I can't see my website
Last updated 22nd December 2010
If you can't see your website it could be for a few different reasons:
Web address
Make sure you're typing your web address correctly into the address bar on your browser, without any typos.
Typing your company name into Google and not seeing your site does not mean your site is not online. The correct way to visit a website is to type in it's address and press "return" on your keyboard.
An example of the address bar for the browser Internet Explorer is shown below:
Internet Connection Problems
Try viewing another website, such as this one or bbc.co.uk. If you can't see other sites either then it means you're not connected to the Internet. (Obviously you won't be reading this if you're not connected to the Internet but it's here for reference anyway!)
Blocked IP Address
Some servers have fire walls which block IP addresses if they think they're trying to damage the site. So, for example, if you try and log into your site or your webmail and few times and get your email wrong, suddenly you might find you can't see your site or webmail anymore. This is because the site has thought it was under attack from someone trying to hack in from trying lots of passwords and has hidden itself from your computer. In this instance come back later or the next day and try again, or drop your hosting company an email and they will remove your IP address from the black list on the server.
You can check if this is the problem by visiting a proxy server such as pagewash.com. Type your website address in the box and click "go"/similar and the site will show you your website as it can see it. If the proxy server displays your website, then it means the rest of the world can see it, it's just you that's locked out! If it can't see it, then there's a problem with the site.
You can find out what your IP address is by visiting a site such as whatismyip.org. It's a long number with dots in it like 12.34.56.789. Your host will need to know what your IP address is if they are going to remove you from a list, so send it to them when you make your initial enquiry to them.
Server Problems
It could be that the server is experiencing problems. We monitor our servers 24/7 and get alerted any time there is a hiccup so we'll be on the case and you can expect to see your site shortly.