → Server/code error
     │   ├─ 502/503 → Server overload
     │   ├─ Database error → Database connection
     │   └─ Suspension page → Account suspended
     │
     └─ No error, just doesn't load
         │
         ├─ Check DNS resolves → nslookup
         ├─ Check IP is correct → Compare to hosting IP
         └─ Contact host with specific findings

Information to Gather Before Contacting Support

When contacting your host, provide:

1. Your domain name
2. Error message (exact text or screenshot)
3. When it started (time, what you changed)
4. What you've tried
5. Results of diagnostics:
   • Is it down for everyone? (provide tool URL)
   • DNS resolution result
   • Traceroute result
   • Different browser/device results

This speeds up support significantly.

Prevention: Monitoring Setup

Free Monitoring Tools

UptimeRobot (free tier):

• 50 monitors
• 5-minute check intervals
• Email/SMS alerts

Freshping:

• 50 monitors
• 1-minute checks
• Multiple locations

What to Monitor

• Main website URL
• Important pages (checkout, login)
• SSL certificate expiration
• Domain expiration

Alert Response

When alert fires:

1. Verify issue isn't false alarm
2. Check from multiple locations
3. Run through diagnostic steps
4. Contact host with findings if needed

FAQ

My host says server is up. What now?

Server being up doesn't mean your site works. Issues can be at DNS level, your specific account, or your local network. Work through the diagnostic steps to find the actual problem.

How long should I wait before panicking?

Brief outages (minutes) happen. If your site is down for:

• 5-15 minutes: Probably temporary, monitor
• 30+ minutes: Start diagnosing
• 1+ hours: Contact host with findings
• Multiple hours: Escalate with host

My site is slow, not down. Same process?

Similar but different. Slow sites are usually resource issues (overloaded hosting, unoptimized site). Check out Why Is My Website Slow? for that situation.

I made DNS changes and now site is down

DNS propagation takes up to 48 hours. Your site might work for some visitors and not others during this time. Wait it out, or use DNSChecker.org to see propagation status.

Site works on phone but not computer

Likely DNS cache on your computer. Flush DNS cache, try incognito mode, or restart your router.

Key Takeaways

1. Verify if site is actually down or just for you
2. DNS issues are common after hosting or domain changes
3. Browser cache causes many phantom problems
4. Error messages point to specific issues
5. Gather diagnostic info before contacting support
6. Set up monitoring to catch issues early

What to Do Next

1. Bookmark diagnostic tools for future use
2. Set up UptimeRobot monitoring (free)
3. Know how to flush DNS on your devices
4. Save your hosting support contact for emergencies

Need more reliable hosting with better uptime? Compare options with our hosting comparison tool or take our hosting quiz for recommendations.

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Last updated: January 2026