Website Down? Step-by-Step Checklist for Small Business Owners

When your website is down, you need a checklist that is simple, fast, and clear. Most owners do not want a technical rabbit hole. They want to know: is it really down, who should fix it, and how do I protect revenue while it is happening?

This checklist is built for small businesses and can be followed in order. Print it, save it, or add it to your incident response folder. The goal is to reduce downtime and avoid the “we are not sure what is happening” feeling.

Fast confirmation checklist

1. Check in another browser. Open the site in a second browser or incognito mode.
2. Check on cellular data. Use your phone with Wi-Fi off.
3. Ask one person outside your location. A quick confirmation avoids false alarms.
4. Document the time. Write down when you first noticed the issue.

Identify what kind of outage it is

• Error page or blank screen: Likely a server or application error.
• Timeout: Server may be down or overloaded.
• Redirect to wrong site: DNS or domain issue.
• Loads but broken: App or plugin failure.

Response checklist

1. Notify your team. Let staff know calls may increase.
2. Open a support ticket with your host. Include the time, error message, and a screenshot.
3. Check the host status page. Look for known incidents.
4. Post a quick update. A short message on social media helps customers.

Technical verification checklist (non-technical friendly)

• Check domain expiration. Make sure your domain did not lapse.
• Verify DNS recently changed. If you recently updated DNS, errors can take time to resolve.
• Confirm SSL status. An expired SSL can block visitors.

Customer protection checklist

1. Update Google Business profile. Add a note if your site is down.
2. Enable call forwarding. Make sure calls go to a live phone.
3. Offer alternative ordering. Use phone or email for orders.

Recovery checklist

• Verify the homepage loads. Check on multiple devices.
• Test a key action. Form submission or checkout should work.
• Record end time. Note when the site fully recovered.
• Ask for a root cause summary. Vendors should explain why it happened.

Prevention checklist

1. Set up monitoring every 5 minutes. Alerts should come before customers notice.
2. Track uptime history. Keep a record of past outages for accountability.
3. Review hosting plan. Ensure your plan matches your traffic and risk.

Use this checklist any time you suspect downtime. The faster you confirm, the faster you can recover and reduce lost revenue.