Website Unavailable or Down - How to Detect and Fix Website Availability Problems

Is your website showing "Site can't be reached" errors or returning HTTP 500 errors? Are users reporting that your website is unavailable or experiencing downtime? This comprehensive troubleshooting guide covers everything you need to know about detecting website unavailability, identifying root causes, and implementing solutions to restore website access using Zuzia.app monitoring platform with global agents.

Understanding Website Unavailability and Its Impact

Website unavailability occurs when your website becomes inaccessible to users, either completely down or returning errors that prevent normal access. When websites are unavailable, users see errors like "This site can't be reached," "Connection timed out," or HTTP error codes (500, 502, 503, 504), causing immediate business impact, lost revenue, damaged reputation, SEO penalties, and user frustration.

Website downtime can happen for various reasons - server failures, network issues, DNS problems, CDN failures, or regional routing issues. Without proper monitoring from multiple locations, you might not notice availability problems until users report them, which can be too late. Learning how to detect and fix website unavailability quickly is essential for maintaining website uptime and preventing business losses.

How to Detect Website Unavailability Problems

Automatic Detection with Zuzia.app

Zuzia.app automatically monitors website availability from three geographically distributed locations (Poland, New York, Singapore) through its URL monitoring feature. The system:

• Checks website availability every few minutes from all three locations
• Monitors HTTP response codes and response times
• Detects regional availability issues
• Stores all availability data historically in the database
• Sends alerts when websites become unavailable or return errors
• Uses AI analysis (full package) to detect availability patterns and predict problems

You'll receive notifications via email or other configured channels when websites become unavailable or return errors, allowing you to respond quickly before users are significantly impacted.

Manual Detection Methods

You can also check website availability manually using commands that Zuzia.app can execute:

# Check website availability
curl -I https://example.com

# Check HTTP status code
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://example.com

# Check response time
curl -o /dev/null -s -w "Time: %{time_total}s\n" https://example.com

# Check from different locations
curl -I https://example.com --connect-timeout 5

Add these commands as scheduled tasks in Zuzia.app to monitor website availability continuously and receive alerts when issues are detected.

Common Causes of Website Unavailability

1. Server Failures

Server failures can cause complete website unavailability:

Signs:

• Website completely inaccessible
• No response from server
• Connection timeout errors
• Server not responding to requests

Detection with Zuzia.app:

• Monitor server status and availability
• Track server response times
• Monitor server resources (CPU, memory, disk)
• Set up alerts for server failures

Solutions:

• Check server status and logs
• Verify server is running
• Restart server services if needed
• Check server resources (CPU, memory, disk)
• Investigate server errors in logs
• Consider server redundancy or failover

2. Web Server Service Issues

Web server services (Nginx, Apache, PHP-FPM) can stop or fail:

Signs:

• HTTP 502 Bad Gateway errors
• HTTP 503 Service Unavailable errors
• Web server not responding
• Service stopped or crashed

Detection with Zuzia.app:

• Monitor HTTP status codes
• Track service status
• Monitor response times
• Set up alerts for HTTP errors

Solutions:

• Check web server service status
• Restart web server services
• Review web server configuration
• Check web server logs for errors
• Verify service dependencies
• Configure automatic service restarts

3. DNS Problems

DNS issues can prevent users from reaching your website:

Signs:

• "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN" errors
• Website not resolving to correct IP
• DNS propagation issues
• Incorrect DNS records

Detection with Zuzia.app:

• Monitor DNS resolution
• Track DNS response times
• Verify DNS records
• Set up alerts for DNS issues

Solutions:

• Verify DNS records are correct
• Check DNS propagation
• Review DNS configuration
• Verify domain configuration
• Check DNS provider status
• Update DNS records if needed

4. Regional Availability Issues

Websites can be unavailable from specific regions:

Signs:

• Website accessible from some locations but not others
• Regional routing problems
• CDN issues in specific regions
• Geographic restrictions

Detection with Zuzia.app:

• Compare availability across locations
• Monitor regional response times
• Track regional availability patterns
• Set up alerts for regional issues

Solutions:

• Check CDN configuration for affected regions
• Verify routing to affected regions
• Review geographic restrictions
• Check ISP connectivity in affected regions
• Optimize CDN for all regions

5. Network Connectivity Issues

Network problems can prevent website access:

Signs:

• Connection timeout errors
• Network unreachable errors
• Slow or intermittent connectivity
• Packet loss

Detection with Zuzia.app:

• Monitor network connectivity
• Track response times
• Monitor connection success rates
• Set up alerts for connectivity issues

Solutions:

• Check network connectivity
• Verify firewall rules
• Review security group configurations
• Check for DDoS attacks
• Verify network infrastructure

6. High Server Load

High server load can cause website unavailability:

Signs:

• Slow response times
• HTTP 503 errors
• Server overload
• High CPU or memory usage

Detection with Zuzia.app:

• Monitor server resources (CPU, memory)
• Track response times
• Monitor load averages
• Set up alerts for high resource usage

