Something is broken
Errors, slow pages, missing images and forms that fail.
6 answers · Updated 2026-10-17
When a website breaks, the first problem is rarely the fix. It is working out what kind of broken you are looking at. A page that will not load at all, a page that loads but looks wrong, a form that says it worked while no email arrives, and a browser warning that says the site is not secure are four different problems with four different owners. Treating them all as 'the site is down' sends everyone looking in the wrong place.
Most problems fall into a small number of buckets. The first is the local bucket: your browser, your device, your network or an old saved copy of the page. This is why the first question on any broken-site report is whether anyone else can see the same thing. The second is the front door: your domain, its DNS records and its renewal, plus the SSL certificate that proves the site is the real one. The third is the server: hosting that is overloaded, out of resources or restarting. The fourth is the site itself: a plugin or theme update, an edit that conflicted with something else, or a script from a third party that stopped answering.
Each of those has a recognizable signature. A padlock warning points at the certificate. A numbered error such as 503 or 504 points at the server. A page that is fine on your phone and wrong on your laptop points at a cached copy. A form that works when you test it but fails for customers often points at email authentication, not the form at all. The articles in this category are written in that order: start with the symptom you can see, and follow the checks that rule out the cheap explanations first.
A few habits make every one of these faster to fix. Write down what you saw and when. Take a screenshot with the address bar visible. Note the device, browser and whether you were on Wi-Fi or mobile data. Never send us a password, because we never need one. And when you do need help, use the support form with one request per problem, so the right person sees the right detail. You do not have to diagnose anything before you ask. The guides here exist so that when you do ask, you can say something precise instead of 'it's broken'.
All answers in something is broken
- My website is down: what to check, in orderA step-by-step order for working out whether your site is really down, what an error code means and what to send us.
- Clear cache and refresh: why your changes do not appearHow browser, plugin and CDN caches work, how to bypass each one, and how to tell a stale copy from a real problem.
- Forms not sending emails: why enquiries go missingWhy form emails vanish, how SPF, DKIM and DMARC fit in, how to test properly and how a form should be set up.
- My site is slow: how to measure it and what fixes itWhat slow actually means, how to read PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals, and which causes are fixable by whom.
- SSL padlock warning: what it means and what to doWhat certificate warnings mean, the common causes, mixed content, www versus non-www, and why you must not click through.
- Site looks wrong on mobile: causes and what to sendWhy a site can look broken on a phone, how to test properly, and the details that let us fix it fast.
Questions about something is broken
How do I know whether my website is really down or it is just me?
Open the site on your phone using mobile data with Wi-Fi switched off. If it loads there, the problem is on your device or network. If it fails the same way on a different network, or a colleague in another place sees the same error, the problem is with the site or its hosting. Our website down guide walks through the full order of checks.
I changed something on my site but I still see the old version. Is it broken?
Almost certainly not. Browsers, caching plugins and content delivery networks all keep saved copies of pages to load them faster, and sometimes they hold on to an old one. Try a hard refresh or a private window first. If that shows the new version, the change worked and only your saved copy was stale. See clear cache and refresh. Do not ask for the work to be redone before checking.
Why did my contact form say 'sent' but no email arrived?
Because a form sending a message and an inbox accepting it are two separate steps. The form may have worked while the email was filtered as spam, rejected for failing sender checks, or never handed off to a mail service properly. Check spam and any alternate address first, then read forms not sending emails for the full list. Do not resubmit it repeatedly.
Is a browser warning that says 'Not secure' dangerous to ignore?
Treat it as a stop sign. A certificate warning means your browser cannot confirm it is talking to the real site, or the connection is not encrypted. Do not click through, and do not enter passwords or card details. Report the page address and the exact wording to us. The usual causes, such as an expired certificate, are fixable. See SSL padlock warning.
What should I send when I report a problem?
Send the page address, what you expected, what happened instead, a screenshot that shows the address bar, the device and browser you used, and roughly when it started. A short screen recording as a Loom link is even better. Never send passwords. Put it all in one request through the support form, one problem per ticket. Specific details let us start on your first message.
Can I fix any of this myself, or do I have to wait for you?
You can fix a surprising amount yourself: clearing your cache, testing on another device, checking spam folders, and running a speed test to capture the numbers. Changes to hosting, certificates, DNS, plugins and code are for our team, so do not edit those on a guess. If you are unsure which one you have, ask. A precise report saves time either way.
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