WordPress Troubleshooting: Common Issues and Solutions
WordPress is a powerful and flexible platform, but like any technology, it’s not immune to errors. While developers work hard to create a stable environment, many issues can arise from outdated plugins, themes, or core files. This is often because site owners are focused on running their business and don’t have time to manage the technical maintenance of their website.
This guide outlines some of the most common WordPress issues and provides actionable remedies for each.
1. The White Screen of Death or Critical Error
This is one of the most frustrating errors for a WordPress user—your site and sometimes even your dashboard are completely blank.
- Causes:
- Fatal PHP errors or conflicts between plugins and themes.
- Exhausted memory limits.
- Corrupted core, theme, or plugin files.
- Remedies:
- Enable Debug Mode: This is the best first step. By adding define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true); to your wp-config.php file, you can reveal the specific error message, which will point you to the problem file.
- Increase PHP Memory: If the error is related to memory, increase the PHP memory limit in your wp-config.php file.
- Deactivate Plugins: If you can’t access the dashboard, you can disable all plugins by renaming the plugins folder inside wp-content via FTP or your hosting file manager. This often resolves the issue if a plugin conflict is the cause.
2. 500 Internal Server Error
This is a generic error that means something has gone wrong on the server, but the server couldn’t be more specific.
- Causes:
- A corrupted .htaccess file.
- PHP misconfiguration.
- Plugin or theme incompatibility.
- Remedies:
- Rename .htaccess: Via FTP or your file manager, rename the .htaccess file in your site’s root directory to something like .htaccess_old. If this fixes the issue, you can then go to Settings > Permalinks in your dashboard and click Save to generate a new, clean .htaccess file.
- Check Server Logs: Your hosting provider’s control panel will have an error log that often provides a more detailed explanation for the 500 error.
3. Error Establishing a Database Connection
Your website can’t talk to its database. This is a critical issue that will take your site offline.
- Causes:
- Incorrect database credentials (name, user, password) in wp-config.php.
- The database server is down or overloaded.
- Corrupt database tables.
- Remedies:
- Verify Credentials: Double-check that your database name, username, and password in your wp-config.php file are correct.
- Repair the Database: Add define(‘WP_ALLOW_REPAIR’, true); to your wp-config.php file. Then, navigate to http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php to run the repair script. Remember to remove this line of code once the repair is complete!
- Contact Your Host: If credentials are correct and the repair fails, your host can check if the database server is running properly.
4. Slow Website or Timeout Errors
A sluggish site is bad for user experience and can hurt your search engine rankings.
- Causes:
- Bloated themes or too many plugins.
- Unoptimized images or a large database.
- Inadequate hosting resources.
- Remedies:
- Implement Caching: Use a robust caching plugin (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache) to serve static versions of your pages, which can dramatically improve load times.
- Optimize Media: Compress and resize images before uploading them. Use a plugin to optimize existing images.
- Use a CDN: A Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare or BunnyCDN can serve your static files from servers closer to your users.
- Upgrade Your Hosting: If your site’s traffic or content has outgrown your current hosting plan, it may be time to upgrade to a more powerful server.
5. Login Issues
Can’t access your admin dashboard? It’s often due to one of these reasons.
- Causes:
- Incorrect username or password.
- Plugin conflicts (especially security plugins).
- Corrupted .htaccess file.
- Remedies:
- Reset Your Password: Use a tool like phpMyAdmin or WP-CLI to reset your admin password directly in the database.
- Troubleshoot Plugins: If a plugin is locking you out, you can disable it by renaming its folder via FTP.
6. Security Breaches
A hacked website can lead to data loss, spam, and a damaged reputation.
- Causes:
- Weak passwords.
- Vulnerable, outdated themes and plugins.
- Remedies:
- Scan for Malware: Use a trusted security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri to scan for and remove malicious files.
- Restore from Backup: If you have a clean backup, restoring from it is often the quickest way to get back online.
- Update and Harden: Immediately update all plugins, themes, and the WordPress core. Change all passwords, use two-factor authentication, and check your security settings.
7. Other Common Errors
- SSL/HTTPS Errors: Ensure your SSL certificate is valid and not expired. If you see mixed content warnings (HTTP resources on an HTTPS site), a plugin like Really Simple SSL can help by redirecting all traffic to HTTPS.
- Email Sending Issues: If your contact forms or notifications aren’t working, your hosting provider may be blocking the default PHP mail function. Install an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP to send emails reliably through a third-party service like Gmail or SendGrid.
- Hosting-Related Downtime: If your site is down and you’ve ruled out other issues, check your hosting provider’s status page for outages. Your DNS settings may also be misconfigured.
How to Prevent These Issues
The best solution for these problems is to prevent them from happening in the first place. Regularly maintaining your website is crucial. We highly recommend:
- Keeping everything updated: Plugins, themes, and the WordPress core should always be on the latest version.
- Using a security plugin: A plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri can monitor for vulnerabilities and provide an additional layer of protection.
- Using a staging site: A staging site is a clone of your live site where you can test updates and changes safely before pushing them to the public site.
If you don’t have the time or expertise to manage your site’s maintenance, a professional service can be a smart investment. We offer a Managed Website Program to handle these tasks for you, ensuring your site remains secure, up-to-date, and functional so you can focus on your business. You can learn more about our services and pricing on our managed website page.