How to Handle Website Errors (500, 403, 404, etc.)

At some point, you might encounter an error when trying to access your website. These errors can be frustrating, but they each have a specific meaning that can help you figure out what’s wrong. This guide will walk you through the most common website errors and how to troubleshoot them.

Common Website Errors & How to Fix Them

404 Not Found

What it means: The page you're trying to access doesn’t exist. This usually happens when a page has been deleted, moved, or the URL was typed incorrectly.

How to fix it:

• Check the URL for typos.

• If it’s your website, make sure the page exists in the /httpdocs directory.

• Set up a 301 redirect if the page was moved to a new location.

• If you recently changed your domain or site structure, update your internal links.

403 Forbidden

What it means: The server understands your request, but access is restricted. This can be due to file permissions or security settings.

How to fix it:

• Check your file and folder permissions (Files should be 644, and folders should be 755).

• Ensure your index file (index.html or index.php) exists in /httpdocs.

• Review .htaccess rules to make sure they’re not blocking access.

• If you're using a security plugin or firewall, check if it's restricting access.

500 Internal Server Error

What it means: The server encountered an issue that prevented it from displaying the page. This can be caused by a misconfigured script, server overload, or a corrupt .htaccess file.

How to fix it:

• Rename the .htaccess file (e.g., to .htaccess_old) and see if the site loads.

• Check your error logs for specific issues. You can view these logs via FTP—they are located in the /logs folder (not /httpdocs).

• Increase PHP memory limits by adding this to .htaccess or php.ini:

  php_value memory_limit 256M

• Disable recently installed plugins or themes (for WordPress users).

502 Bad Gateway

What it means: The server received an invalid response from an upstream server. This can happen if your site is experiencing high traffic or if there’s a temporary server issue.

How to fix it:

• Wait a few minutes and refresh the page.

• Clear your browser cache and DNS cache.

• Check your web server logs and PHP logs via FTP—these are stored in the /logs folder under the root directory.

• Contact support if the issue persists.

503 Service Unavailable

What it means: The server is temporarily unable to handle the request, usually due to maintenance or overloading.

How to fix it:

• If you enabled maintenance mode, disable it.

• Check if your hosting plan has enough resources (RAM, CPU, bandwidth).

• Check your web server logs via FTP—logs are stored in the /logs folder under the root directory.

• If the problem continues, contact our support team.

504 Gateway Timeout

What it means: The server didn’t receive a response from another server in time. This can happen when a website is taking too long to load.

How to fix it:

• Refresh the page and try again.

• Check for long-running scripts that may be slowing things down.

• Disable any resource-heavy plugins (if using WordPress or another CMS).

• Contact support if the issue persists.

When to Contact Support

If you’re unable to resolve the issue or need help diagnosing the problem, open a support ticket with the following details: ✅ The error code you’re seeing.
✅ The exact URL where you see the error.
✅ Any recent changes made to the site before the error occurred.

Our team will investigate and help you get your site back up and running!