Status Page Software: Build Trust with Transparent Communication

Who This Is For

This guide is for product teams, DevOps engineers, and business owners who want to communicate service status to their users effectively. Whether you're evaluating status page options or setting up your first one, this guide covers what you need to know.

If your users have ever asked "is it down?" or flooded support during an outage, you need status page software.

What Is Status Page Software?

Status page software provides:

1. A public webpage showing current service status
2. Component breakdowns of your service architecture
3. Incident updates during and after outages
4. Subscriber notifications via email/SMS/RSS
5. Historical uptime data showing reliability

What Users See

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           YourApp Status                     │
│                                             │
│  ● All Systems Operational                  │
│                                             │
│  Components:                                │
│  ✓ Website         Operational              │
│  ✓ API             Operational              │
│  ✓ Mobile App      Operational              │
│  ● Payments        Degraded Performance     │
│                                             │
│  Past Incidents:                            │
│  Jan 5: API latency resolved (32 min)       │
│  Dec 28: Maintenance completed              │
│                                             │
│  Uptime: 99.95% (last 90 days)             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Why You Need a Status Page

1. Reduce Support Tickets

During outages, users flood support channels asking "is it down?"

With a status page:

• Users check status.yourapp.com first
• Support tickets decrease 30-50%
• Team focuses on fixing, not responding

2. Build User Trust

Transparency builds loyalty:

• 89% of users prefer companies that are transparent about issues
• Proactive communication reduces frustration
• Honesty during incidents improves long-term trust

3. Single Source of Truth

Without a status page:

• Users check Twitter, Reddit, DownDetector
• Misinformation spreads
• You lose control of the narrative

With a status page:

• Official updates in one place
• Users know where to look
• You control communication

4. Meet Customer Expectations

Enterprise customers expect status pages. B2B SaaS without one looks unprofessional.

Wakestack Status Pages

Why Wakestack Includes Status Pages

Most status page tools are standalone products. You need:

• Uptime monitoring ($10-50/month)
• Status page tool ($29-200/month)
• Manual integration between them

Wakestack combines both:

• Monitors update status automatically
• Incidents trigger from alerts
• One dashboard, one subscription

Key Status Page Features

1. Component Status

Break down your service into user-facing components:

Good components: What users interact with Bad components: Internal infrastructure names

2. Incident Management

Post updates during outages:

Investigating (10:15 AM)
We're investigating reports of slow API responses.

Identified (10:30 AM)
We've identified a database connection issue.

Monitoring (10:45 AM)
A fix has been deployed. Monitoring the situation.

Resolved (11:00 AM)
The issue has been resolved. API performance is normal.

3. Subscriber Notifications

Let users subscribe to updates:

• Email for general subscribers
• SMS for critical alerts
• RSS for technical users
• Webhook for automated systems

4. Historical Uptime

Show reliability track record:

• 90-day uptime percentage
• Incident history
• Visual uptime calendar

5. Custom Branding

Match your brand:

• Custom domain (status.yourapp.com)
• Logo and colors
• Custom CSS (advanced plans)

Setting Up a Status Page with Wakestack

Step 1: Create Your Status Page

In Wakestack dashboard:

1. Navigate to Status Pages
2. Click "Create Status Page"
3. Name it (e.g., "YourApp Status")

Step 2: Add Components

Add user-facing components:

Website → Linked to HTTP monitor
API → Linked to API health check
Mobile App → Manual status
Payments → Linked to payment endpoint check

Step 3: Configure Custom Domain

Point your DNS:

status.yourapp.com CNAME status.wakestack.co.uk

Step 4: Customize Branding

Upload your logo Set primary colors Write custom header text

Step 5: Enable Subscriptions

Allow email subscriptions Configure notification preferences Test subscriber flow

Status Page Best Practices

1. Keep Components User-Focused

Do:

• Website
• API
• Mobile App
• Payments

Don't:

• us-east-1-web-cluster
• Redis Cache
• PostgreSQL Primary

2. Update Frequently During Incidents

Even "still investigating" is better than silence.

3. Be Honest About Severity

Use consistent severity levels:

• Operational (green): Working normally
• Degraded (yellow): Working but impaired
• Partial Outage (orange): Some features unavailable
• Major Outage (red): Service unavailable

4. Post Post-Incident Reports

After major incidents, publish a summary:

• What happened
• Timeline
• Root cause
• Preventive measures

5. Announce Maintenance

Scheduled maintenance should appear on the status page 24-48 hours in advance.

Comparing Status Page Solutions

Wakestack (Included with Monitoring)

Pricing: $0-99/month (includes monitoring) Best for: Teams wanting monitoring + status page together

Pros:

• Included with monitoring
• Automatic status updates
• Simple setup

Cons:

• Fewer customization options than standalone
• Newer platform

Atlassian Statuspage

Pricing: $29-199/month (status page only) Best for: Enterprise teams with complex needs

Pros:

• Industry standard
• Advanced features
• Many integrations

Cons:

• Expensive
• Separate from monitoring
• Complex for simple needs

Better Stack (Included with Monitoring)

Pricing: $0-29/month per seat Best for: DevOps teams wanting integrated solution

Pros:

• Beautiful design
• Included with monitoring
• Good incident features

Cons:

• Per-seat pricing adds up
• No server monitoring

Instatus

Pricing: $20-150/month (status page only) Best for: Startups wanting affordable standalone option

Pros:

• Affordable
• Good design
• Fast setup

Cons:

• No monitoring included
• Manual updates needed

Status Page Checklist

Before going live, verify:

• All user-facing components added
• Components named clearly (no internal names)
• Custom domain configured (status.yourapp.com)
• Brand colors and logo uploaded
• Email subscriptions enabled
• Team knows update process
• Template messages prepared
• Monitoring integration tested
• Mobile view looks good

Try Wakestack Status Pages

Create a professional status page in minutes.

• Included in all plans (even free)
• Automatic monitoring integration
• Custom domain on Pro
• No credit card required

Create Your Status Page →

Learn more: 10 Status Page Design Best Practices

Related Resources

• 10 Status Page Design Best Practices
• Uptime Monitoring: Complete Guide
• Best Uptime Monitoring Tools in 2026