Is Squarespace Down? How to check for and troubleshoot Squarespace outages
Squarespace has an extremely high uptime but it will occasionally be unavailable.
Before we dive into the details of checking if Squarespace is down and troubleshooting potential issues, it's worth noting that this website is hosted on Squarespace, so Squarespace must be at least partially up and running otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean that all Squarespace sites are accessible, as an issue could be affecting specific regions, servers, or individual sites.
Keep reading to discover how you can quickly determine the status of your Squarespace site and learn effective strategies to troubleshoot and resolve issues swiftly.
Is Squarespace currently down?
This article is hosted on Squarespace, so Squarespace must be at least partly operational.
You should bookmark the following resources to check if Squarespace is experiencing a widespread outage:
Squarespace Status Page: The official status page provides real-time updates on the current status of Squarespace services.
Downdetector: This third-party website tracks user-reported issues and outages for various online services, including Squarespace.
Twitter: Squarespace's official Twitter support account often posts updates about known issues and outages.
If these resources indicate that Squarespace is experiencing downtime, the issue is likely widespread and being addressed by their team.
Alternative methods to verify Squarespace platform downtime
The official Squarespace community forum or social media platforms like Reddit often feature real-time user reports on Squarespace's status, providing valuable insights into ongoing issues.
How reliable is Squarespace?
I dived deep into Squarespace status page data over the past few years.
According to statistics for site loading, spanning from January 2020 to April 2024, Squarespace's uptime percentage consistently remained above 99%, with many months achieving 100% uptime.
Over this 52-month period:
Squarespace's average uptime was 99.91%
The lowest uptime percentage recorded was 99.26% in June 2023, which still represents a highly reliable service.
It's worth noting that while Squarespace strives for 100% uptime, occasional minor outages or issues can occur, as is the case with any web hosting service.
Troubleshooting when Squarespace status says there are no problems but a site is down
Domain issues
If your Squarespace site remains unavailable despite Squarespace appearing operational, there may be other underlying issues to address. Here are some common domain-related issues and troubleshooting steps:
Expired Domain Subscription: Check if your domain subscription has lapsed, and renew it if necessary. In my experience, this happens surprisingly often.
Incorrect DNS Settings: Ensure your DNS settings are configured correctly using Squarespace's domain connection guide.
Registrar-related Problems: Contact your domain provider to verify if they are experiencing any downtime or if there are any issues with your domain registration.
DNS propagation delays
When you make changes to your domain name system (DNS) settings—like launching a new site on Squarespace, migrating from another platform, moving between Squarespace sites, or changing your domain—it's important to understand that these changes don't take effect immediately due to DNS propagation delays.
What is DNS propagation?
DNS propagation is the process by which updated DNS records spread across all the DNS servers globally. This is not an immediate process and can take anywhere from a few hours to up to 72 hours, depending on various factors like TTL (Time-To-Live) settings, geographic location, and the caching policies of different DNS resolvers.
Common DNS propagation scenarios and their impacts
Just Launched a Squarespace Site & Assigned a Custom Domain
Symptoms: Your new site may not be immediately accessible worldwide after assigning a custom domain. Visitors may still see a "Site not found" message or be directed to your old platform if you’ve migrated.
Cause: DNS servers around the world need time to update with the new site information from Squarespace’s DNS settings.
Just Migrated from Another Platform
Symptoms: Similar to launching a new site, after migration, your domain might lead to the previous platform's content or show a generic error page until DNS propagation completes.
Cause: DNS needs to redirect from the old platform’s servers to Squarespace’s servers, which takes time to update globally.
Just Migrated Between Squarespace Sites
Symptoms: If you move your domain from one Squarespace site to another, you might encounter periods where your site seems to switch between the old and the new site or where some users can see the new site while others cannot.
Cause: As DNS servers update their records at different times, they might point to different versions of your site until all servers have the updated DNS information.
Just Changed Custom Domain
Symptoms: Changing your domain can lead to your site being temporarily inaccessible under the new domain name. You might also see SSL certificate errors as these need to reissue to match the new domain.
Cause: The change requires DNS updates across all servers to point to the new domain, and additional time for SSL certificates to adjust to the change.
Browser-related problems
Browser extensions, cache, or cookies can sometimes interfere with site accessibility. Consider the following troubleshooting tips:
Try accessing your site using a different browser or a private/incognito window.
Clear your browser cache and cookies to eliminate any potential conflicts.
Disable browser extensions that might be causing issues with site loading or functionality.
