Launch day runbook and DNS cutover checklist
A timed launch plan from T minus 48 hours to the first week, including a DNS cutover that leaves email alone.
Free template for designers
“Your site is down” client emails
Three calm emails for a client outage: the first notice, the update and the all clear with a short incident summary.
Email 1: First notice (within 15 minutes)
Subject: [Site name] is down. We are on it.
Hi [Client name], [site address] stopped responding at about [time, time zone]. We have confirmed it from more than one network and are working on it now. Next update by [time, within the hour], even if nothing has changed. Nothing is needed from you. If customers ask, the site is temporarily unavailable and they can reach you at [email address].
Email 2: Update
Subject: Update on [site name]: [still down / partly back]
Hi [Client name], status: [down / partly working]. Cause so far: [plain language, or “still narrowing it down, we have ruled out X and Y”]. What we are doing now: [current step]. Your content and data: [safe / last backup at time]. Next update by [time].
Email 3: All clear
Subject: [Site name] is back up
Hi [Client name], the site has been working normally since [time]. Downtime: about [duration], from [start] to [end]. What happened: [one sentence]. Impact: [orders, forms or email affected, or “none we know of”]. What we did: [one sentence]. What we are changing: [one concrete step, with a date]. Reply here if anything still looks wrong on your end.
Before you send
- Confirm from outside your network: a phone on mobile data, plus
curl -Ior an uptime checker. - Note the exact symptom: timeout, 500, 503, DNS failure or certificate error. It tells you who to contact.
- Check the host status page and your monitoring alerts before naming a cause.
- Promise update times, never fix times, and meet every one.
- Log times, actions and who you spoke to, for the summary and the invoice.
- Do not blame the host, a plugin or the client in writing until you know.
More templates
The rest of the kit
Client access request email
A ready-to-send email asking a client (or a previous developer) for every login and account you need before you start, with safer ways to share each one.
Care plan tier sheet
Turn your care plan prices into tiers a client can compare: what each tier includes, task credits, add-ons and who may buy them, backups and response times.
Maintenance agreement outline
The sections a solid website maintenance agreement covers, with numbers where they belong. An outline, not legal advice.
Scope creep script and change request
What to say when a client asks for “one small thing” outside the project, plus a change request form with real fields.
Client onboarding questionnaire
Questions to send a new web design client before the discovery call: the business, goals, existing accounts, content and brand, budget and who maintains the site after launch.