What our uptime monitoring checks
A website can be unavailable even when the underlying server is still running. Certificate problems, malware warnings and failures elsewhere in the hosting stack can all affect whether customers can safely reach the site.
Our Uptime & Security Monitoring service costs £29 a month or £290 a year. It combines continuous availability checks with security-related monitoring so you have a clearer picture than a basic server ping provides.
- 1-minute uptime checks: your website is checked around the clock for availability.
- SSL expiry monitoring: certificate expiry is watched so an approaching problem can be identified.
- Malware and blacklist monitoring: checks look for security problems that may affect visitors or your site's reputation.
- Email and SMS alerts: alerts are sent when monitoring detects an incident.
- Monthly uptime report: you receive a record of monitored availability and incidents.
Every incident is investigated rather than leaving you with an automated alert and no context. If you need wider maintenance as well as monitoring, compare the options on our website support pricing page.
Why website monitoring needs more than an uptime percentage
An uptime figure is useful, but it does not tell you why a website failed. A useful website monitoring service needs enough information to separate a genuine outage from a certificate problem, a security warning or another technical fault.
Monitoring from outside the website also matters. If a hosting dashboard says a server is healthy while the public website cannot be reached, the customer experience is still an outage. The purpose of an external check is to test availability from the visitor's side rather than relying only on the system being monitored.
There is also an important distinction between detection and repair. Monitoring tells us that something needs attention and gives us an earlier point from which to investigate. It does not mean every underlying hosting, DNS, application or third-party problem can be repaired by the monitoring service itself.
For businesses that want ongoing maintenance alongside monitoring, website maintenance adds routine technical care. Sites where downtime has a direct commercial impact may be better suited to a broader website support plan.
Uptime alerts, SSL problems and security incidents
Not every incident looks like a completely blank website. An expired TLS certificate can trigger browser warnings. Malware or deceptive content can result in security warnings from Google. A site may also remain technically reachable while important pages or services are malfunctioning.
Google states that security threats such as malware or phishing can lead to warnings before users reach a website and can reduce Search traffic. Its Search Console Security Issues report is one of the places site owners can check when Google has detected a problem.
The National Cyber Security Centre also recommends keeping website software up to date and maintaining recoverable backups as part of sensible cyber security practice. Monitoring complements those controls because it helps identify symptoms, but it should not replace patching, backups or secure website administration.
If you are concerned about malware rather than simple availability, see our website security service. If the site is already compromised, use the hacked website repair service instead.
Standalone monitoring or monitoring within a care plan
The £29 Uptime & Security Monitoring plan is designed for organisations that primarily need independent checks, alerts and investigation. It can suit a site that is already maintained elsewhere but needs a separate watch on availability and security signals.
Monitoring is also included within our website care plans. Essential Care is £59 a month and adds weekly WordPress core, plugin and theme updates, daily off-server backups, security scanning and hardening, and a monthly health report. Professional Care is £119 a month and adds development time, speed and Core Web Vitals monitoring, accessibility scanning and fixes within 24 to 48 hours.
The right level depends on what you expect to happen after an alert. If you already have somebody responsible for repairs, standalone monitoring may be enough. If you want monitoring combined with routine technical maintenance, a care plan removes that gap between finding a problem and having ongoing support available.
You can also use our free page speed checker if the website is online but performance is the problem rather than availability.