Unexpected website downtime can be stressful, but StellarSites is built with tools to help you recover quickly. This guide walks through the steps to confirm, diagnose, and resolve downtime without needing a developer.

Step 1: Confirm That the Site Is Actually Down #

Sometimes, a site that won’t load for you may still be online for others. Before taking action, confirm that the issue isn’t local to your browser, device, or network.

How to Verify Site Downtime #

• Log in to Solid Central and check the Uptime Monitoring section.
  
  • If your site is marked as offline here, it’s a verified issue.
    
• Access your site in an incognito/private browser or from a different device or Wi-Fi network.
  
• Use an external tool like Down for Everyone or Just Me to check site status from another location.
  

Step 2: Check StellarSites System Status #

If Solid Central confirms your site is down, check to see if there’s a larger issue with the StellarSites platform on our StellarWP Status page.

Where to Look #

• Visit the StellarSites System Status Page, and check for maintenance windows or platform-wide incidents.
• Check your email for any downtime alerts
• Look for alert banners in the StellarSites Dashboard or Solid Central.

These indicators can help determine if the issue is already being addressed.

Step 3: Contact StellarSites Support #

If your site is down and no system-wide outage has been reported, it’s time to contact support. Use the support chat or ticket system from within your StellarSites Dashboard.

What to Include in Your Message #

Providing the following information helps speed up troubleshooting:

• The time the issue started
• Any steps you’ve already taken
• Exact error messages or symptoms
• Whether the problem affects all pages or specific ones
• Optional but helpful: Screenshots or a screen recording

Step 4: Restore from a Backup (If Needed) #

If the server is up but your site still won’t load, restoring from a recent backup may be the fastest fix.

How to Restore a Backup #

• Go to Solid Central > Backups panel
• Choose a recent, stable backup.
• Click Restore

No scripts, no manual intervention—just a simple one-click recovery using Solid Backups NextGen.

Proactive Steps to Prevent Future Downtime #

Downtime happens, but there are steps you can take to minimize risk going forward.

Use Your Staging Environment #

Always test new themes or plugins in staging before deploying to live

Let StellarSites Handle Plugin Updates #

The visual compare feature ensures updates don’t break your site. If they do, StellarSites will auto-roll back safely.

Follow Domain Setup Best Practices #

• Double-check the DNS configuration when connecting a custom domain.
• Refer to the official domain setup guides to avoid misconfigurations.
  

Final Notes #

Downtime is never ideal, but StellarSites gives you powerful tools to recover fast. With daily backups, system monitoring, and expert support all in one place, you’re never left troubleshooting alone.

If something doesn’t look right, don’t hesitate to contact us; help is always just a click away.