Domain, DNS and SSL: What to Check When Your Website Won't Load

The domain, DNS and SSL work at different layers. The domain is the address name, DNS points visitors to the right service, and the certificate helps secure the connection. When a site goes down, the key is to find which layer is failing, not to change every setting at once.

Record the symptom first

Write down the exact URL, the browser message and the time. Try another network or device to tell a local problem from a general one. A site that won't open, a site that returns a server error and a site that opens with a warning are three different situations.

Don't send passwords together with a screenshot of the problem. The URL and symptoms are enough for a first diagnosis; access is shared with the person responsible separately.

Three different website symptoms on separate screens: address not found, server unavailable, HTTPS warning.
Three different website symptoms on separate screens: address not found, server unavailable, HTTPS warning.

DNS is not your website's content

DNS records say where a request should go. Email may have its own records and a different provider. So changing where your website points doesn't mean replacing the whole zone. This matters most when moving to a new host.

Cloudflare's documentation on DNS records shows that records are managed individually by type and purpose. Before editing anything, save the current values and note the reason for each change.

A domain directory points from the address sign to the server, while the content itself sits separately on the server.
A domain directory points from the address sign to the server, while the content itself sits separately on the server.

An HTTPS warning needs its own check

Check that the certificate matches the domain, that it hasn't expired, and how the server is configured. Don't tell visitors to ignore the warning as a permanent fix. Once it's fixed, test the main address and every redirect variant. Add the certificate's expiry date to your monitoring.

With website hosting, decide in advance who is responsible for domain settings and the certificate. Technical support can narrow down the cause and make the right change without breaking other services.

The certificate, domain name and expiry date are inspected with a magnifying glass; the connection padlock is separate from how the page works.
The certificate, domain name and expiry date are inspected with a magnifying glass; the connection padlock is separate from how the page works.
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