Troubleshooting - Docs

1. Website Not Loading

If your website is not loading, work through these checks in order:

Check DNS Propagation

If you recently changed nameservers or DNS records, propagation can take up to 24-48 hours. Check the current state with:

# Check your domain's DNS from your computer

nslookup yourdomain.co.uk

dig yourdomain.co.uk

Check Hosting Status

Verify your hosting account is active and not suspended. Go to Dashboard > Hosting and check the status. Common reasons for suspension include overdue invoices or exceeding resource limits.

Check SSL Configuration

If you see "Your connection is not private" errors, your SSL certificate may have expired or not been installed. See the SSL section below.

Tip: Try accessing your website in an incognito/private browsing window to rule out browser caching issues.

2. Email Not Sending or Receiving

Email problems can have several causes. Check these common issues:

Not receiving email

Check MX records are pointing to your SillyHost mail server
Check spam/junk folders
Verify the email account exists in DirectAdmin
Check mailbox quota -- a full mailbox will bounce incoming email

Not sending email

Verify SMTP settings in your email client (server, port, authentication)
Make sure you are using the full email address as your username
Check that SPF and DKIM records are correctly configured
Your emails may be going to the recipient's spam folder -- ask them to check

Email going to spam

Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records (see Email Setup)
Do not send bulk email from your hosting account -- use a dedicated email marketing service
Avoid spam trigger words in subject lines

3. 500 Internal Server Error

A 500 error means something went wrong on the server. It is a generic error, so you need to dig deeper to find the cause:

Check the error log: In DirectAdmin, go to Error Log to see the specific error message.
Check .htaccess: A syntax error in .htaccess is the most common cause. Temporarily rename the file to .htaccess_backup via FTP to test.
Check PHP errors: If you are running WordPress or a PHP application, enable error logging in your PHP settings.
Check file permissions: Files should be 644, directories should be 755. Incorrect permissions can trigger 500 errors.
Check PHP memory limit: Your script may be running out of memory. Try increasing the PHP memory limit in DirectAdmin.

# Fix file permissions via SSH (Business/Enterprise plans)

find /home/user/domains/yourdomain.co.uk/public_html -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

find /home/user/domains/yourdomain.co.uk/public_html -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;

4. Database Connection Errors

If you see "Error establishing a database connection" (WordPress) or similar database errors:

Verify credentials: Check your wp-config.php (or application config) has the correct database name, username, and password
Check database host: For SillyHost, the database host is usually localhost
Check the database exists: Log into phpMyAdmin via DirectAdmin and verify the database is listed
Repair the database: In phpMyAdmin, select your database, click "Check All" tables, then choose "Repair table" from the dropdown

5. SSL Certificate Issues

Common SSL problems and their solutions:

"Your connection is not private"

The SSL certificate may have expired or not been installed. Go to DirectAdmin > SSL Certificates and re-issue a Let's Encrypt certificate.

"Mixed content" warnings

Your page loads over HTTPS but some resources (images, scripts) are loaded over HTTP. Update all resource URLs to use HTTPS. In WordPress, use the "Really Simple SSL" plugin to fix this automatically.

"Certificate name mismatch"

The certificate was issued for a different domain. Re-issue the certificate in DirectAdmin making sure to select the correct domain and subdomains (including www).

6. WordPress White Screen of Death

A blank white page in WordPress usually indicates a fatal PHP error. Quick fixes:

Increase memory: Add define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); to wp-config.php
Disable plugins: Via FTP, rename wp-content/plugins to wp-content/plugins_disabled. If the site loads, re-enable plugins one by one to find the culprit.
Switch theme: Via FTP, rename your active theme folder inside wp-content/themes/. WordPress will fall back to a default theme.
Enable debugging: Add define('WP_DEBUG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true); to see the exact error in wp-content/debug.log.

7. "Too Many Redirects" Error

This error means your site is caught in an infinite redirect loop. Common causes:

Conflicting SSL redirects: Having HTTPS redirect rules in both .htaccess and a WordPress plugin (or Cloudflare). Remove duplicate rules.
WordPress URL mismatch: In wp-config.php, check that WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL match your actual domain (with https://).
Cloudflare SSL settings: If using Cloudflare, set SSL mode to "Full" or "Full (Strict)" in the Cloudflare dashboard rather than "Flexible".

Tip: Clear your browser cookies for the affected domain, then try again. Old cookies can sometimes cause redirect loops.

8. Slow Website Performance

If your website is loading slowly, try these optimisations in order of impact:

Enable caching -- install a caching plugin (WP Super Cache, LiteSpeed Cache) or use browser caching headers
Optimise images -- large images are the most common cause of slow pages. Compress them and use modern formats (WebP)
Reduce plugins -- each plugin adds load time. Deactivate and delete anything you do not need
Upgrade PHP -- PHP 8.x is significantly faster than PHP 7.x
Minify CSS/JS -- use a plugin like Autoptimize to combine and minify your stylesheets and scripts
Use a CDN -- SillyHost's Cloudflare integration provides global CDN caching
Check your hosting plan -- if your site has outgrown its plan, consider upgrading for more resources

9. File Permission Issues

Incorrect file permissions can cause 403 Forbidden errors, 500 errors, or prevent file uploads. Standard permissions for web hosting:

Type	Permission	Meaning
Files	644	Owner can read/write; others can read
Directories	755	Owner can read/write/execute; others can read/execute
wp-config.php	640	Owner read/write; group read; others no access

Warning: Never set permissions to 777 (full access for everyone). This is a serious security risk and can allow anyone to modify your files.

10. How to Contact Support

If you have worked through the troubleshooting steps above and still need help, our support team is ready to assist:

AI Support Chat: Available 24/7 in your dashboard for instant help.
Support Tickets: Open a ticket from Dashboard > Support. Include as much detail as possible (error messages, screenshots, steps to reproduce).
Contact Form: Use our contact page for general enquiries.

Tip: When contacting support, always include: your domain name, a description of the issue, any error messages you see, and what you have already tried. This helps us resolve your issue faster.