Overview
wp-admin/admin.php?page=site-essentials-essentials&tab=monitoring
For: Clients + anyone evaluating the feature
What Is Site Monitoring?
Every site built and managed by Brighter Websites runs a background monitoring system that watches for problems automatically — 24 hours a day, without anyone needing to log in and check.
When something goes wrong (or looks like it might), an alert fires immediately. No waiting for a client to notice their contact form stopped working. No finding out on Monday that emails bounced all weekend.
The monitoring runs as part of the site itself — no third-party service with its own login, no separate dashboard to manage.
What Gets Monitored
| What | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Email delivery | If your site fails to send an email — enquiry, booking confirmation, notification — the alert fires immediately. Email failures are silent by default; this makes them visible. |
| Site health | A check runs every 5 minutes confirming the site is responding, the database is connected, and the filesystem is accessible. |
| robots.txt | A daily check confirms search engines can read your robots.txt file correctly. A corrupted or missing file can silently block your entire site from Google. |
| XML Sitemap | A daily check confirms your sitemap is valid and accessible. Sitemaps tell search engines what pages exist — if yours is broken, new content may not be indexed. |
| Form submissions | Optionally, an alert fires each time a form is submitted. Useful for high-value enquiry forms where immediate awareness matters. |
How Alerts Are Delivered
Alerts are delivered via ntfy — a lightweight, open notification service. Notifications arrive like a standard push notification on a phone or desktop.
Brighter Websites runs its own ntfy server, so alerts are not routed through any external third-party platform.
If you receive alerts directly
Depending on your engagement, you may be set up to receive alerts for your own site. If so:
- Install the ntfy app (iOS / Android) or use the web interface
- You’ll be given the server address and your subscription topics
- Notifications arrive instantly when a monitor fires
If Brighter Websites monitors on your behalf
In most engagements, alerts go directly to Brighter Websites. You don’t need to install anything or do anything. If something needs your attention, you’ll hear from us.
What Happens When an Alert Fires
For email and site health alerts: These are treated as urgent. The expectation is awareness within minutes and investigation immediately.
For robots.txt and sitemap alerts: These run daily. If an issue is detected, it’s investigated and resolved — most are transient and resolve on their own, but persistent issues are addressed directly.
For form alerts: These are informational. A notification arrives when a form is submitted — no action required unless the form is also supposed to trigger an email that didn’t arrive.
What You Don’t Need to Do
If Brighter Websites manages monitoring on your behalf:
- You don’t need to log in anywhere to check
- You don’t need to install anything
- You don’t need to configure anything
- You don’t need to respond to alerts — that’s handled
The system runs automatically as part of your site’s infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this costing me extra? Monitoring is included as part of site management. The ntfy server is operated by Brighter Websites — there’s no per-site subscription or third-party cost passed on.
Will I get woken up at 3am by notifications? Rate limiting is built in — monitors don’t spam. SMTP alerts fire a maximum of once every 5 minutes, downtime alerts once every 15 minutes. If you’re set up to receive alerts directly, you can configure quiet hours in the ntfy app.
What if I receive an alert and don’t know what it means? Forward it to support@brighterwebsites.com.au. The notification will include the site name and what triggered it.
Can I see a history of alerts? The ntfy app and web interface retain notification history. If you’re subscribed to your site’s topics, you can scroll back through past alerts.
I’m not receiving alerts — is monitoring still running? Yes. If Brighter Websites monitors on your behalf, the system runs regardless of whether you personally receive notifications. No alerts means nothing has fired — which is the expected state.