bill2013
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Site hosted by Netbenefit down for two full days, and yet more problems
Netbenefit, part of Layer1 and Easily, host a domain for a client whose network I support.
Late on Wednesday night I changed the IP for the website back from an SEO company to Netbenefit's servers as the SEOs work was done.
I checked the website first thing on Thursday morning and instead of my clients website, I got a Netbenefit sales page.
Netbenefit's support team only work, 9 to 5, weekdays, so I rang them as soon as they were in. I double checked the IPs and I was told the name wasn't being resolved and it was a problem with them. Two hours later and still no website, I rang again, and I was told the engineers wouid deal with it as soon as possible. Repeated this several times throughout the day and again on Friday. I spoke to them a total of six times and made a further three calls that went unanswered despite waiting up to 25 minutes for an answer.
So the website was down for two full days and I believe it would still be down if I had not reverted back to the SEO IP at 7pm on Friday by which time I felt Netbenefit totally incapable of dealing with the problem and probably going out of business becauser of the total disinterest.
Anyway, the website is up, but to add insult to injury, if we google the domain we find we are being used to advertise Netbenefit with the Google summary reading:
xyz lifts ltd
www.xyz.co.uk
xyz.co.uk has been registered by a customer of NetBenefit. Register your own domain. Type a name or word in the box above and click on SEARCH!
8 Google reviews · Write a review · Google+ page
What determines the narrative in Google searches and how can we change it back.
Thanks for any advice.
Late on Wednesday night I changed the IP for the website back from an SEO company to Netbenefit's servers as the SEOs work was done.
I checked the website first thing on Thursday morning and instead of my clients website, I got a Netbenefit sales page.
Netbenefit's support team only work, 9 to 5, weekdays, so I rang them as soon as they were in. I double checked the IPs and I was told the name wasn't being resolved and it was a problem with them. Two hours later and still no website, I rang again, and I was told the engineers wouid deal with it as soon as possible. Repeated this several times throughout the day and again on Friday. I spoke to them a total of six times and made a further three calls that went unanswered despite waiting up to 25 minutes for an answer.
So the website was down for two full days and I believe it would still be down if I had not reverted back to the SEO IP at 7pm on Friday by which time I felt Netbenefit totally incapable of dealing with the problem and probably going out of business becauser of the total disinterest.
Anyway, the website is up, but to add insult to injury, if we google the domain we find we are being used to advertise Netbenefit with the Google summary reading:
xyz lifts ltd
www.xyz.co.uk
xyz.co.uk has been registered by a customer of NetBenefit. Register your own domain. Type a name or word in the box above and click on SEARCH!
8 Google reviews · Write a review · Google+ page
What determines the narrative in Google searches and how can we change it back.
Thanks for any advice.
I don't know anything about NetBenefit but not having 24 help would make me change. If this is the hosting company http://www.netbenefit.com/ it does show 24/7.
However, the issue you are describing does not sound like it is their issue.
>IP for the website back from an SEO company to Netbenefit's servers as the SEOs work was done.
This sounds like the site was being hosted on the SEO companies server and they made whatever adjustments necessary. Now you are done with them so you pointed the the A record back to netbenefit's hosting.
However, the issue you are describing does not sound like it is their issue.
>IP for the website back from an SEO company to Netbenefit's servers as the SEOs work was done.
This sounds like the site was being hosted on the SEO companies server and they made whatever adjustments necessary. Now you are done with them so you pointed the the A record back to netbenefit's hosting.
It takes time for propagation although I find typically it is 1 to 10 minutes but "they" say it can be up to 48 hours.
Are you 100% sure the site is live and turned on at Netbenfit? and that hosting service has DNS set up to accept the domain name.
It is hard to say what the SEO company did, but you should have at least downloaded the site from their server and uploaded to yours. Or if wordpress, backed up the db and restored it to yours as well.
For future, there should not be any reason to move a site to another IP just for seo. More then likely whatever they did is going to be lost
ASKER
Scott, your comments make complete sense and we are, of course, moving, it's just the short term action.
Before changing the IP I asked for confirmation where the web files were held and was told they were on the Netbenefit server. If so, why point to Adtrak, the SEO.
Adtrak, were responsible for changes to the website, so why not move the files to their own server. But they say they are on NB's server.
Before changing the IP I asked for confirmation where the web files were held and was told they were on the Netbenefit server. If so, why point to Adtrak, the SEO.
Adtrak, were responsible for changes to the website, so why not move the files to their own server. But they say they are on NB's server.
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ASKER
The domain IS pointing to the Adtrak IP but this is where I changed it back to on Friday,
My change to NB was based on these comments from Adtrak.
It is my understanding that the domain is still with Net Benefit and it would be them that would make the IP address changes for you.
Apparently we have already provided the FTP information, so you should already have full access to your website.
