If your website won't load, the error message you see points straight to the cause. Work through the steps below in order. Most sites are back up within minutes.
Step 1: Is it just you?
- Try the site on your phone using mobile data (not Wi-Fi), or check it at downforeveryoneorjustme.com.
- Check our Network Status page for known outages.
- If it works everywhere except your computer, clear your browser cache or try a private window. If you recently changed DNS, your computer may still have the old address cached.
Step 2: Is everything paid and renewed?
- Hosting suspended: an overdue invoice suspends the hosting. Pay it under Billing > My Invoices and the site comes back automatically.
- Domain expired: an expired domain takes the website and email offline. See Domain renewals, auto-renew, and what to do if your domain expired.
Step 3: Match the error
| You see… | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| This site can't be reached / refused to connect / DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN | The domain's nameservers or A record don't point to your hosting, often after a recent DNS or registrar change. | Check Which nameservers should my domain use? Changes take a few hours to spread. |
| There has been a critical error on this website / white screen | A WordPress plugin or theme problem, often right after an update. | See WordPress "There has been a critical error". |
| 500 Internal Server Error | A broken .htaccess file, plugin or code error. | Undo the last change, or rename .htaccess in File Manager to test. |
| 503 Service Unavailable | The site's PHP version isn't compatible with its code, or the site hit its resource limit. | Try the previous PHP version (how to change PHP version), then open a ticket if it continues. |
| Error establishing a database connection | WordPress can't reach its database. | Open a ticket and we'll check the database server and your site's settings. |
| Cloudflare Error 521 / 522 / 525 | Cloudflare can't reach your hosting server. | See How to access and manage your Cloudflare settings > Troubleshooting. |
| ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH / Your connection is not private | The domain points somewhere without a valid certificate, or the SSL hasn't been issued yet. | See Website shows "Not secure" or an SSL certificate error. |
| Bandwidth limit exceeded / Resource limit reached | The site used its plan’s monthly allowance, or had a traffic spike. | Open a ticket. We can lift the limit temporarily and recommend an upgrade. |
| A different website, or ads/redirects on mobile only | The site may have been hacked. | Open a ticket urgently. Don't keep editing the site. |
Step 4: Tell us
If the steps above don't fix it, open a ticket under Support with the website address, a screenshot of the error, and what changed recently (plugin updates, DNS changes, new theme, a developer working on the site).
Tip: Keep regular backups so any problem can be undone in minutes. See How to back up and restore your website.
