Hosting and Support FAQs

What is a server?

A server is a remote computer that delivers (or serves) your website to visitors.

What is the difference between a production server and a development server?

A development server is the server Metrifi uses to build, test, and review updates to your website before they go live. 

A production server is the server your live website is delivered from.

What is a web host?

A web host is the company that provides and maintains your production server.

What is DNS?

DNS stands for Domain Name System. It is a service, usually separate from your hosting server, that directs (or resolves) your domain name to the correct server IP address.

Who is responsible for maintaining my DNS?

Your organization is responsible for maintaining your DNS records. Generally, someone on your IT team already manages this.

We recommend confirming responsibility before launch, so you know whom to contact if DNS-related issues arise.

What does it mean to launch my website?

“Launching” is the process of making your new website live on the internet. It is typically a two-part process:

The first part, completed by Metrifi staff, involves transferring (or migrating) your website files and database to the production server.

The second part, completed by your team, involves updating your DNS A record so your domain points to the new server. This is usually handled by your IT department, but in some cases, DNS may be managed by a third party.

If you are unsure, check with your IT team.

What is an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate ensures that all traffic between your website and its visitors is encrypted and secure.

Who is responsible for maintaining my SSL certificate?

Your team is responsible for ensuring that your SSL certificate remains valid.

If you use Liquid Web with cPanel hosting, Metrifi will configure the AutoSSL service for you during launch.

This certificate renews automatically, so you typically do not need to manually install a new certificate each year.

Does AutoSSL guarantee that my certificate is always valid?

In most cases, yes. However, certain DNS configurations (and some Cloudflare settings) can prevent certificates from renewing properly.

We recommend that your IT team coordinate with your web host whenever making DNS changes or enabling Cloudflare to ensure that AutoSSL continues to function correctly.

Additionally, while Let’s Encrypt is highly reliable, occasional outages can cause certificate renewals to fail.

What should I do if my SSL certificate expires or my browser says it is invalid?

For the fastest resolution, we recommend contacting your web host first.

If you are unsure what information they need, please open a support ticket with Metrifi. We are happy to help you gather the information needed and coordinate with your host.

What are Metrifi’s responsibilities?

Under your support agreement, Metrifi Support is responsible for ensuring your website software remains operational.

This includes:

• The WordPress installation
• Approved plugins
• Approved themes
• Software updates and maintenance covered under your support agreement

This generally does not include issues caused by server-level changes or unsupported modifications, such as:

• Installation of unapproved plugins
• Changes to the .htaccess file
• PHP configuration changes
• Other server configuration changes made outside of Metrifi support

What are the web host’s responsibilities?

You should review your hosting agreement for exact details, but in general, your web host is responsible for everything related to server infrastructure, including:

• Making changes to server configuration, including modifications to .htaccess files, uploading static HTML files, verification files, and similar server-level changes
• Updating server software such as PHP, Apache, MySQL, and Linux
• Maintaining server security and ensuring your website remains accessible online

I need a change made to my server, but the web host is telling me to contact the developer. What do I do?

In rare cases, you may encounter an issue that falls outside both your Metrifi support agreement and your agreement with your web host.

If that happens, we are happy to help.

Simply submit a support ticket along with any documentation you have received, and our team will review the issue with you.

Please note that requests falling outside the scope of your Metrifi agreement may be billed at our standard hourly rate.

What should I do if my site goes down?

First, don’t panic. Temporary outages occasionally happen and are usually resolved quickly.

Next, contact your web host via live chat or emergency support. In many cases, the host can diagnose or resolve the issue in real time.

Finally, submit a ticket with Metrifi Support.

Please let us know:

• Whether you have already contacted your web host
• Any notes, error messages, or logs they provided

If your site is still unavailable, be sure to select the Emergency option when submitting your support request.

Why can’t I just contact Metrifi first?

You absolutely can.

If you submit an emergency support ticket, our team will begin investigating as quickly as possible.

We recommend contacting your web host first, as many outages stem from server infrastructure rather than website software, and those issues are often diagnosed more quickly by the hosting provider.