Who Fixes Technology Fails?

The Sprocket Report

This article has been updated on 11/7/2023 with the article entitled “Common Business Website Problems - How to Diagnose and Fix Them!”

If you don’t have a twelve-year-old handy, who do you go to with technical questions? With so many of our devices and services connected today, it can be tricky to figure out who’s in charge of what. Here are some common problems, the probable causes and who to ask for help.

Slow- Loading Website
There are a number of reasons why your website is slow to load with probably an equal number of fixes. Good web developers have standards to give you the best start, but if you are updating content on your own, you could be sabotaging yourself.

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. That’s way more than a website needs to display and it takes a long time to transmit. Use a graphics program to resize your photos to around 300-600 pixels.

Lost Email
You have 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, which may be two separate service providers. And remember that while email is usually delivered without a hitch, sometimes messages do go astray, just like USPS snailmail.

Pokey Computer
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.

Missing website
The whole point of having a business website is so your customers can find you twenty-four hours a day. When your site goes down, you’ll want to fix it right away. One simple problem could be that the domain registration bill didn’t get paid. Confusion can happen when the partner or web designer who originally bought the domain name is no longer involved with the company.

Your hosting service is another possibility. Again, you need to pay to keep your website’s lights on and you should get what you pay for. Nobody is immune to Acts of God, but your hosting company should generally have a 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 step. Like we said, nobody is immune!

We frequently get calls like “you work with computers – can you help me?” While our name is Sprocket Websites and websites are our forte, we do know some things about technology in general and we’ll point you in the right direction to get the assistance you need. Unless it’s a better website that you need because with that we’re always happy to help! Just ask us!

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.

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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.

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