Common Business Website Problems - How to Diagnose and Fix Them!

A lot of devices and services fall under the big umbrella of “technology,” so who do you call when there’s trouble? Read on for some common issues, the probable causes, and who to ask for help.

Your website loads too slowly.
If your website is slow to load that can be an SEO kiss of death. There is a laundry list of possible reasons for slow loading with an equal number of fixes. A web developer with good standards will give you the best start, but if you are doing it all on your own, you might be sabotaging yourself, so educate yourself or get professional help.

One common cause is posting monstrously huge photos. That blog photo may look small on the page, but it could still be 5000 pixels wide, which is way more than a website needs, and takes a long time to transmit. Use a graphics program to resize your photos to around 300-600 pixels.

Your email is getting lost. 
There are loads of options for free and paid email service, but as a business, you’ll want an email address that is “@yourbusinessname.com.” Frequently the person who built your website or who hosts your website will set up your email for you, but it is actually a separate service which means a separate help desk. 

If your email isn’t being delivered as expected, there are two places it could be failing:  at the sender’s end or at the recipient’s end. And that means there may be two separate service providers to contact. Also,  remember that while email is usually delivered without a hitch, messages do sometimes go astray, just like USPS snailmail. 

Your computer is acting pokey.
Cookies and temporary files may have been installed on your computer “behind the scenes” to let you do everyday tasks faster. But install too many and your computer starts to drag. You can find clean up suggestions on “how to” websites or you can let a local computer repair shop do it for you. 

Another culprit could be the speed of your connection. Check what speed is in your internet provider’s contract and then run one of the free speed tests available online to see what your actual download and upload speeds are. If you aren’t getting what you paid for, it’s time for a talk with your provider. 

Your website suddenly disappears.
Since the reason you have a business website is so your customers can find you twenty-four hours a day, it’s a big deal when your site goes down. One simple problem could be that the domain registration bill didn’t get paid. Confusion can happen when your partner or your web designer or whoever originally bought the domain name is no longer involved with your company. Other reasons might be that the invoice email bounced or there’s an expired credit card on file.

Poor performance from your hosting service is another possibility. Nobody is immune to Acts of God, but you pay a monthly or annual fee to keep your website’s lights on, so your hosting company should have a generally competitive uptime. 

If you’ve done what you can, including spelling the URL correctly and making sure your internet connection is working, then you may need to talk with your web developer. They could have miss-typed something or missed a small step. Like we said, nobody is immune!

Our Sprocket team frequently get calls like “you work with computers – can you help me?” Websites are our forte and we are happy to take care of those needs, but we also know a few things about technology in general. If we can’t help, we can point you in the right direction for assistance, so give us a call to talk about your concerns.

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya

This article is an update to “Who Fixes Technology Fails?” dated 7/6//2015.

Kate GingoldKate Gingold

I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.

Other posts by Kate Gingold

Contact author Full biography

Full biography

I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.

x

Linked In Google Plus