WebMon doesn't just ping your website and call it a day. There are several different monitor types, and choosing the right one depends on what you're actually trying to keep an eye on. Here's a straightforward breakdown of each type and when to use it.
HTTP Monitors - The Foundation
This is the one most people start with. An HTTP monitor sends a request to your URL and checks the response. We record:
- The HTTP status code (200, 301, 404, 500, etc.)
- Response time in milliseconds
- Response headers
- SSL certificate status and expiry
- The redirect chain (if redirect following is enabled)
An HTTP monitor answers the fundamental question: can a user reach this page, and how quickly?
Use this for your homepage, key landing pages, API endpoints, and anything where "is it responding?" is the main concern.
Keyword Monitors - Content Verification
A keyword monitor does everything an HTTP monitor does, plus it scans the response body for specific text. This is more useful than it sounds.
A page can return a 200 OK status while displaying an error message, a maintenance notice, or completely wrong content. The HTTP status tells you the server is responding. The keyword check tells you the right content is being served.
Good things to monitor with keywords:
- Your company name or product name on key pages (catches defacement or accidental overwrites)
- Pricing information (catches unexpected changes)
- A specific phrase that should always be present (like "Add to cart" on a product page)
- Text that should not be present (you can set keyword matching to alert when the keyword is found, rather than when it's missing)
I use keyword monitoring on a few of my own sites. One monitors for a specific footer copyright line - if it disappears, something has gone wrong with the template rendering. It's caught genuine issues twice that an HTTP-only monitor would have missed completely.
DNS Monitors - The Invisible Layer
DNS is the thing nobody thinks about until it breaks, and then everything breaks. A DNS monitor checks that your domain's DNS records return the expected values.
This catches:
- Unauthorized DNS changes (accidental or malicious)
- DNS propagation issues after planned changes
- Nameserver problems at your DNS provider
- Record values drifting from what you expect
You specify the hostname, record type (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS), and the expected value. WebMon queries the DNS and alerts you if the response doesn't match.
If you're running email campaigns, an MX record monitor is worth setting up. If your MX records change unexpectedly, your email delivery breaks - and you might not notice until you realise nobody's been replying to your emails for three days.
Choosing the Right Monitor Type
The decision is usually straightforward:
"Is my website up?" - HTTP monitor. Set and forget. This covers 80% of use cases.
"Is my website showing the right content?" - Keyword monitor. Add this alongside your HTTP monitor for critical pages where content accuracy matters.
"Are my DNS records correct?" - DNS monitor. Essential if you manage your own DNS or have had DNS issues in the past.
You can run multiple monitor types on the same domain. I'd suggest an HTTP monitor for general uptime, plus keyword monitors on any page where content matters. DNS monitors are worth adding for your primary domains, especially if multiple people have access to your DNS management.
Check Intervals
How often you check depends on how quickly you need to know about problems. A 1-minute interval catches issues fast but uses more of your monitor allowance. A 5-minute interval is a good balance for most sites. For less critical pages, 30 or 60 minutes might be plenty.
The general rule: if your site being down for 5 minutes would cost you money or reputation, check every minute. If you'd survive 30 minutes without noticing, check every 30 minutes. Match the interval to the actual impact of downtime for that specific resource.
Set up any combination of HTTP, keyword, and DNS monitors from your dashboard.