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Websites are constantly crashing and getting taken down by hackers. Whether from a simple server error or from a hacking attempt, websites can be taken down for a variety of reasons. Even when they’re up, downtime is still common because the internet is so vast. This article will go into detail on the different types of downtime that websites face and how to avoid them.
What are the best practices for handling downtime?
There are many things that can go wrong with your website, but you need to be prepared. For example, if your server crashes, you’ll want to know what steps to take to get it back up and running as quickly as possible. There are many different ways to deal with this situation, but the best practices include having a backup of your site and knowing how to leverage Google’s cache.
If you’re not sure what these terms mean or how they could help you, read on for more information about downtime strategies.
Why is downtime unavoidable?
Every business will experience downtime at one point or another. It’s a natural part of growing, and it’s something you should be prepared for. Downtime is traditionally caused by disasters, such as a power outage or a natural disaster. But downtime can also be caused by human error, such as a data breach or a failed backup system.
Regardless of the cause, there are some best practices for handling downtime to make sure your business doesn’t lose any money during this time.
How can downtime be avoided or minimized?
One of the most concerning parts of running a business is that you never know when your site will go down. You never know when you’ll have a loss of service, whether it’s just a few minutes or for an extended period.
The best thing to do is make sure you have a backup plan in place for downtime. You should always be testing your backups and making sure they work as expected before you need them.
If downtime does happen, it’s important to be as transparent as possible with customers and let them know what happened and when their service will be back online. The less time they’re without service, the better!
You should also make sure your tech team knows how to handle downtime if it does happen. If they’re not prepared and don’t know what to do, they may do more harm than good by making too many changes or doing things incorrectly, which can leave your site in worse shape than before.
Lastly, consider having someone on call at all times so if something does go wrong, there’s someone available who can take action immediately.
What are the strategies for handling downtime as a business owner?
If your business is online, downtime can be devastating. With the rise of smartphones and tablet computers, it’s now easier than ever for customers to purchase elsewhere.
Luckily, there are a few strategies you can use to keep your customers happy when your website goes down.
One strategy is to offer discounts, vouchers, or other incentives on social media during downtime. This will reward your current customers and entice new ones who may have heard about the outage through social media.
Another strategy is to maintain customer relationships through email campaigns during downtime periods. You can also use this time as an opportunity to provide additional information that could be helpful for your customers such as product updates and upcoming events.
And lastly, you should use downtime as an opportunity to learn about how you can avoid future outages by reviewing what caused the outage and what measures you can take in order to prevent it from happening again.
Can downtime be a good thing for a business?
Despite how it may seem, downtime can be a good thing for your business. As long as the downtime is planned and documented, you’ll likely have a smoother transition when restoring your website or other programs.
When you’re faced with downtime, it’s important to assess the issue and decide what to do next. For example, if you’re experiencing downtime due to an attack on your servers, then contact cybersecurity experts. If the problem has to do with connectivity or power, then contact IT specialists.
Downtime can be full of unknowns; however, these best practices will help make the process more manageable.
Last Updated on December 25, 2021
Aires Loutsaris is a content marketing specialist working with some of the world’s biggest VC funded startups and eCommerce companies. He has 15 years of experience in organic search optimisation and content writing with over 2500 students enrolled in his Udemy SEO course. An ex-head of two award-winning agencies, he has lectured at the University of the Arts, London College of Fashion on content marketing and has consulted for all three of the Universities he studied at: The Open University, The University of Hull and Kings College University of London. Feel free to connect with Aires on LinkedIn or Facebook.