The term "status page" may be new but the idea of keeping users informed about system issues isn't. In fact, years ago companies kept users updated by sending them email notifications whenever there were problems with their services. This wasn't very effective since many didn't check their email, and the ones that did may not have been checking it at the right time (i.e., when the problem occurred).
But now the term "status page" has been quietly introduced into the web industry's vocabulary. The main purpose of a status page is to provide users with insight as to how well their service or application is running. Status pages should provide current status information and detail how users can be notified of outages or other planned maintenance.
The following are some of the contents that are generally found in a status page:
- Service health
- Service status
- Known issues
- Planned maintenance
- Upcoming incidents
- Past incidents
What is the main purpose of status page?
The purpose of status page is to help people know what services or applications are up and running at any time by showing whether they are currently working properly or not. When there are incidents, enterprises usually make announcements on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. However, status pages serve to provide an overall view of the current operational status at any given time by presenting a list of all live services along with their current status.
Most status pages are open to the public, but some companies choose to make them private and only accessible to their customers. The design of a status page can vary greatly since it depends on the company's needs and preferences. Some pages have a lot of detailed information while others are very simple and easy to understand. The main purpose is to inform customers about the problems in advance and prevent them from calling the customer service phone number in vain (which causes additional costs). It also helps companies to identify the areas that need improvement.
Why the status page is important?
A status page, also known as an error tracker or outage notifier, is a must-have tool for website owners to communicate with their site's visitors. A study found that 62% of online shoppers are less likely to purchase something if they cannot get reliable service. Thus, it is important for website owners to keep their visitors up-to-date on the status of their website.
A status page is a simple web page that delivers some basic information like the website's uptime, downtime, or other messages. These messages can be of any kind; they can report on new features, information about planned maintenance and much more.
A status page should be updated regularly, so that team members and stakeholders can stay up-to-date on the latest information. Additionally, a status page provides a centralized location for all communications about the status of website, acting as a centralised hub that can be referred to at any time.
The idea behind it is very simple: when a visitor comes to your website, they should be able to see at a glance whether everything is up and running as it should be. If there are any problems, they'll want to know about them as quickly as possible so that they can take any necessary action. A service provides a facility or support to its users with certain features. When a problem is encountered by a user in using those features, he/she can contact technical support department of the service to get the issue fixed.
The goal of a status page is to provide more information than just "the site's down." Status pages are meant to keep all visitors up-to-date on what services are available, which aren't, and why. This way people who depend on the website can make an informed decision about whether or not to wait it out.
There are a few component types on status pages
Status pages are an important part of any business continuity plan. They provide transparency to customers about the health and availability of your site, so they can make a more informed decision about whether to wait for service restoration or look at an alternative. The parts of the status page:
- Operational Status - This is the most common type of status page. It reports on the current state of all services and systems. For example, "The website is up and running."
- Incident Report - This type of status page provides information about an incident. By reporting what happened, how it was fixed, and what you are doing to prevent the same thing from happening again in the future.
- Scheduled Maintenance - This type of status page is for website maintainers who have scheduled downtime for routine maintenance work. Customers who are made aware of these outages can plan around them.
- Dashboard - This is a real-time overview of all the services your company provides. It's usually used by companies with a lot of services that need to be constantly monitored.
When users have this information available to them, it helps reduce the amount of time you're spending on support and communication. This gives a company a chance to go back and concentrate on what really matters- their customers.
How to setup a status page?
There are two primary ways to create a status page: by using a pre-built service like Robotalp, or by building one yourself. There are a few things to keep in mind when creating or using a status page. The first is to make sure that all of the services that are being monitored are included on the page. The second is to ensure that the incident reporting process is smooth and efficient so that people know how to make a report when an issue occurs. The last thing is to make sure the status page itself is not down at any time.
There are a few things to keep in mind when creating a status page:
- Make sure your visitors can easily see the current status of your website.
- Make sure to include an incident page with information on past or current incidents so they know what to expect in the future.
- Keep your status page up-to-date by making it easy for your team to update.
- Use an uptime monitoring service to monitor your website's uptime and downtime.
The benefits of having a status page
Having a status page is important for any size business, whether you are a startup or an enterprise. It is a valuable tool to keep your customers informed and can help prevent or solve problems quickly. Customers will be able to feel more confident in your services if they are aware of the situation and understand why things are not running smoothly. This will help you build trust with your clients and improve overall customer satisfaction.
We listed below a few benefits of having a status page:
- Providing the most up to date information about your website.
- Alerts for downtime or maintenance.
- Customer credibility.
- Minimize customer impact if there is a problem.
- Do not leave customers guessing or frustrated with outages.
- Gain customer insights.
- Become a more efficient business.
- Lead to better problem solving and preventive maintenance.
- Build trust with customers.
- Can help with crisis communication.
There are plenty of services out there that can help you get started with your status page, so there's no need to worry about how to do it yourself. The most popular option is an uptime monitoring service like Robotalp. Creating a status page is a great way to keep your visitors in the loop, and it's also an excellent way to build trust. After all, if you're willing to put your faith in a third-party service to keep your website up and running, then your visitors will be more likely to do the same.
