A website is really three things bolted together: a domain name, a place where the files live, and the site itself. When something breaks, the hard part is usually not the fix. It is working out which of the three has failed, and therefore who to ring.
If those three words are new to you, read domain, hosting and website first. It takes two minutes.
Site down right now and no idea who to call? Ring Josh on 0402 557 841. We will tell you which piece has failed and what to do next, even if we did not build your site.
Work out what you are looking at
Open your website on your phone, on mobile data rather than your office wifi, and match what you see to the list below.
A page of ads, "this domain is for sale", or a parking page. Your domain name has most likely expired. This is the one that needs action today. Ring the company you pay for the domain. Most offer a grace period of weeks to renew, after which it can be sold to anyone.
"This site can't be reached" or "server not found". The domain is probably fine but it is pointing nowhere, or the hosting has stopped. Start with the hosting company. If you use a builder like Squarespace, Wix or Shopify, the hosting is them, so start there.
A red padlock or a warning that the site is not secure. The security certificate has lapsed. On most modern hosting this renews itself, so if it has failed, the hosting company is the call.
The site loads but looks wrong, or a form or button does not work. The domain and hosting are fine. This is the website itself, which means your web developer, or the platform's support if you built it yourself.
Your email has stopped but the website is fine. Email and websites are often with different companies even when they share a name. Ring whoever provides your email, which for many businesses is Google or Microsoft. Business email on your own domain explains how the pieces fit.
Who looks after what
| Piece | Who to ring | What they can and cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | The registrar you pay each year | Renew it, point it somewhere. Cannot fix the site itself |
| Hosting | The hosting company, or the builder platform | Get the site back online, fix certificates. Cannot change your content |
| The website | Your web developer, or the platform's support | Fix pages, forms and design. Cannot help if the domain has lapsed |
| Your email provider | Fix mailboxes. Usually separate from the website |
The problem nobody plans for
A lot of the time when we get a call about a broken site, the real trouble is that nobody knows the logins. The domain was bought by a nephew in 2017. The hosting is in a former employee's name. The developer has moved on. The business has been paying for things it cannot access.
That is not a technical problem, it is an ownership one. Who owns your website walks through how to check and fix it before it bites.
Write this down today
On one page, kept somewhere you can find it, record:
- Your domain name, which company it is with, the login, and the renewal date.
- Where the website is hosted, the login, and the renewal date.
- Who built or looks after the website, and how to reach them.
- Who provides your email, and the admin login.
- Which card each of those bills, so a cancelled card does not quietly take your site down.
Ten minutes now saves a very bad morning later. Set the renewals to auto renew, and put the renewal dates in your calendar anyway in case the card fails.
If the developer has vanished
It happens more than you would think. If the domain and hosting are in your name, you are fine: any competent developer can pick the site up. If they are not, getting them transferred is the first job, and it is often possible even when the original person is unreachable, because the registrar deals with the business owner.
When we take on a rescue, that is where we start. Nothing else is worth fixing until the business owns the pieces.
If your site is broken, or you cannot get into it, tell us about your business or ring Josh on 0402 557 841. You will get a straight answer on what has gone wrong and a fixed price in writing before anything is touched.