How to Check If Your Website Is Actually Working

What "Working" Really Means

When someone asks "is my website working?", they usually mean one of several things:

• Is the server responding?
• Is the page loading?
• Does the page look correct?
• Is it fast enough?
• Is the SSL certificate valid?
• Can users actually complete actions (sign up, purchase, etc.)?

An HTTP 200 status code only answers the first question. A site can return 200 while displaying a blank page, a PHP error, a broken layout, outdated content, or a login wall. Truly checking if your website is working requires examining multiple layers.

The Checks That Show Whether a Website Is Healthy

Layer 1: HTTP Response (Uptime)

This is the most basic check. Send an HTTP request and verify the response:

• Status code: Is it 200, or are you getting 500, 502, 503, or a redirect loop?
• Response time: Is the server responding in under 1-2 seconds?
• Response body: Does the response contain expected content, or is it an error page?

Most uptime monitoring tools handle this layer well.

Layer 2: SSL/TLS Certificate

A valid SSL certificate is essential:

• Is the certificate expired?
• Is the certificate chain complete?
• Does the certificate match the domain?
• Are modern TLS protocols supported?

An expired or misconfigured certificate will block visitors with a browser warning, even if the server itself is perfectly healthy.

Layer 3: DNS Resolution

DNS issues are a common but overlooked cause of downtime:

• Are your DNS records resolving correctly?
• Have DNS records changed unexpectedly?
• Is the TTL appropriate?
• Are all nameservers responding consistently?

DNS propagation after a change can take hours, during which some visitors reach your site and others don't.

Layer 4: Performance

A slow website might as well be a down website:

• Time to First Byte (TTFB): How long until the server starts sending data?
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How long until the main content is visible?
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Does the page jump around while loading?
• Total page weight: Is the page bloated with unoptimized images or scripts?

Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor, so performance directly affects your search visibility.

Layer 5: Content Verification

Does the page contain the content it should?

• Is the expected text present?
• Are key elements (navigation, footer, CTAs) rendered?
• Has content been replaced by an error message or maintenance page?
• Is the content up-to-date?

Content checks verify that what the server returns is actually what you expect, not just that it returns something.

Layer 6: Visual Correctness

Visual checks compare how the page looks, alongside the other checks in a monitoring setup. A page can:

• Load successfully (HTTP 200)
• Contain all the expected text (content check passes)
• But look completely broken (CSS failed to load, layout collapsed, images missing)

Visual monitoring captures a screenshot of your page and compares it against a known-good baseline. Differences that meet the configured comparison threshold are flagged for review.

How to Check: Quick Methods

One-Time Check

Use the Visual Sentinel website checker for a one-time scan. It checks HTTP response, SSL validity and DNS lookup timing, and measures HTTP response time.

Continuous Monitoring

For ongoing monitoring, set up automated checks:

1. Add your URL in Visual Sentinel's dashboard
2. Enable all check types: HTTP, SSL, DNS, performance, and visual
3. Set your check interval (uptime checks are every 5 minutes on Solo and Starter, and as often as every minute on Business and Agency; visual checks have a separate schedule)
4. Configure alerts via email, Slack, Discord, Telegram, or WhatsApp
5. Review the dashboard periodically for trends

From the Command Line

For a quick manual check:

# Basic HTTP check
curl -sI https://example.com | head -5

# Check with timing
curl -w "DNS: %{time_namelookup}s\nConnect: %{time_connect}s\nTTFB: %{time_starttransfer}s\nTotal: %{time_total}s\n" -o /dev/null -s https://example.com

# SSL certificate check
echo | openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -dates

# DNS check
dig example.com +short

These commands are useful for debugging but don't replace automated monitoring.

Building a Comprehensive Monitoring Setup

Use these example thresholds as a starting point. Available check intervals and features depend on the monitoring service and plan; Visual Sentinel's plan limits are listed below.

For a Business Website

For an E-commerce Site

E-commerce sites need tighter monitoring:

What to Do When Your Site Is Down

When monitoring detects an issue:

1. Identify the layer. Is it a server issue (HTTP), certificate issue (SSL), DNS issue, or content issue? The alert type tells you where to look.
2. Check your hosting provider's status page. Many outages are on the infrastructure side.
3. Review recent deployments. A recent code or configuration change is a common cause of breakage.
4. Check server logs. Application errors, out-of-memory conditions, and disk space issues are common culprits.
5. Verify DNS. If you recently changed DNS records, propagation may be incomplete.
6. Test from multiple locations. Use a tool like Visual Sentinel that checks from different regions to rule out local network issues.

Choosing the Right Monitoring Plan

Visual Sentinel's pricing is designed to scale with your needs:

• Solo: 10 monitors, checks every 5 minutes, $15/month ($153/year). Visual checks for 1 site, every 30 minutes.
• Starter: 15 monitors, checks every 5 minutes, $30/month ($306/year). Visual checks for 5 sites, every 15 minutes.
• Business: 60 monitors, checks every 1 minute, $80/month ($816/year). Visual checks for 60 sites, every 15 minutes.
• Agency: 300 monitors, checks every 1 minute, $300/month ($3,060/year). Visual checks for 300 sites, every 15 minutes.

Conclusion

Checking if your website is working means more than pinging a URL. True website health monitoring examines uptime, SSL, DNS, performance, content, and visual correctness.

Set up multi-layer monitoring and review alerts when a check reports an issue. Start with the website checker tool for a one-time assessment. New users see their site's first check with no card, then start a 7-day trial (card required) or subscribe, from $15/month.

Checking that your site stays online is the first layer of monitoring, and that page explains how it works.