SSL certificate errors
SSL certificate errors can adversely affect site security and visitor trust. Here's how to address SSL certificate issues:
Wait up to 72 hours for SSL certificates to be generated for new or recently connected domains.
Ensure your site is set to "Secure" in the SSL panel of your Squarespace settings.
Review your site for mixed content (i.e., images or scripts being loaded over an insecure connection) and rectify any issues.
Squarespace maintenance
Occasionally, Squarespace may perform scheduled maintenance, resulting in brief periods of downtime. Here's how to differentiate between scheduled maintenance and unexpected downtime:
Check the Squarespace Status Page for any planned maintenance announcements or updates.
Prepare for maintenance windows by notifying your site visitors in advance and scheduling important updates or changes accordingly.
Global internet infrastructure issues
Understanding the impact of global internet problems
In some cases, Squarespace downtime may be caused by broader issues affecting the internet infrastructure. Some potential global threats include:
DNS Failures: Problems with major Domain Name System (DNS) providers can lead to widespread outages affecting multiple services, including Squarespace.
DDoS Attacks: Large-scale Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks targeting internet infrastructure providers can render many websites inaccessible.
Backbone Network Disruptions: Damage to the undersea fiber-optic cables that form the internet's backbone can disrupt connectivity for millions of users.
BGP Hijacking: Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) hijacking incidents can cause widespread outages and security breaches by rerouting internet traffic.
If you suspect a global internet issue is causing Squarespace downtime, check resources like the Internet Outage Detection and Analysis (IODA) project for real-time data on internet disruptions.
Cloudflare as a fallback option
Most Squarespace site owners can cope with the very small about of platform downtime. However, for some sites the idea of disappearing completely from the internet, even for a short time, is unacceptable.
One way to mitigate against such Squarespace downtime is to use a service like Cloudflare. Cloudflare offers various features that can help keep your site accessible even if Squarespace is experiencing issues.
Here are some relevant Cloudflare options:
| Feature | Description | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Always Online | Serves a cached version of key pages of your site if the origin server is unreachable | Visitors can still access key content during outages. Ecommerce & scheduling would not work but at least there's a more elegant fallback of one or more holding pages. |
| Argo Smart Routing | Optimizes traffic routes to improve performance and reliability | Faster page loads and increased uptime |
| Load Balancing | Distributes traffic across multiple servers or data centers | Improved redundancy and failover capabilities |
| DDoS Protection | Mitigates DDoS attacks by absorbing and filtering malicious traffic | Keeps your site accessible during attacks |
By leveraging these Cloudflare features, you can add an extra layer of resilience to your Squarespace site and minimize the impact of potential downtime.
Conclusion
This guide has equipped you with methods to determine if Squarespace is down and actionable steps to address common issues. Whether it’s consulting the official status page, leveraging third-party sites, or engaging on social media, you have a variety of resources to stay informed.
FAQs
How can I check if Squarespace is currently down?
Visit the Squarespace status page for official updates.
Check third-party websites like DownDetector for crowd-sourced reports.
Look for recent updates on social media platforms, especially Twitter, where real-time updates are often shared.
What are some common signs that Squarespace is experiencing an outage?
Your site won’t load at all, showing error messages such as 502 Bad Gateway.
Your site loads partially, or very slowly.
You cannot access the Squarespace admin area or specific features within it.
What should I do if I suspect my Squarespace site is down due to an outage?
Confirm the outage through the Squarespace status page or third-party reports.
Avoid making any major changes to your site during an outage.
Inform your site visitors of the issue if possible.
How can I minimize downtime for my Squarespace site?
Use services like Cloudflare to serve cached versions of your site and manage traffic better during high load times.
Regularly update and test your DNS settings to ensure they're pointing correctly to Squarespace servers.
Keep regular backups of your site’s content to quickly restore service if needed.
Can DNS issues affect my site’s accessibility even if Squarespace is not down?
Yes, incorrect DNS settings can make your site appear down. Ensure your DNS settings are accurate and up-to-date.
DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours if you’ve recently made changes to your domain settings.
How long does it usually take for DNS changes to propagate worldwide?
DNS propagation can vary, typically taking anywhere from a few hours up to 48 hours. Factors such as TTL values and geographical location can affect propagation speed.
Where can I get support if I can’t resolve issues on my own?
Contact Squarespace customer support for assistance.
Visit Squarespace forums and community pages to seek help from other users who might have experienced similar issues.