Solutions:

• Optimize server performance
• Scale server resources
• Implement load balancing
• Optimize application code
• Add more server capacity

Step-by-Step Solutions for Website Unavailability

Step 1: Identify the Problem

Use Zuzia.app to identify what's causing website unavailability:

1. Check Availability Status:

   • View Zuzia.app dashboard for current availability status
   • Check which locations detect unavailability
   • Review HTTP status codes
   • Check response times

2. Review Historical Data:

   • Check availability trends over time
   • Identify patterns in unavailability
   • Compare availability across locations
   • Review error patterns

3. Use AI Analysis (Full Package):

   • AI can identify patterns in availability issues
   • Detect root causes automatically
   • Predict potential problems
   • Suggest solutions

Step 2: Check Server Status

Verify server is running and accessible:

1. Check Server Status:

   • Verify server is running
   • Check server resources (CPU, memory, disk)
   • Review server logs for errors
   • Verify server connectivity

2. Check Web Server Services:

   • Verify web server is running (Nginx, Apache)
   • Check PHP-FPM or application server status
   • Review service logs
   • Restart services if needed

3. Check Server Resources:

   • Monitor CPU usage
   • Check memory usage
   • Verify disk space
   • Review system logs

Step 3: Verify DNS Configuration

Check DNS is configured correctly:

1. Check DNS Records:

   • Verify A records point to correct IP
   • Check CNAME records if used
   • Verify DNS propagation
   • Review DNS configuration

2. Test DNS Resolution:

   • Test DNS from different locations
   • Verify DNS response times
   • Check for DNS errors
   • Verify domain configuration

3. Fix DNS Issues:

   • Update DNS records if incorrect
   • Wait for DNS propagation
   • Verify DNS changes
   • Test DNS resolution

Step 4: Check Regional Availability

If website is unavailable from specific regions:

1. Compare Availability Across Locations:

   • Check availability from all monitored locations
   • Identify which regions have issues
   • Compare response times across regions

2. Investigate Regional Issues:

   • Check CDN configuration for affected regions
   • Verify routing to affected regions
   • Review geographic restrictions
   • Check ISP connectivity

3. Fix Regional Problems:

   • Update CDN configuration
   • Fix routing issues
   • Remove geographic restrictions if needed
   • Optimize CDN for all regions

Step 5: Configure Automatic Actions

Set up automated responses in Zuzia.app:

1. Service Restart:

   • Configure automatic restart when website unavailable
   • Automatically restart web server services
   • Prevent manual intervention for common issues

2. Script Execution:

   • Execute diagnostic scripts when issues occur
   • Run cleanup scripts automatically
   • Automate common troubleshooting steps

3. Team Notifications:

   • Alert team members when issues occur
   • Escalate critical availability problems
   • Document issues automatically

Monitoring Website Availability with Zuzia.app

Automatic Multi-Location Monitoring

Zuzia.app provides comprehensive website availability monitoring:

• Multi-location checking: Monitors from Poland, New York, and Singapore
• Automatic checking: Availability checked every few minutes
• Historical data: All availability data stored for trend analysis
• Alerts: Receive notifications when websites become unavailable
• HTTP monitoring: Tracks HTTP status codes and response times
• Regional detection: Identifies regional availability issues

AI-Powered Availability Analysis (Full Package)

If you have Zuzia.app's full package:

• Pattern detection: AI automatically detects availability patterns
• Anomaly detection: Detects unusual availability issues
• Predictive analysis: Predicts potential downtime before it occurs
• Root cause analysis: Identifies root causes of availability problems
• Optimization suggestions: Recommends ways to improve availability
• Correlation analysis: Identifies relationships between availability and other metrics

Custom Availability Monitoring Commands

Add custom commands for detailed availability analysis:

# Check website availability
curl -I https://example.com

# Check HTTP status code
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" https://example.com

# Check response time
curl -o /dev/null -s -w "Time: %{time_total}s\n" https://example.com

# Check DNS resolution
nslookup example.com

# Check connectivity
ping -c 4 example.com

Schedule these commands in Zuzia.app to monitor availability continuously and receive alerts when issues are detected.

Best Practices for Preventing Website Unavailability

1. Monitor Website Continuously

Don't wait for problems to occur:

• Use Zuzia.app for continuous availability monitoring
• Monitor from multiple locations
• Set up alerts before problems become critical
• Review availability trends regularly

2. Monitor All Critical URLs

Monitor important pages, not just homepage:

• Homepage and key pages
• API endpoints
• Admin panels
• Checkout and payment pages
• Critical subdomains

3. Set Up Redundancy

Implement redundancy to prevent downtime:

• Use multiple servers or load balancing
• Implement CDN for global availability
• Set up database replication
• Configure automatic failover

4. Monitor Server Resources

Prevent server overload:

• Monitor CPU, memory, and disk usage
• Set up alerts for high resource usage
• Scale resources before limits are reached
• Optimize server performance

