A broken website can feel like the end of the world - typically described as your “biggest shop window”, whether it’s a major fault, a slow server, or a hack attempt, seeing that error message of doom can be traumatic.
Users can’t reach you, sales grind to a halt, and your brand’s reputation might feel at risk. But before you let panic set in, here’s a short guide from someone who has had many a site go “down” (and be back up within minutes), to help you manage the situation effectively.
1. Keep calm
It’s easy to spiral into panic when your website goes down. But panicking really doesn’t help. In fact, it might slow you and the team that want to fix it, down. Instead, take a breath, remember that websites break for all sorts of reasons, and focus on taking the right steps to get things back up and running.
2. CALL your web development partner
And I mean call them. On the phone. If they don’t pick up, message them - on the phone. While emails are convenient, they’re not ideal for urgent issues - there is no such thing as an urgent email. They can land in spam folders, get missed, or simply take too long to be noticed. Whilst the world now loves to work asynchronously, actually speaking directly to a human being will ensure your issue is both on their radar right now, and it will also give them the opportunity to perhaps ask some questions that can help get things fixed more quickly.
3. Refer to your service level agreement (SLA)
If you have an SLA with your web development partner, check it for response and resolution times. For example, at Bravand, we promise to respond to major faults within 1 hour (seconds if you actually call us) and aim to resolve them within 4. For minor issues, our response time is 24 hours, with a fix completed within 3 days.
An SLA provides clear expectations and accountability, so you know your website is in good hands.
4. If you don’t have an SLA, get one
No SLA? It’s time to fix that. An SLA ensures your website is prioritised when something goes wrong and avoids awkward “what do you mean I have to pay for this?” conversations. While it might involve a small retainer fee, it’s worth the investment to hold your development partner accountable and ensure your website is supported when it matters most.
5. Avoid "any update?" chasers
We know it’s hard not to ask for constant updates when your website is down. But trust me, your development partner needs time and focus to investigate and resolve the issue. If you have a strong SLA, you can trust they’re working on your problem and nothing else. If you don’t trust them, that’s a bigger issue - and it might be time to start looking for a new partner.
The best solution to keep both parties focused on the task in hand but also put minds at rest in terms of updates is to schedule a good catch up time a few hours after reporting the incident.
6. Test before signing off
When your developer tells you the issue is fixed, don’t just take their word for it. Test your website thoroughly to ensure everything is working as it should. Remember, it’s your website. Ultimately, you and your team are the ones who decide if it’s back to normal. Testing it now will save you from potential frustration (and costs) down the line.
Jilly’s final thought
(anyone remember Jerry Springer?)
Websites, like relationships (okay stop JC), aren’t infallible - they break for all sorts of reasons. But with a great development team (like ours), problems can be identified and resolved quickly.
Ultimately, it’s not the problem itself, but how you handle it that counts, and having a development partner who genuinely gives a sh*t about your business or organisation makes all the difference.
If you’d like to see what a good SLA looks like, we’d be happy to share Bravand’s SLA with you.
Get in touch to learn more!
