Why isn't my website working?

The most frequently asked question from clients, regardless of the department contacted, is: “Why is my website not working?”. Although the question seems simple and may appear to have a direct answer, the reality is that there can be numerous reasons why a website is not accessible online.

To support users, we have prepared a list of the 15 most common situations in which a website can become non-functional.

Each case is presented individually, with a brief explanation followed by the recommended solution to remedy the situation.

Contents

1. You have purchased only a domain name, not a hosting package
2. You have purchased only a hosting package, not a domain
3. You have not updated your NS to those of Hostico
4. You have changed your NS but they have not propagated
5. You have not uploaded content to the hosting package
6. There is a technical issue
7. The domain has been locked by the registrar
8. The nameservers have not been configured properly
9. The DNS settings of the hosting package are incorrect
10. The hosting is suspended due to non-payment
11. The hosting has been deleted from the main servers
12. The SSL certificate is missing or expired
13. The site has been compromised or attacked (malware/hack)
14. Local DNS or browser caching issue
15. The domain has not been renewed and has expired

1. You have only purchased a domain name, not a hosting package

If you are not familiar with how a website works, it is important to know that the online presence of a site involves two essential components:

• A web hosting package – This represents the space on a server where the website's files (images, source code, content), databases, email accounts, and other resources necessary for the website's operation are stored.
• A domain name – It is the web address under which users can access the site (e.g., hostico.ro).

Exclusive acquisition of a domain name, without an associated hosting package, is not enough for the website to be visible online. In the absence of a server to which it can be directed, the domain has no content to display, which means that accessing it will not generate any visible results for users.

Recommended solution:

To avoid additional configurations or operational errors, we recommend that you purchase a hosting package directly within the Hostico platform. This way, the connection between the domain and the hosting service will be established automatically, without having to make additional technical settings.

If you have previously purchased only a domain name with one of the extensions: .com, .at, .be, .ch, .de, .es, .eu, .hu, .in, .it, .li, .nl, .ro, .uk, .co.uk, .us, within the last 14 days and wish to benefit from the Hostico offer that includes free domain registration in the first billing year, please contact the sales department to generate an invoice that will include the discount corresponding to the cost of the domain already paid.

2. You have purchased only a hosting package, not a domain

As in the previously mentioned case, for a website to be accessible online, both a hosting package and a domain name are needed.

If you purchased only hosting, without registering a domain, there will be no web address for users to access the content stored on the server. In other words, even if the website files and any databases are already uploaded to the hosting account, they cannot be displayed in a browser without a domain to point to them.

Recommended solution:

To make the hosting service functional and visible to the public, it is necessary to register a domain name. This can be done directly through the Hostico platform. If you purchased a hosting package for a period of 12 months within the last 14 days, but you did not add a domain to your cart at the time of placing the order, and your domain has one of the following extensions: .com, .at, .be, .ch, .de, .es, .eu, .hu, .in, .it, .li, .nl, .ro, .uk, .co.uk, .us, please contact us. We can apply the free offer directly to the already issued and paid invoice.

In the situation where the hosting package was purchased for a period of less than 12 months, but you wish to take advantage of the free domain offer in the first year, we have the option to generate a pro forma invoice for the payment difference up to 12 months. After paying this difference, the domain will be included in the offer at no additional cost.

3. You have not updated your NS records to those of Hostico

If you have registered the domain name with another provider, and the hosting package was purchased from Hostico, you need to update the domain's nameservers to those of Hostico, so that the website and associated services (e.g., email) function correctly.

Without this update, the domain will not know which server to direct requests to, and accessing the site will not be possible, even if the hosting is active and functional.

Recommended solution:

If you want to keep the domain with the current provider, you need to set the Hostico nameservers for the domain to work correctly with the hosting package purchased from us. The Hostico nameservers are as follows:

• ns1.hostico.ro
• ns2.hostico.ro
• ns3.hostico.ro
• ns4.hostico.ro

This change is made from the administration panel provided by the provider from whom you registered the domain.

