Key facts
- No developer contact needed: domain control or proof of ownership is enough to start
- Common causes we fix: PHP upgrades, expired domains, suspended hosting, hacks and lost logins
- We recover the site from your old host, a backup, or as a last resort from public copies
- Site moved to our Plesk servers behind Cloudflare, with daily backups from day one
- Larger repairs, such as malware cleanup or code rewrites, are quoted before we start
- UK phone support from real people: 01623 650333
First, work out why the site is down
Most broken sites fall into one of a few buckets, and each one has a different fix. We start by checking which one you're in:
- Blank page or 'fatal error' after a host upgrade: the server moved to a newer PHP version and the code can't run on it.
- 'This site can't be reached': often an expired domain or broken DNS rather than a broken website.
- 'Account suspended' page: the hosting bill went unpaid, often because it was on a developer's card or account.
- Browser security warning: an expired SSL certificate, or a site flagged for malware.
- Strange redirects or spam pages: the site has been hacked.
- Database connection error: the database server changed or the password was reset.
You don't need to know which it is. Tell us your domain and what you see, and we'll check from our side.
We can take over even if your developer has vanished
You don't need your old developer's permission, or even their contact details. What we need is evidence that the website is yours. Any one of these is usually enough to begin:
- Access to the account where your domain is registered
- The domain registered in your name or your business's name
- For .uk domains, being the registrant on record with Nominet
- Invoices, contracts or emails showing the site was built for your business
If the domain was registered in the developer's name rather than yours, it takes longer, but there are formal routes to recover it and we'll help you through them. More on this in abandoned website takeover.
How we recover the site
- Secure what exists. If the old hosting is still live, we take a full copy of files and database before anything else changes.
- Find a backup. If the hosting is gone, we look for backups with the old host, in your email or on old computers.
- Rebuild if we must. As a last resort, we can recover page content and images from public copies such as the Internet Archive and rebuild the site from those.
- Get it running. We set the right PHP version, fix the database connection and clear any errors.
- Clean it. If the site was hacked, we remove injected code and backdoors, reset passwords and close the hole that let the attacker in.
- Put it live safely. New DNS on Cloudflare, a free SSL certificate and daily backups.
What it costs
Ongoing hosting is dijitul Complete Hosting at £1 a day + VAT. You can pay annually or £35 + VAT monthly. Moving the site and getting it working on our servers is free, just like any website migration. If a site needs substantial work, for example a malware cleanup, a code rewrite or a rebuild from archived content, we tell you the price before we start. No surprise invoices.
Stop it happening again
Most rescues share a root cause: one person held all the keys. Once your site is with us, the domain sits in your name, you get your own Plesk login, and the DNS is managed in Cloudflare by a UK company that has been answering the phone since 2006. Daily backups mean there's always a copy to go back to. If the site runs old code, see old website hosting for how we keep it running while you plan an upgrade, and website security for how we protect it.
Frequently asked questions
My website is down and my developer isn't answering. What can I do?
Check whether your domain has expired, then contact a host that handles rescues. dijitul can take over your site without the developer, as long as you control the domain or can prove you own it. We recover the site, get it working and host it for £1 a day + VAT. Call 01623 650333.
Can someone take over my website without my old developer?
Yes. Your developer's cooperation helps but isn't required. dijitul needs you to control the domain name, or to prove ownership with registration records, invoices or contracts. From there we recover the site from the old host, a backup or public archives, then move it to our UK servers.
My website shows a blank white page. How do I fix it?
A blank page usually means a PHP fatal error with error display switched off. The most common cause is the host upgrading PHP, which breaks older code such as the mysql_* functions. The fix is to run the matching PHP version or update the code. dijitul can diagnose this quickly and move the site if needed.
My website has been hacked. Can you fix it?
Yes. dijitul takes a copy for evidence, removes injected code and backdoors, resets all passwords, updates or removes the vulnerable software and puts the site behind Cloudflare with a web application firewall. Cleanup work is quoted before we start, and ongoing hosting is £1 a day + VAT with daily backups.
Can you recover a website if the hosting has been deleted?
Often, yes. First we ask the old host whether they hold backups. If they don't, we look for copies you may have. As a last resort we rebuild from public archives such as the Internet Archive, which usually keep text and images but not databases, logins or forms.
How quickly can you get my website back online?
It depends on the cause. A DNS or expired-domain problem can be fixed as soon as you have access to the domain. Moving a working copy to dijitul is usually quick. Recovering a hacked site or rebuilding from archives takes longer. We give you a realistic timescale after looking at the site.
Related
Set it up and forget about it
Managed hosting, Plesk, Cloudflare DNS, daily backups and your domain for £1 a day + VAT. We move your site for you.