Website crashes are a common problem in the world of the internet. The last thing any respectful business wants is their website to go down, but there are complications which sometimes cannot be avoided no matter how good your hosting provider is. The crashes are often contributed to similar issues which this blog post aims to discuss and try making your website work for you.
Reason #1 – Plugins
Plugins are additional code and software which ‘plug in’ to your website to enable additional features which may be lacking from the site. For example, you may be a web designer and is constantly creating WordPress sites, therefore you can install a plugin which allows you to copy, clone and move a site which eases the process. However, because these are third-party companies there is a possibility that they are poorly built or not be updated regularly, causing the site to crash.
Reason #2 – Code Errors
The code is very important in order to keep your website functional. Therefore, make sure all those who have access to your site’s code knows what they are doing as one small mistake can cause the website to crash, affecting your traffic.
Reason #3 – Hosting Plan
The amount of traffic that a site has can contribute to a site crashing. If you have a small hosting plan, your site could be exceeding the expectation outlined in the plan. For example, your plan is for a small company who gains on average 3,000 site visits a month, your business could have grown to mean you are now receiving 20,000 site visits a month. If you do not upgrade your package your site could crash as the current hosting plan simply cannot handle the load.
Reason #4 – Traffic
You may find you have written an amazing blog which goes viral, great news! However, this sudden surge of visitors can cause the site to crash. The best way to envision your hosting is comparing it to a bridge. The chosen plan will determine the width of the bridge, a small plan may only let people walk over the bridge in twos. If too many people are trying to cross the bridge at once it will collapse, your website will crash as the server will not be able to handle the influx of people.
Reason #5 – Attack
Similar to a rush of traffic, some hackers will purposely rush spambots and viruses to your site with the intention of making it crash. Throughout the internet, there are people scanning to see if there are any websites which they can break in to. There may be no reason at all for this, they simply want to cause chaos in the world wide web. Most of the time they will not be successful in breaking into the whole of your site, only the admin area but this can still cause it to go down.
Everyone who owns a website will experience their site crashing at some point, it is unavoidable. However, when it happens to you remember to stay calm and be patient. Work quickly and effectively with your hosting provider to get the website back up as soon as possible to keep the damage to a minimum. Website development for small businesses is essential. The best way to prevent these problems are to get a hosting package suitable for YOU, if the package is effective the above problems will minimise, therefore the risk of crashing decreases.
For further insights and guidance, we invite you to explore our blog at 07hm.co.uk/blog. Here, you’ll find a wealth of information tailored to the needs and challenges of SMEs navigating the digital landscape. Additionally, if you have specific questions or need personalised advice, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email at info@07hm.co.uk or telephone on 01702 410663.
