Websites are the go-to business information and services source in today’s digitalised world. However, keeping a website up and running can be complicated.
Website downtime can affect businesses of all sizes and cause severe financial losses due to decreased customer engagement and potential disruption of services. Identifying its causes and taking measures to prevent them is essential.
This blog will examine the various reasons behind website downtime and how to avoid them.
- Mismanaged Website Maintenance
Mismanaged website maintenance often happens when a website has been around for a long time and has not been updated or attended to regularly. Old versions of plugins and software can cause incompatibility issues with newer versions, breaking parts of the website.
Additionally, if security updates have yet to be installed promptly, hackers may be able to access the website more efficiently, which can lead to downtime due to malicious activity.
Creating regular maintenance routines and schedules is essential to avoid mismanaged website maintenance and downtime. This could mean scheduling time to review code and plugins, updating software, backing up the website, and performing security checks.
- Coding Error
A coding error is a mistake when writing the code used to program a website. This can cause website downtime because the code will not run. Depending on the complexity of a website, the coding error may affect different parts of the website or even the entire website.
Common causes of coding errors include incomplete or incorrect statements in the code, typos in variable names or values, failing to insert bracketed parameters, and not correctly closing loops. It can also be caused by poor programming practices, such as improper testing for error conditions, not following secure coding guidelines, forgetting to add debugging messages, or introducing circular references.
There are a few ways to prevent coding errors from causing website downtime. These include:
- Ensuring that code is well written and error-free.
- Regularly test code against pre-defined criteria to ensure it is functioning as intended.
- Use specific tools and software to help code run more smoothly and avoid potential coding errors.
- Continually updating and upgrading code as necessary.
- CMS Problem
When experiencing CMS problems, websites may become slow and unresponsive, resulting in downtime. This can occur when the server hosting the website becomes overloaded due to high traffic or other issues. It can also happen when the CMS has a flaw or bug that causes it to crash or malfunction.
To prevent common CMS problems, ensure your website is installed correctly, keep your files updated, and avoid using outdated or unsupported CMSes. Additionally, ensure your website is hosted on a reliable server and that your web hosting provider has adequate infrastructure to support your website.
Finally, monitor your website’s performance regularly and use caution when making changes to your site’s code or layout.
Conclusion
Website downtime can happen for several reasons, and unfortunately, it’s something that business owners often have to face. However, there are some things you can do to minimise the likelihood of website downtime.
If it does occur, there are steps you can take to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Accepting these measures will help keep your customers happy and your business afloat – no matter what!
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