If your website will not load, the cause could be a network problem, expired domain, DNS issue, server error, website software problem, or a temporary security restriction. A few quick checks will help narrow it down.
First checks
- Confirm the full website address, including the correct domain spelling.
- Refresh the page once, then try a private/incognito browser window.
- Test from a different internet connection, such as mobile data rather than office Wi-Fi.
- Ask a colleague to open the same address. Do not repeatedly refresh a site that is showing a security block or rate-limit message.
- Record the exact error and the time it started.
What the message may indicate
- “Server not found” or DNS error: the domain or DNS records may not be resolving.
- “Connection timed out”: a network, firewall, server, or routing problem may be involved.
- “500 Internal Server Error”: the website application or server encountered an error.
- “503 Service Unavailable”: the application or server may be overloaded or undergoing maintenance.
- “Your connection is not private”: there may be an SSL/TLS certificate or hostname problem.
- Cloudflare-branded error: the cause depends on the specific error number; include the number when requesting help.
What not to change
Do not change your nameservers, delete DNS records, reinstall WordPress, disable multiple plugins, or restore an old backup as an initial troubleshooting step. Those actions can create additional problems or overwrite recent content.
Contact support
Report the full website URL, exact error, when the outage began, whether it affects everyone, and any recent changes. Mention whether email on the same domain also stopped working.
If you suspect a security breach: avoid logging in repeatedly or uploading files and ask for a security review.