> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.isdown.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.isdown.app/website-monitors/best-practices.md). # Best Practices #### Start from user impact Before creating a monitor, ask: * What would hurt customers if it went down? * What would hurt the business? * What would slow the team down? * What would just be annoying? Not everything needs monitoring. #### Choose the right monitor type Each monitor answers a different question: * HTTP checks response correctness * Ping checks reachability * Keyword validates expected content * SSL prevents certificate surprises Add monitors that answer your main question, not all possible questions. #### Avoid redundant monitoring If one monitor gives a strong signal, adding more rarely adds value. More monitors do not mean better monitoring. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://help.isdown.app/website-monitors/best-practices.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.