If you want to centralize all services into a single account and prefer that the Hostico team manage the nameserver configurations, you need to transfer the domain to us.

The transfer process varies depending on the domain extension:

• For .ro domains, the transfer is carried out based on the transfer key (auth code) generated from the ROTLD account.
• For most other international extensions, the transfer key (EPP code) is required, which can be obtained from the current domain provider's account.

4. You have modified the NS records but they have not propagated

If you have already updated the domain's nameservers to those corresponding to Hostico, but the website is still not functional and there are no other technical issues with the services, it is most likely that the DNS propagation has not been fully completed.

Recommended solution:

Unfortunately, at this stage there is no concrete action we can take to expedite the process. DNS propagation is a global phenomenon, managed by the internet network infrastructure, and occurs automatically as name servers around the world update with the new information.

The time required for complete propagation can vary between a few minutes and up to 48 hours, depending on the DNS cache of the networks or internet service providers used.

5. You have not uploaded the content to the hosting package

After activating a hosting package and a domain name, the services become active, but the website will not be visible online until the necessary files are uploaded to the hosting space.

Recommended solution:

To make the website functional, it is necessary to upload the content (the website files) to the public_html directory of the hosting account. This can be done either through the cPanel > File Manager, or by using an FTP client (such as FileZilla), using the access data received in the activation email.

6. There is a technical issue

In certain situations, the website may not be functional due to a technical issue that occurred either at the hosting account level or in the structure of the site's files.

Recommended solution:

To accurately identify the cause, a targeted check is necessary. We recommend contacting the Hostico team through a support ticket or via chat, to analyze the situation and provide you with the appropriate solution.

7. The domain has been blocked by the registrar

Depending on the domain extension and certain associated actions or inactions, it is possible for the domain to be temporarily suspended by the registrar, which leads to the interruption of the website's operation.

For gTLD domains (.com, .net, .org etc.), suspension most frequently occurs due to the invalidation of the email address associated with the domain within 14 days of registration or modification.

In addition, there are cases where the domain is blocked as a result of the non-confirmation of the contact data entered in WHOIS, in the context of the application of the new regulations imposed by the NIS2 directive.

Recommended solution:

Check the email inbox used for registering the domain and look for messages sent by the registrar concerning the validation of the email address or contact details. These messages usually contain a confirmation link that must be accessed to reactivate the domain.

If you cannot find the respective email or it has been deleted, please contact us through the Hostico sales department, so we can resend the validation message and thus unlock the domain as soon as possible.

8. The nameservers have not been configured properly

If you have purchased a domain name through Hostico, but when you try to change the nameservers you encounter an error stating "the nameservers do not exist", it is very likely that they are not yet correctly registered with the registrar.

This situation can occur especially when there is a desire to set custom nameservers (e.g.: ns1.domain.ro) that have not been created in advance in the DNS zone or have not been properly declared in the registrar's system.

Recommended solution:

We recommend that you contact the Hostico support team to check if the respective nameservers have been registered and propagated correctly.

9. The DNS settings of the hosting package are incorrect

Even if the domain is active and correctly directed to Hostico's nameservers, the site's functionality can be affected if the DNS settings in the hosting account are not configured properly.

This situation may occur due to accidental or incomplete modification of DNS records (such as A, CNAME, MX, etc.) in cPanel, or if the zone files were not generated correctly during account activation.

Recommended solution:

We recommend that you access the Zone Editor section in cPanel and check if the essential DNS records are present and correctly configured. If you have any doubts or notice discrepancies, please contact us for a proper verification and reconfiguration of the DNS zone associated with the domain.

10. Hosting is suspended for non-payment reasons

If the following message appears when accessing the website:

This Account has been suspended. We're sorry, but this website has been suspended. Please contact the website administrator for more information.

This means that the hosting package has been suspended, most likely due to the late payment of the invoice related to the service. It is important to note that, in this situation, the domain is still active, but the website content is no longer available to the public.

