Something not working?
Website, domain or email not working? What to check first
Pick the problem closest to yours. Each one has a few safe checks you can do yourself, what not to do in a hurry, and a ready-written message if you would like us to help. Nothing here asks for a password.
My website is down or not loading
Most outages come down to three things: the domain name has lapsed, the hosting has stopped, or something on the site itself has broken. These checks tell you which, before you pay anyone.
Check these first
- Try the site on your phone using mobile data, not your Wi-Fi. If it loads there, the problem may be your own connection rather than the website.
- Write down exactly what you see: the error message word for word, or a screenshot, and roughly when it started.
- Look up your domain name to see which company it is registered through. For a .je or .gg domain, use the Channel Isles registry’s WHOIS search (opens in a new tab). Then check your email for renewal reminders or invoices from that company: an unpaid renewal is one of the commonest causes.
- Check that the last hosting invoice was paid, and whether anything changed recently, such as a new designer, an update or a change of email provider.
Don’t
- Paying a “domain renewal notice” from a company you don’t recognise. Renew only through the registrar the WHOIS record names.
- Changing DNS settings by trial and error. A wrong record can take your email down as well as the website.
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Still stuck? Send us a message with this problem already written. You can add details first, and nothing sends until you press send.
I can’t get into my domain name
Whoever holds the domain controls the website and the email that use it. The aim is to get it registered to your business, in an account you can log into yourself.
Check these first
- Look the domain up in WHOIS. The record shows the registrar, which is who you contact, and the registrant, which is the legal holder. If the registrant is your old designer rather than your business, that is the real thing to fix.
- Search your email for invoices or renewal reminders from the registrar. They usually show which email address the account is under.
- Ask the registrar to recover the account, or the person who holds it to move it into your business’s name and give you the authorisation code. Ask in writing and keep a copy.
- Keep the domain renewed while you sort it out. Recovering a lapsed name is far harder than renewing one.
Don’t
- Registering a new, similar domain in a hurry. You would lose your email address, your links and your place in search results.
- Sending passwords or ID by email or WhatsApp to anyone who contacts you unprompted about your domain.
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Still stuck? Send us a message with this problem already written. You can add details first, and nothing sends until you press send.
My business email has stopped working
Email at your own domain depends on the domain, the email provider and a few DNS records all working together. Narrow down which part has stopped.
Check these first
- Is it sending, receiving, or both? Send a test to and from a personal address and note what happens.
- Copy any bounce message you get back in full. It usually names the problem, even if the wording is technical.
- Log in to your email provider’s webmail. If webmail works but your phone or computer doesn’t, the problem is the app’s settings, not your email.
- If people say your emails land in their spam folder, the records that prove your email is genuine may be missing or wrong. That is a DNS fix, not something to change in your email app.
- Check the domain renewal too: if the domain lapses, email stops with it.
Don’t
- Giving anyone your mailbox password by email or message. A genuine helper can work with you on a call or with their own access.
- Deleting and recreating the mailbox to “reset” it. You can lose your saved email.
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Still stuck? Send us a message with this problem already written. You can add details first, and nothing sends until you press send.
I want to leave my current web provider
Moving is straightforward if you collect everything before anything is switched off. The order matters more than the speed.
Check these first
- List what the provider holds for you: the domain, the hosting, the DNS, your email, the website’s admin login, any paid plugins or themes, and the backups.
- Get the domain registered to your business and ask for its authorisation code.
- Ask for a full backup of the site’s files and database, and an export of the DNS records, and keep copies somewhere you control.
- Check your contract for a notice period, and keep the old hosting running until the new site and your email are working.
- Once you have moved, change every password and turn on two-factor sign-in.
Don’t
- Cancelling the old hosting or email before the new ones are working.
- Agreeing to a new provider holding the domain in their own name. Ask anyone, including us, to confirm in writing that the domain and content are yours.
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Still stuck? Send us a message with this problem already written. You can add details first, and nothing sends until you press send.
Starting again instead?
If the old site is past saving, our free website planner suggests what to build next and shows what it costs over one and three years. Builds start from £100 and are priced to the job, and hosting is from £20 a month.
Not sure how your site compares? Our study of 49 Jersey business websites ends with a five-minute check you can do on your phone.