I outlined your comments to the website owner today and asked:
Where does Paul go to update the site, and if it is a Netbenefit IP does a small change actually take effect? I agree with the comments made - the site is still on an Adtrak server. Why else would it work as soon as we repoint to them.
I will update you as soon as I know.
My change to NB was based on these comments from Adtrak.
It is my understanding that the domain is still with Net Benefit and it would be them that would make the IP address changes for you.
Apparently we have already provided the FTP information, so you should already have full access to your website.
I outlined your comments to the website owner today and asked:
Where does Paul go to update the site, and if it is a Netbenefit IP does a small change actually take effect? I agree with the comments made - the site is still on an Adtrak server. Why else would it work as soon as we repoint to them.
I will update you as soon as I know.
This is not adding up unless Adtrak was accessing the site from Netbenefit?
>It is my understanding that the domain is still with Net Benefit and it would be them that would make the IP address changes for you.
Your domain name is purchased through a registrar like godaddy.com. From your registrar, you will point either the name server or individual "A" and "MX" records to your hosting account. I prefer to always point just the individual "A" and "MX" records and leave the DNS hosting to the registrar.
By logging in to your control panel https://control.netbenefit.com/control/ you should be able to find out what the IP is. You will also want to verify there are files up there.
>Apparently we have already provided the FTP information, so you should already have full access to your website.
This sounds like either they have the FTP they were given or they managed the hosting. If you know you moved it there prior, than they are probably correct.
If you go to mxtoolbox.com now and do a dns look up you can see what IP and name server is being used. From there you can do an IP whois and find out who the IP belongs to.
>It is my understanding that the domain is still with Net Benefit and it would be them that would make the IP address changes for you.
Your domain name is purchased through a registrar like godaddy.com. From your registrar, you will point either the name server or individual "A" and "MX" records to your hosting account. I prefer to always point just the individual "A" and "MX" records and leave the DNS hosting to the registrar.
By logging in to your control panel https://control.netbenefit.com/control/ you should be able to find out what the IP is. You will also want to verify there are files up there.
>Apparently we have already provided the FTP information, so you should already have full access to your website.
This sounds like either they have the FTP they were given or they managed the hosting. If you know you moved it there prior, than they are probably correct.
If you go to mxtoolbox.com now and do a dns look up you can see what IP and name server is being used. From there you can do an IP whois and find out who the IP belongs to.
ASKER
I've just had NB on the phone aand they pointed me to the web files they hold, which are the old ones, so it's obviously with Adtrak.
NB are the registrar and the client the registrant, a WHOIS points to NB's servers,
I do not get involved with web design and SEO, not my area, but I control the DNS on Netbenefit. I changed it to point to Adtrak last August and then on Wednesday evening, on the domain owner's instructions, back to NB. On Friday night I changed it to Adtrak again, which worked and mxtoolbox.com confirms the Adtrak IP.
Obviously, Adtrak don't know what they are talking about, and we need to sort it out before they decide to "delete" a former client's files and they have to pay loads to "recover" them.
NB are the registrar and the client the registrant, a WHOIS points to NB's servers,
I do not get involved with web design and SEO, not my area, but I control the DNS on Netbenefit. I changed it to point to Adtrak last August and then on Wednesday evening, on the domain owner's instructions, back to NB. On Friday night I changed it to Adtrak again, which worked and mxtoolbox.com confirms the Adtrak IP.
Obviously, Adtrak don't know what they are talking about, and we need to sort it out before they decide to "delete" a former client's files and they have to pay loads to "recover" them.
ASKER
Probably, a stupid question, but as I said I did Nominet lookup (they manage all .uk sites) and the 2 name servers are Nominet.
Wouldn't Google and cos spoiders, think the website is not situated in the correct location, and penalize it or am I looking too deeply at it?
Wouldn't Google and cos spoiders, think the website is not situated in the correct location, and penalize it or am I looking too deeply at it?
What probably happened is Adtrak created a duplicated site and did what they needed to enhance seo. Sometimes they work where once you stop paying you go back to your old site and other times they enhance and give it back. Check the contract.
At least you figured it out.
Best of luck.
At least you figured it out.
Best of luck.
>Wouldn't Google and cos spoiders, think the website is not situated in the correct location, and penalize it or am I looking too deeply at it?
If the site is exactly the same and all you did was change the host or IP it should have very little if any effect. If web host B enhanced the site, then you move back to host A and the site changed for the worse, that could have a negative effect, especially if host B added pages that are not on host A.
You would want to make sure there are proper redirects set up for any pages missing but the better answer is to get the same site back.
If the site is exactly the same and all you did was change the host or IP it should have very little if any effect. If web host B enhanced the site, then you move back to host A and the site changed for the worse, that could have a negative effect, especially if host B added pages that are not on host A.
You would want to make sure there are proper redirects set up for any pages missing but the better answer is to get the same site back.
ASKER
Thanks Scott, excellent help
If the site is back up then just leave it, it could be a day to 2 weeks before it is updated in the listings.