Website not working but email still works

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: Website not working but email still works. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

It can be frustrating when your website is offline but your email continues to arrive without issue. This happens because website traffic and email traffic are routed separately using different DNS records. While your Mail Exchange (MX) records are correctly directing email to your mail server, the records pointing visitors to your website may be incorrect, or the web server itself may be experiencing an outage.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Confirm the outage by visiting your website from a different device or mobile network.
2. Clear your browser cache or open the site in an incognito window to rule out local caching.
3. Check your domain's DNS records to ensure the A record points to the correct web server IP address.
4. Verify that your hosting subscription is active and has not expired.
5. If you host with 220 Internet Services, Open a Ticket and our Brisbane team will investigate.

Detailed Instructions

Understanding DNS Separation

DNS records act like a directory for your domain. Different record types handle different services:

• A Record: Maps your domain name to the IPv4 address of your web server.
• AAAA Record: Maps your domain name to the IPv6 address of your web server.
• MX Record: Directs email to your mail server.
• CNAME Record: Aliases one domain name to another, often used for www subdomains.

Because email uses MX records and your website uses A or CNAME records, an issue with your web server or A record will not affect email delivery.

Checking Your A Record

1. Access your domain's DNS management interface.
2. Locate the A Record for your root domain.
3. Compare the IP address listed against the IP address provided by your web host.
4. If the addresses do not match, update the record with the correct IP address and save the changes.
5. Allow time for DNS propagation, which can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours.

DNS changes are not instant. Even after you save a record, some visitors may still see the old website or an error until the update propagates across global servers.

Testing Web Server Connectivity

1. Open Command Prompt on Windows or Terminal on macOS.
2. Run the command ping yourdomain.com.au (replace with your actual domain).
3. If the command returns replies from an IP address, the server is reachable from your location.
4. If the request times out, the server may be down, or your local network may be blocking the connection.
5. Try accessing the website using a mobile device on 4G or 5G to bypass your local Wi-Fi network.

Avoid changing MX records while troubleshooting website issues. Modifying email routing records can interrupt business email delivery.

Remember — If you host with us, you don't need to do this yourself — just Open a Ticket and our Brisbane team will get it sorted.

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