Slow loading
Users abandon websites that take longer than three seconds to load. 79% of consumers are unlikely to return if they are unhappy with a website’s performance, and 44% will tell other people if they had a negative experience with a website.
That’s a lot of unhappy people, considering that websites experience up to three hours of downtime a month on average. The downtime can be as brief as two minutes, and the website owner might not even notice. However, current or potential customers definitely will.
Server issues are the main cause of downtime, but not the only one. Loading high-resolution images takes time, so you should optimize images before uploading. Lengthy and complicated forms, the users’ web browsers, videos that auto-play when someone loads a page, and network connection speed are among the other causes.
Cyberattacks
Keeping customer and employee information safe should be a top priority for all businesses. When personal or business details are stored on the server, the risk of a cybersecurity breach is far from insignificant.
Viruses and cyberattacks are a frequent source of server issues. According to 2024 data from cybersecurity firm Cobalt, there are more than 800,000 cyberattacks a year, coming to 2,220 cyberattacks a day. The impact is not only short-term, either. Public companies’ share prices drop by up to 9% in the wake of a cyberattack.
When you choose a hosting provider, make sure the plan includes a closely managed security system.
DNS server not responding
The user is usually responsible for the “DNS not responding” error. While the error is quite common, technical support is rarely needed to resolve it. The solution is often as simple as connecting with another device or troubleshooting network problems.
Running network diagnostics can help detect network errors and issues relatively easily. If you get this error on Windows 10, go to the Network and Sharing Center under Control Panel -> Network and Internet.
In Change your networking settings, choose Troubleshoot Problems and run the troubleshooter under Additional troubleshooters -> Internet Connections. Wait for the troubleshooting process to end.
If you’re still getting the error message, try connecting to the same network with a different device and accessing the site. This way, you’ll find out if the problem is with the main device.
If you can’t access the website with another device, your router could be the problem. Using mobile data or other connections can help you eliminate the site as a potential cause of connection failure.
Try using a different browser to open the site. If your primary browser is Google Chrome, try to access it from Mozilla or Microsoft Edge. Stop using your default browser if this method works.
Failure of hardware or software, power outages
Software becomes corrupted, and hardware can malfunction. Many businesses face software or hardware failure of some kind, leading to server downtime.
Banalities like overheating or interrupted power supply can impact the server. According to the Uptime Institute’s 2022 Outage Analysis, power supply failures cause 43% of the outages affecting data center operators.
Traffic overload
High traffic to your website should be a dream come true, right? After all, there is no better way to generate leads. The dream can quickly turn into a nightmare, though. The server might not be able to handle an unusually high amount of traffic in a short period of time.
It will slow your website down, compromise functionality, or even crash the server in some instances, shutting your business down.
Using a tool to monitor uptime is the first step to dealing with this potential issue. It checks your website regularly, so if something goes wrong, you’re notified right away. Your choice of a hosting company is of paramount importance.
The best provider will support any volume of traffic, accommodating spikes and eliminating the risk of downtime and server failure.
Recap
- High-resolution images and long forms slow websites down
- Cyberattacks compromise business and employee data
- DNS errors are common, but easy fixes exist
- Power supply failures occur more often than you think
- Too much traffic: how a dream becomes a nightmare
