How to Fix 8 Common WordPress Issues

Development
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Bilal Tahir
Co-Founder | WPWhales.io
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WordPress's simple interface and features make it a top choice for bloggers and developers. 

Despite its fame, WordPress sites can face many problems. These can harm their functionality and performance. 

In this blog, we will go through some common WordPress issues and provide nice solutions for them.

1.White Screen of Death 

The White Screen is one of the most dreaded issues for WordPress clients. Instead of showing your webpage content, you are greeted with a white screen of death. 

This problem can be serious as it doesn’t provide any messages or clues about what went wrong.

Possible Causes:

  • Theme or Plugin Conflicts: Sometimes, your themes or plugins can become corrupt. This results in a white display.
  • PHP Errors: Errors in PHP code can motivate the whole website to fail to load properly.
  • Memory Limits: WordPress requires a lot of memory to run effectively. If your website exceeds the memory restriction, it may bring about a white display.

Solutions:

  • Deactivate Plugins: The first step is to check if a plugin is causing the trouble.Deactivate your plugins as surely one of them can be causing the issue. If the site starts, reactivate each plugin one by one. Test to find the one causing the trouble.
  • Switch Themes: If plugins aren’t the hassle, your theme is probably at fault. Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme to see if the issue continues to be there.
  • Enable Debugging: To get more information regarding the error, permit debugging in WordPress. This will show errors on the show that help you in pinpointing the hassle.

Error Establishing a Database Connection

This error message shows that WordPress isn't connected to your database. 

WordPress uses a MySQL or MariaDB database to save and retrieve content. This problem can halt your website.

Possible Causes:

  • Wrong Database Credentials: If the database name, username and password are incorrect WordPress can not connect with the database.
  • Corrupted Database: Sometimes, the database itself can also become corrupted, causing connection problems.
  • Server Problems: Sometimes, the issue is with the server hosting your database.

Solutions:

  • Verify Database Credentials: Check the database info with your host to fix the issue.Ensure that the lines are correct which are provided by your hosting provider.
  • Contact Hosting Provider: If the above step doesn’t solve the trouble. Then it might be an issue with your server in that case contact your hosting provider to resolve the issue.
Recommend to Read:8 Security Considerations in Plugin Development

Internal Server Error (500 Error)

Fix common WordPress issues
Internal Server Error

This is a common error that indicates trouble with the server. It can result from different factors. It doesn't detail the issue.

Possible Causes:

  • Plugin Issues: Conflicts or errors inside plugins can lead to an error.
  • Corrupted Access File: This file controls the URL rewriting for WordPress. It can become corrupted.

Solutions:

  • Check AccessFile: Rename your access document to access_old. Then see if this resolves the problem.If it does, go to Settings, then Permalinks. Click Save Changes to regenerate a new .access file.
  • Deactivate Plugins: Rename the plugins folder to disable all plugins. This will check if a plugin is causing the problem. Reactivate them one at a time to locate the problematic plugin.

404 Errors on Pages

This error happens when a page or link isn’t found.This is due to modifications in permalink settings.

Possible Causes:

  • Changes to Permalink Structure: If you change your permalink settings, some pages will show 404 errors.
  • Deleted Content: The website or page has been deleted or moved by the host.

Solutions:

  • Reset Permalinks: Go to Settings, then Permalinks. Click Save Changes without changing anything. This action refreshes the permalink structure and may fix the error.
  • Verify Post Status: Ensure that the post or web page you are looking for hasn’t been deleted or moved. Check the WordPress dashboard for any adjustments.
Recommend to Read:How to Access Archive Pages In WordPress a Complete Guide

Login Issues

Login issues with the WordPress admin can block access to your website's backend. You won't be able to make vital changes.

Possible Causes:

  • Incorrect Credentials: Entering the incorrect username or password can cause login troubles.
  • Plugin Conflicts: Certain plugins can interfere with the login method.
  • User Permissions: Issues with user permissions can be the problem.

Solutions:

  • Reset Password: Use the option Have you lost your password? at the login page to reset your password. Follow the commands sent in your e-mail to regain entry.
  • Check User Roles: Verify that your position has the crucial permissions to get entry to the admin domain. If you have been given get right of entry to to phpMyAdmin, you can manually adjust consumer roles and permissions within the WordPress database.

WordPress Update Failures

Updates are crucial for security and functionality, however from time to time updates fail or come upon troubles which results in broken capabilities or vulnerabilities.

Possible Causes:

  • Server Configuration Issues: Server settings can interfere with the update.
  • Plugin Conflicts: Plugin conflicts might cause problems.
  • File Permission Problems: Incorrect file permissions can prevent WordPress from updating the files.

Solutions:

  • Manual Update: Download the latest version of WordPress from the official source.
  • Check File Permissions: Ensure your WordPress documents and folders have the ideal permissions. Typically, directories ought to be set to 755 and files to 644.
  • Disable Plugins: Temporarily disable all plugins. This will check if a plugin is causing the update failure. Reactivate them one after the other to find the complex plugin.

The Site Is Down

A website being down can hurt user experience and SEO. Common reasons are server problems, high site visitors, large documents, or inefficient code.

Possible Causes:

  • Server Issues: Your website hosting agency is probably experiencing performance troubles.
  • High Traffic: Increased site visitors can crush your server, inflicting sluggish loading times.

Solutions:

  • Check Hosting Provider: Contact your web host. Make sure they aren't having outages or performance issues. Consider upgrading your website hosting plan if you expect high traffic.
  • Implement Caching: Install caching plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache. They will improve your webpage's performance by storing static versions of your pages.
  • Optimize Database: Use plugins like WP-Optimize to speed up your database. It can help improve performance.

Image Upload Issues

Problems with uploading pic can prevent media files from performing on your site. 

Common issues include wrong file permissions, server configuration troubles, or document size barriers.

Possible Causes:

  • Incorrect File Permissions: The folder won't have the precise write permissions.
  • File Size Limits: Your server may also limit the report's size.
  • Server Configuration: Some server settings can affect file uploads.

Solutions:

  • Check File Permissions: Ensure that the folder has the correct permissions. Typically, directories ought to be set to 755 and files to 644.
  • Check Server Configuration: Contact your web host. Ensure no server-side rules affect file uploads.

Conclusion

WordPress is a robust and bendy platform, but it’s not proof against troubles. Knowing these common WordPress problems and their fixes will help you. You'll keep a stable, well-running website. 

To keep your WordPress site in top shape, do three things. First, perform regular update. Second, apply timely updates. Third, troubleshoot problems before they grow. Stay informed. Address common problems proactively. This will keep your WordPress site reliable and effective. It will be stable and meet your goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What must I do if my WordPress web page shows a white screen?
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A: Deactivate all plugins and switch to a default theme matter to solve the issue. If the problem persists, increase the PHP memory limit or permit debugging to find errors.
Q2: How can I repair the database connection error?
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A: Check your database credentials in wp-config.php. Then, use the WordPress restore tool to restore the database. Contact your hosting issuer if the trouble keeps persisting.
Q3: What should I do if my WordPress update fails?
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A: Try manually updating WordPress. Use FTP to upload files. Check permissions and disable plugins to rule out conflicts.

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