There are also exceptions in which the suspension of the service occurs as a response to the violation of Hostico's terms and conditions, situations that require individual analysis.

Recommended solution:

Access the Financial section of your Hostico client account and check for any outstanding invoices for the hosting service. After paying them, the account will be automatically reactivated. If you have paid the invoice via transfer and not by credit card, you will need to provide us with proof of payment for the reactivation of services in advance.

If there are no outstanding invoices, but the account remains suspended, please contact the Hostico sales team to analyze the situation and provide you with clarifications and solutions for remediation.

11. The hosting has been removed from the main servers

Hosting services are maintained on Hostico servers for a limited period of time, up to 30 days after the due date, according to Hostico's terms and conditions. If the service is not paid within this timeframe, the files associated with the hosting package are automatically deleted.

Recommended solution:

You will need to contact the Hostico support team to check if there is still a backup saved on the backup servers. It should be noted that the possibility of restoration depends on the time elapsed since the account was deleted, as backups are kept for a maximum of 14 days after the due date.

In the situation where the backup is available, restoring the content can be done for a fee, within Hostico's technical support hours.

12. The SSL certificate is missing or expired

This situation does not necessarily lead to a complete non-functionality of the website, but rather incorrect display, accompanied by a warning message regarding the security of the connection (e.g., "Your connection is not private").

If the hosting package and domain have been recently purchased, and the files have already been uploaded to the site, it is possible that the system has not yet automatically generated the free SSL certificate. This process requires DNS propagation and can take a few hours.

In the case of an older service, the cause may be the expiration of the certificate or the failure of the automatic renewal, which leads to the appearance of security warnings when accessing the site.

Recommended solution:

If the package is new, make sure that all the links within the site redirect to the HTTPS version and wait a few hours for the system to automatically generate the certificate and for the propagation to be completed.

If the service has been active for a longer time and the certificate has expired or is no longer valid, we recommend that you contact the Hostico technical support team to check the situation and to reactivate or reissue the corresponding SSL certificate.

13. The site has been compromised or attacked (malware/hack)

In certain situations, the functionality of the site may be affected due to security vulnerabilities that have allowed infection with malicious files (malware), external scripts, or unauthorized access by third parties. This type of compromise can have the following effects:

• redirecting the site to suspicious pages,
• displaying foreign content,
• blocking access, or even marking the domain as unsafe by browsers or search engines.

Recommended solution:

We recommend that you contact the Hostico technical support team to analyze the situation and check the infected files. Depending on the severity of the attack, the following solutions may be available:

• Cleaning compromised files from the hosting account,
• Restoring the website from a previous backup (if available),
• Resetting the passwords for FTP accounts, the database, and the administration panel,

14. Local or browser DNS cache issue

If hosting services or the domain have been temporarily suspended due to expiration and have been subsequently paid, it is possible that the website may not display correctly on certain devices, even after confirmation of service reactivation. This situation frequently occurs due to information previously saved in the local DNS cache or in the browser's cache, which may retain outdated versions of the domain's routing.

Recommended solution:

The first step is to check if the website displays correctly when accessed from another device or from an "Incognito"/"Private" window.
If under these conditions the site is functional, it means that the display is influenced by the local browser cache. To fix this, you will need to clear the browser cache on the respective device.

If the website is not accessible from any device or any network, we recommend that you contact the Hostico technical team to investigate the cause and resolve the situation.

15. The domain has not been renewed and has expired

For a website to remain functional, it is necessary for both the domain name and the hosting package to be active simultaneously. If only the hosting service has been paid for, and the domain has not been renewed, the website will not be accessible online.

Recommended solution:

Access the financial section of your Hostico client account and check if there are any outstanding invoices for the respective domain. If you find such an invoice, pay it to initiate the domain reactivation process.

After payment, you will need to wait for the domain to reactivate completely. Propagation occurs automatically at different intervals, depending on the extension:

• a few minutes for .ro domains
• until a few hours for the rest of the international extensions.