Although WordPress is by far the most user-friendly and flexible CMS system in the world, there is still a chance that error messages will arise on your WordPress website. These error messages can get in the way of reaching your target audience and increasing conversions. Also check out our WordPress Maintenance Packages for this.
Most Common Errors in WordPress
It is often useful to know what the most common errors in WordPress are. With that knowledge in mind, you can start to take into account how you can prevent these mistakes. That is why it is important to be aware of the most common errors in WordPress, and of course how you can solve these errors. So read on!
The White Screen of Death
A WordPress White screen of Death gives a white blank screen and makes your website inaccessible. It is usually caused by errors in the PHP code or reaching the memory limit.
Uninstall plugins
Initially, try to deactivate all installed plugins and then activate them again one by one. If you do not have access to your dashboard, log in to your website via FTP. Locate the “wp-content/plugins” folder and rename the folder to, for example, “plugins_old.” This way you also deactivate all plugins.
WordPress theme
The white screen can also be caused by the WordPress theme you are using. You can temporarily replace your theme with a standard WordPress theme, for example ‘Twenty Nineteen’. Navigate in the admin of your website to ‘themes’ to activate the theme. If your website is then back online, then the theme was the culprit.
No access to admin?
If you do not have access to the admin, follow the same steps as when deactivating the plugins. Rename the ‘wp-content/themes‘ folder, WordPress will then automatically switch to the latest default theme.
Are you looking for more information about your white screen? Check out the full blog here .
Internal Server Error
Internal Server Error is also seen as an error or error message 500. There are a number of reasons why you get an ‘Internal Server Error‘. Most likely, the .htaccess file is corrupted. Log in to your website with FTP and rename your .htaccess file to ‘.htaccess_old‘. Now try loading your site to see if it works. If that’s the case, go to permalinks settings > and reset your permalinks.
Deactivate the theme or plugin
If this step doesn’t help, you can try deactivating all plugins or temporarily transferring the theme to a default WordPress theme. In step 1 we explain how to do this. If the error is also not caused by your plugins or theme, then it is an idea to increase your PHP memory limit. Learn more about increasing your PHP memory limit here .
Are you unable to solve your problem or do you have more information? Check out our full blog here for further explanation.
Database connection issue
It also happens regularly that a WordPress page does not load and gives the message ”Error establishing a database connection”. This may be due to an error in the wp-config.php file. Therefore, check whether the following information in the file is correct.
- Database name
- Database username
- Database password
- Database host
If this information is correct, then it is time to contact your web host. It can happen that your database is closed, or that there is a problem with the server.
Have you succeeded in solving your problem with the database or do you need more information? Read our full blog about the database error here .
Failed automatic WordPress update
Signals of a failed automatic WordPress update are a blank white screen. WordPress may indicate that the update failed or there is a PHP error message.
The WordPress update can fail due to, for example, a malfunction in the connection with your WordPress files, or a problem with your own internet connection. Make sure you then update the WordPress website manually.
Do you need more information about updating your WordPress website? Check out our blog about solving WordPress errors here
Maintenance mode after upgrade
When WordPress is updated, a .maintenance file is automatically installed. If you then get a notification with ”Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute” then that file may cause problems. Log in to your website via FTP and delete the .maintenance file.
Connection 504 notification timeout
If your website tries to do more than your server can handle, you will see a time-out error, this is also called a 504 notification. This is more common with shared hosting where the memory limit is limited.
Check your plugins and theme again. If something else causes the problem, increase the memory limit in wp-config.php or increase the maximum execution time in your php.ini file. Read more about how you can increase your memory limit here .
Is your problem still unresolved? Check out our full blog about the 504 error message of a ‘Gateway Timeout’ here.
404 page error
The 404 page error usually occurs if the WordPress website does not find the page you specified. The cause is most likely in the permalink settings. Go to permalink settings > and reset the permalinks. If this does not work, you will have to update the .htaccess file manually. Read more about the .htaccess here .
Check out our full blog about the 404 error here and read what else you can do with the 404 page.
Don’t forget to back up
Note: before you get started with this step-by-step plan, we recommend that you make a full WordPress backup . It can always happen something that creates a new error. To prevent that you also have to put a lot of time and energy into it, it is always nice to have a backup.
Contact us
Are you unable to solve one of your WordPress problems? Just contact us via the live chat or call us on 030 20 72 488. Together we will see what we can do for you. You can also leave maintenance to our WordPress specialists. Check out our WordPress Maintenance Packages.
