Horlartundhey's Blog!!
Resolving Frequent WordPress Problems

Resolving Frequent WordPress Problems

olatunde ibitoye's photo
olatunde ibitoye
·

3 min read

Table of contents

WordPress is a robust and flexible platform for building websites, but like any technology, it can occasionally run into issues.

Whether you're a novice or a seasoned user, encountering problems can be a hassle.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you resolve some of the most frequent WordPress issues.

  1. White Screen of Death(WSOD)

Meaning:

  • Your site displays a completely white screen with no error messages.

What could cause it:

  • Conflicts between plugins or themes.

  • Exhausted memory limit.

  • PHP errors.

Possible solutions you can try:

  • Disable Plugins and Themes: Rename the plugins directory via FTP to disable all plugins. If the issue is resolved, rename the directory back and reactivate each plugin one at a time to identify the problematic one.

  • Increase Memory Limit: Add this line to your wp-config.php file:

    define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '64M');

  • Enable Debugging: Add the following lines to wp-config.php to display errors:

    define('WP_DEBUG', true);

  • define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);

  • define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

  1. Internal Server Error(500 Error)

Meaning:

  • Your site displays an "Internal Server Error" message.

What could cause it:

  • Corrupted .htaccess file.

  • Plugin or theme conflicts.

  • Memory limit issues.

Possible solutions you can try:

  • Check .htaccess File: Rename the .htaccess file to .htaccess_old and refresh your site. If it works, regenerate the .htaccess file by going to Settings > Permalinks and saving the changes.

  • Increase PHP Memory Limit: See the solution for WSOD above.

  • Disable Plugins/Themes: Follow the same procedure as with WSOD.

  1. Error Establishing a Database Connection

Meaning:

  • Your site displays a message stating it cannot connect to the database.

What could cause it:

  • Incorrect database credentials.

  • Corrupted database.

  • Database server issues.

Possible solutions you can try:

  • Check Database Credentials: Ensure the database name, username, password, and host in wp-config.php are correct.

  • Repair Database: Add the following line to wp-config.php and navigate to http://yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php:

    define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);

  • Check Database Server: Confirm with your hosting provider if there are any issues with the database server.

Theme or Plugin Updates Failed

Meaning:

  • Updates for themes or plugins fail to complete.

What could cause it:

  • File permission issues.

  • Insufficient memory.

Possible solutions you can try:

  • Check File Permissions: Ensure correct file permissions for your WordPress directories (typically 755 for directories and 644 for files).

  • Increase Memory Limit: As outlined in the WSOD solution.

Conclusion

Troubleshooting WordPress issues requires a methodological approach.

Identify the symptoms, investigate common causes, and apply the appropriate solutions.

Following these steps, you can resolve most issues and keep your WordPress site running smoothly. If problems persist, seek help from WordPress support forums or a professional developer.

WordPress