Few things are more frustrating than visiting a website only to find buttons not working, layouts broken, or error messages flashing across the screen. And if it’s your website, this aggravation is exponentially magnified. What is this costing you in terms of trust, traffic, and even sales?

The sad truth is that every website “breaks.” Every. Single. One. Show me a site and I guarantee you that at some point in its lifetime, something didn’t work correctly. Maybe a form broke. Some links didn’t work. The SSL wasn’t renewed on time.

How and why do things like this happen? The answer lies in a mix of technology updates, human oversight, and the ever-present threat of cyberattacks.

Let’s break down the most common reasons websites malfunction, and what you can do to protect yours, minimize “breaks,” and get any problems fixed as quickly as possible.

6 Reasons Websites Stop Working Correctly and the Solutions

1. Hackers Gonna Hack

One of the biggest threats to your website? Security breaches. Hackers are constantly scanning the internet for vulnerabilities in software. When they find a weakness, they can inject malicious code, steal data, or even crash your site entirely.

Solution: When we work on a site, we run regular updates to the core website (e.g. WordPress) and its plugins to patch known vulnerabilities and strengthen the site’s defenses. It’s impossible to account for everything 100 percent, but skipping these updates can leave the door wide open for attackers.

2. Arguing Updates

Here’s the rub with updates. While they are essential to do regularly for security, different updates don’t always play nicely together. A new plugin update might conflict with your theme or with another plugin you already use. This can result in features not working, pages breaking, or even a full site crash.

Solution: We frequently back up our clients’ sites. That way, if something does go wrong, we can always revert to the most recent working version of the website. Additionally, when possible we like to test plugin updates in a controlled environment.

3. Evolution (of Web Technology)

Browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari are always rolling out new versions. While these changes often improve speed and security, they can sometimes disrupt how your site displays or functions. The same goes for changes in JavaScript, CSS, and other foundational web technologies.

Solution: Stay proactive. The best defense against web tech shifts is consistent monitoring, testing, and updating to keep your site performing smoothly across platforms.

4. Integrations De-integrate

Most websites today rely on third-party tools like payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal), email marketing services, or even cloud printing solutions. If one of these services changes their API, requires reauthentication, or simply stops working, it can break key parts of your site.

Solution: Monitoring these integrations and staying in touch with vendor updates is crucial to minimize downtime as much as possible.

5. The Host (or Server) Did It!

Sometimes the problem isn’t with your website’s code at all, but with your hosting provider. Servers can go down temporarily due to maintenance, hardware failures, or even traffic surges. If your hosting service has outdated software or limited resources, it can also slow down your site or cause unpredictable issues.

Solution: Choose a reliable hosting provider (we can help!) and – stop me if you’ve heard this one before – implement monitoring and backup strategies to minimize downtime and risk.

6. You’re Just Not Compatible (with a Browser or Device)

Websites can behave very differently depending on what device or browser someone is using. For example, something that looks perfect on a desktop Chrome browser may be completely unusable on an iPhone running Safari.

Solution: Responsive design and regular cross-browser testing are key to ensuring a smooth experience for all users.

If you’re noticing a common theme here, good eye! The best defense against any site having problems is regular maintenance, proactive updates, and a strategy for monitoring and fixing issues quickly. Eventually, something will go wrong. It’s what you do next – and how quickly you do it – that people will remember. Learn how we can help you minimize “breaks” and fix any issues quickly by getting in touch.