5. Regular Maintenance

Perform regular maintenance:

• Update server software regularly
• Review and optimize configurations
• Clean up logs and temporary files
• Test backup and recovery procedures

6. Document Procedures

Maintain documentation:

• Document troubleshooting procedures
• Keep runbooks for common issues
• Document escalation procedures
• Maintain incident response plans

Troubleshooting Website Unavailability: Complete Workflow

Immediate Response (When Website is Down)

1. Check Current Status:

   • View Zuzia.app dashboard for current availability
   • Check which locations detect unavailability
   • Review HTTP status codes
   • Identify affected regions

2. Take Immediate Action:

   • Restart web server services if safe
   • Check server status and resources
   • Review recent server logs
   • Verify DNS configuration

3. Monitor Results:

   • Check if website becomes available
   • Verify all locations can access website
   • Ensure no new problems introduced
   • Confirm services are running

Long-Term Solutions

1. Investigate Root Cause:

   • Review server logs for errors
   • Analyze availability patterns
   • Identify recurring issues
   • Use AI analysis for insights

2. Implement Fixes:

   • Fix server configuration issues
   • Optimize server performance
   • Implement redundancy
   • Improve monitoring

3. Prevent Recurrence:

   • Set up better monitoring
   • Implement automatic failover
   • Plan capacity upgrades
   • Document solutions

FAQ: Common Questions About Website Unavailability

How do I know if my website is unavailable?

Zuzia.app automatically monitors website availability from three global locations (Poland, New York, Singapore) and sends alerts when your website becomes unavailable or returns errors. You can also check availability manually using commands like curl -I https://example.com or by accessing your website directly. Website unavailability typically shows as connection errors, timeout errors, or HTTP error codes (500, 502, 503, 504).

What should I do immediately when my website is unavailable?

When your website is unavailable, immediately check the Zuzia.app dashboard to see which locations detected the issue, verify if the problem affects all locations or just specific regions, check your server status and logs, restart web server services if safe, verify DNS configuration, and investigate the root cause. If it's a regional issue, check CDN configuration, routing, or geographic restrictions for that specific region.

Can website unavailability cause business losses?

Yes, website unavailability can cause significant business impact including lost revenue from unavailable e-commerce, damaged reputation and user trust, SEO penalties from search engines, lost leads and conversions, and customer frustration. It's essential to monitor website availability continuously and respond quickly to availability issues to minimize business impact.

How can Zuzia.app help prevent website unavailability?

Zuzia.app helps prevent website unavailability by monitoring availability continuously from multiple locations, alerting you before problems become critical, tracking availability trends over time, monitoring HTTP status codes and response times, detecting regional availability issues, and using AI analysis (full package) to predict potential problems and suggest optimizations.

Does AI analysis help with website availability problems?

Yes, if you have Zuzia.app's full package, AI analysis can detect patterns in website availability, identify root causes of availability problems, predict potential downtime before it occurs, suggest optimizations to improve availability, and correlate availability issues with other metrics to identify underlying problems.

Can I monitor website availability on multiple URLs simultaneously?

Yes, Zuzia.app allows you to add multiple URLs and all will be monitored simultaneously from all three global agent locations. Each URL has its own alert thresholds, notification settings, and can be configured independently. This makes it easy to monitor your homepage, key pages, API endpoints, subdomains, and other critical URLs from multiple geographic locations.

How often should I check website availability?

Zuzia.app checks website availability automatically every few minutes from each of the three global agent locations. For critical production websites, this frequency is usually sufficient. You can also add custom commands to check availability more frequently if needed. The key is continuous monitoring rather than occasional checks, which Zuzia.app provides automatically.

What's the difference between website unavailability and slow response times?

Website unavailability means your website is completely inaccessible (down), while slow response times mean your website is accessible but takes too long to respond. Both are important - unavailability prevents users from accessing your website, while slow response times create poor user experience. Zuzia.app monitors both availability and response times from all global agent locations.

How can I detect regional availability issues?

Zuzia.app monitors website availability from three global locations (Poland, New York, Singapore), allowing you to compare availability across different regions. If your website is unavailable from one location but accessible from others, it indicates regional issues like CDN problems, routing issues, or geographic restrictions. The dashboard shows availability status from each location, making it easy to identify regional problems.

Can I set up automatic actions when my website becomes unavailable?

Yes, Zuzia.app allows you to configure automatic actions when your website becomes unavailable. You can set up service restarts, script execution, cache clearing, team notifications, and other automated responses. This helps you respond to availability issues automatically without manual intervention, especially useful during off-hours or when immediate response is needed.

How does historical availability data help with capacity planning?

Historical availability data collected by Zuzia.app shows availability trends over time, allowing you to identify patterns in downtime, predict when availability problems might occur, plan infrastructure improvements based on data, verify optimizations are working, and make data-driven decisions about website infrastructure, CDN configuration, and server capacity. The AI analysis (full package) can automatically detect trends and suggest when infrastructure upgrades might be needed.