Why websites break without anyone noticing
A website is not a signboard you hang once. Every week someone adds a product, edits a price, installs a chat widget or connects a new tracking pixel. Any of those changes can affect something nearby: a form stops sending notifications, a page drops out of Google, the mobile menu won't open. The owner opens the homepage, sees the familiar design and moves on, while the problem keeps costing money.
This hurts most when ads send traffic to the site. If you pay for clicks from Instagram or Google and the contact form is broken, the budget is simply wasted. That is why checking a website is part of sales and advertising work, not a purely technical hobby.
Start with uptime and forms
Begin with the basics. Does the site open on a phone, both on mobile data and Wi‑Fi? Does the browser show a certificate warning? Are there server errors? Set up uptime monitoring so you learn about downtime from an alert, not from a customer message in Telegram.
Then test every form. Send a real test request through each one: callback, cart, subscription, quiz. Confirm three things: the message reached your manager (email, Telegram bot or CRM), the customer saw a thank-you page, and the goal was recorded in analytics. If you accept payments through Click or Payme, walk the whole path to payment confirmation. A broken form is the most expensive error, because it is invisible in traffic reports: visitors arrive, but no enquiries come in.
Indexing, robots.txt and the sitemap
Open Google Search Console and, if you use it, Yandex Webmaster. Look at new warnings, the number of indexed pages and crawl errors. A sudden drop or jump deserves a closer look right away.
Check robots.txt separately. After a relaunch it is common to find a block left over from the development stage, and the site quietly disappears from search.
- important pages (services, categories, product cards) are indexed;
- utility pages such as internal search, filters and test sections are not indexed;
- robots.txt does not block sections you want to rank;
- the sitemap opens, is up to date and contains no wrong URLs.
Broken links, status codes and redirects
Run a crawler, a tool that walks through your site the way a search bot does. Look for pages returning 404, especially if internal links point to them, for 5xx server errors, and for redirect chains where one address sends to another and then to a third. Check external links too: directories, partners and marketplace listings on OLX or Uzum can change or disappear.
If you retire a product, do not leave visitors at a dead end. Redirect them to the closest category. For pages with no replacement, build a helpful 404 page with navigation and search.
Speed and mobile experience
Many customers open sites on a phone, and not always on a fast connection. Run your key pages through a speed testing tool and compare the result with last month. A sharp decline almost always traces back to something new: a heavy image, a video on the homepage, an extra chat or analytics script.
Then walk the customer journey on your own smartphone: menu, search, product page, form, call button, jump to Telegram. If it is awkward for you, it is worse for a customer.
Security and content accuracy
Outdated information is an error too. A customer drives to an old address or sees last season's promotion and goes to a competitor. Compare your phone number, address, opening hours and prices across the website, Instagram, Telegram and map listings.
- the CMS and plugins are updated, unused plugins removed;
- search engine tools show no malware warnings;
- the SSL certificate and domain do not expire soon;
- prices, promotions, delivery and payment terms are current;
- there are no empty or near-empty pages.
Keep a log and know when to rebuild
Keep a simple table: date, what you found, who fixed it, when. Next month, start with that table and see whether old problems came back. For a small site two hours is usually enough, and it costs less than the enquiries you lose to an unnoticed bug.
If errors are frequent, return after every edit, or the site sits on an outdated platform, the issue is usually the foundation rather than small details. Rebuilding can then be wiser than endless patching. The markdev team develops turnkey websites in Tashkent and across Uzbekistan and can review your current site. Tell us what you need and we will suggest what to fix first.
FAQ
How often should I check my website for errors?
Once a month is enough for most sites. Forms and uptime deserve more frequent checks, and you should test everything right after a major update, hosting change or redesign.
Which tools do I need?
A basic set is Search Console, Yandex Webmaster, a site crawler, a page speed tool and an uptime monitor. Test enquiries and mobile walkthroughs are done by hand.
Which error is the most important to catch?
A broken contact form or order button. It does not show up in traffic data, yet it costs you leads every day, especially if you pay for advertising.
Can I do this without a developer?
Yes, most items such as forms, contact details, the mobile version and search engine reports can be checked by an owner or marketer. Technical fixes like redirects and speed are better handed to a developer.
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