What Causes Website Outages (And How To Keep Yours Up And Running)

Your website plays an incredibly important role in your business.

It’s going to be the first port of call for many new Customers, and a reliable source of information for returning Customers. If you’re running an ecommerce store it’s even more important, it’s what enables you to make the sales that are the lifeblood of your business.

So it’s obvious then that your website going down is very bad, and needs to be avoided. A website outage can plunge any business into chaos, but luckily there are some things that can be done to protect yourself from this potential disaster.

Follow along as we look at what can cause a website outage and how you can prevent it.

Unreliable Web Hosting

In case you need a reminder, your web hosting is the server on which your website lives, the thing that allows everyone on the internet to access it. If that server goes down it takes your website with it, so choose your hosting solution carefully.



A cheap hosting solution is good, but even better is one that’s reliable. This means a solution that isn’t going to fail on a regular basis. Servers can be fussy machines, they need constant power, a cool environment in which to work, and to not be knocked around or have important cables unplugged.

Make sure the hosting you’re paying for is a reputable operation that takes good care of the machines your website depends on. Also make sure that they make backups of your site at regular intervals.

Even the best server is going to experience a problem at some point in its life, and having a recent backup available will make getting your Site back online a lot quicker and easier.

A quality hosting solution will eliminate most of the common problems that cause website downtime, make sure you invest in one.

Server Overload

While we’re talking about servers, let’s cover what happens when they get overloaded. Overload occurs when a server receives more traffic than it can handle, and this results in the server crashing, taking everything it’s hosting with it.

This most commonly occurs during periods of unusually high traffic, usually in response to sales or other limited time events. If you’re experiencing server overload on a regular basis however, that tells you your server isn’t up to the task of running your Site, a common growing pain for businesses that are getting bigger and more popular.

The solution is simple, more server space. If you’re currently using a shared server, then this is your cue to go solo and commit to your own private server. If you already have a private server, then you should look into upgrading to a bigger one.

A simple problem with a simple solution.

DNS Expiry

The Domain Name System (DNS) is what manages the web address of your website, and every other Site in the world as well. When you pay your domain registry fees to secure your web address, this is the system you’re securing a spot in.

If not kept up with, however, these registrations expire, losing you your domain and causing your website to be impossible to access. Luckily preventing this is very simple, make sure to renew your domain whenever it comes due.

Registrars allow you to register your domain in blocks of years, 1 year, 2 years, etc. If you’ve got an agency managing your domain for you, they’ll let you know when your domain is in need of renewing, as will most registrars if you’re handling it yourself.

Make sure you keep renewing your domain registration and this will never be an issue.

Hackers, Cyberattacks & Malware

Server security has come a long way since the early days of the internet, but threats can still occur.

Unless you’re a super high profile company, you’re unlikely to be targeted specifically by hackers, so don’t fret too much about that. A reliable server with standard security precautions should be enough to keep you safe there.

Those same standard precautions will also help to protect your Site from cyberattacks like DDoS attacks, where attackers will spam your server with fake access attempts to overload it.

Malware is most likely to originate on your own computer, so exercise common sense and keep your computer safe to ensure your website remains safe as well.

Standard precautions will be enough to protect you from most threats to your website, so make sure your hosting solution is secure and take care of the computer you use to manage your Site.

Website outages can be devastating to a Small Business, but with a few simple precautions the threat can be largely eliminated. Do your research, get a quality hosting solution, and you should enjoy a smooth operation.