WordPress problems?
White screen of death, plugin conflicts, hacked site, slow loading or broken updates? We have fixed thousands of WordPress problems since 2002.
The most common WordPress problems
WordPress powers over 40 percent of all websites - and when WordPress issues hit, they hit hard. The good news: most WordPress problems are predictable, repeatable and solvable. After more than two decades of debugging WordPress installations we see the same patterns over and over. Below is a checklist of the issues we encounter most often, followed by deep-dive guides for each.
White Screen of Death
WordPress shows a blank white page. Almost always a PHP fatal error from a plugin conflict, broken theme or memory limit.
Database connection error
"Error establishing a database connection" - the WordPress database server is unreachable, credentials wrong or the database corrupted.
Plugin conflict after update
A plugin update breaks the site or wp-admin becomes unreachable. Trial-by-disabling identifies the bad plugin in minutes.
Slow WordPress
Pages take 5+ seconds to load. Heavy plugins, unoptimized databases, missing caching or undersized hosting are typical causes.
WordPress update failed
"Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance" stuck, half-applied core update, or wp-admin lost. Manual rollback via FTP solves it.
Hacked WordPress
Malware, backdoors, redirects or spam injections. We clean, secure and protect with WF SecurityCloud™.
White Screen of Death - white screen WordPress troubleshooting
The white screen of death (WSoD) is the most feared WordPress error. The site loads, but only a blank white page appears. There is no message, no clue, no error code - just nothing. Nine times out of ten the cause is a PHP fatal error that PHP suppresses from the browser. Below is the exact 5-step process we use to fix WordPress when it shows white screen.
- Step 1: Enable WP_DEBUG. Edit wp-config.php via FTP and set
define('WP_DEBUG', true);,define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);,define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);. The error is now logged to /wp-content/debug.log. - Step 2: Increase PHP memory limit. Add
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');in wp-config.php. WordPress with WooCommerce or many plugins easily exceeds 128M. - Step 3: Disable all plugins via FTP. Rename /wp-content/plugins to /wp-content/plugins_off. WordPress disables every plugin instantly. If the white screen disappears, the cause is a plugin.
- Step 4: Switch to default theme. Rename your theme folder under /wp-content/themes. WordPress falls back to a default theme. If the WordPress problem disappears, your theme is broken.
- Step 5: Check the server error log. In the hosting panel, open Apache/Nginx error logs. Fatal errors with file path and line number lead directly to the bad code.
"Error establishing a database connection"
This is the second most reported WordPress problem. WordPress can no longer reach the MySQL/MariaDB database where your posts, users, products and settings live. The result is a public error message visible to every visitor - including Google - which is bad for SEO if it lasts more than a few minutes. The fix is usually quick once you know what to check.
Step-by-step diagnosis
- Check wp-config.php credentials: DB_HOST, DB_NAME, DB_USER and DB_PASSWORD must match what the hosting provider gave you. Easy to break after a server migration.
- Verify MySQL service is running: Log in to phpMyAdmin or the hosting panel. If MySQL is down, contact your host.
- Test database connection: Run a tiny PHP script with mysqli_connect() and the same credentials. If it fails, the issue is server-side.
- Check for corrupted database tables: Add
define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);to wp-config.php and visit /wp-admin/maint/repair.php to run automatic repair. - Check disk quota: Hosting providers shut down MySQL writes when the account hits its quota. Free up space or upgrade plan.
If WordPress shows the database error only on the front-end but wp-admin says "One or more database tables are unavailable" - run the repair tool first. If both front-end and back-end are down, focus on credentials and MySQL service status.
Plugin conflict after update
Plugin conflicts are by far the most common WordPress problem we troubleshoot. A single bad plugin update can crash a site that has run for years without issue. The good news is that diagnosing a plugin conflict is mechanical and quick once you know the trial-by-disabling method.
Trial-by-disabling - the bisect method
- Disable all plugins (rename /wp-content/plugins via FTP, or click "Deactivate" on the bulk action).
- Verify the WordPress problem is gone. If yes, the cause is plugin-related.
- Activate plugins in batches of 5-10. Test the site after each batch.
- When the problem returns, the bad plugin is in the most recently activated batch.
- Activate plugins from that batch one at a time until the issue reappears.
- Keep that plugin disabled. Replace it, downgrade it, or contact the developer.
Common plugin conflicts in WordPress
- Two caching plugins active simultaneously (W3 Total Cache + WP Rocket).
- Security plugins blocking REST API or admin-ajax.php.
- WooCommerce extensions incompatible with new WooCommerce major version.
- Page builders (Elementor, Divi) clashing with custom themes.
- PHP 8.x incompatibilities in older plugins not yet updated.
Slow WordPress - causes and solutions
Slow WordPress is a chronic problem rather than an acute one - the site keeps working, but visitors leave before it loads. Google penalizes slow sites in rankings. Most WordPress speed issues come from four root causes: bloated databases, too many plugins, heavy themes and undersized hosting.
Bloated database
Old post revisions, transients, spam comments and orphaned plugin tables can grow the WordPress database to gigabytes. We optimize wp_options autoloads, clean up revisions and add proper indexes.
Plugin overload
Each plugin adds queries, scripts and styles. We audit your plugin stack, replace heavy plugins with lighter alternatives and remove what you no longer use.
Unoptimized images
Multi-megabyte JPEGs are the single biggest cause of slow WordPress pages. We convert to WebP, add lazy loading and set up automatic image compression on upload.
Missing caching
Without page caching every visit triggers full PHP+MySQL processing. We configure WP Rocket, server-side caching, OPcache and a CDN for global delivery.
Cheap shared hosting
A 2 EUR/month plan packs 1000+ sites on one server. We migrate WordPress to fast Swedish hosting with NVMe storage, PHP 8.2 and HTTP/3.
Heavy theme
Multipurpose themes like Avada or BeTheme load 200+ resources per page. We optimize, swap or rebuild the theme using a lighter foundation.
WordPress update failed - manual rollback via FTP
A failed WordPress update is a controlled emergency. The most common symptoms are: "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance" message that never goes away, half-applied core files leaving wp-admin broken, plugins disabled but unable to re-activate, or a complete white screen after clicking "Update now". Below is the manual recovery process we use.
Manual rollback procedure
- Take a backup before doing anything else. Even a broken WordPress is recoverable. A bad rollback is not.
- Delete .maintenance file via FTP. WordPress creates this file at the site root during updates. If it remains, the site is stuck in maintenance mode.
- Download the previous WordPress version from wordpress.org/download/releases/. Match the version you had before the update.
- Replace wp-admin and wp-includes folders with the previous version via FTP. Do NOT replace wp-content - that is your site data.
- Replace WordPress root files (except wp-config.php and .htaccess) with the previous version files.
- Visit /wp-admin/upgrade.php to run the database upgrade routine. WordPress synchronizes its database schema.
- Plan a controlled re-attempt. Test the same update on a staging environment, identify the conflict, then deploy to production.
What we do during an acute WordPress problem
Diagnosis - 30 minutes
We connect via FTP/SSH, take a forensic backup, enable WP_DEBUG, read error logs and identify the WordPress issue. You get a clear status update with cause and recovery plan within 30 minutes.
Recovery - 1 to 3 hours
Most WordPress problems are fixed within 1 to 3 hours: rollback of bad updates, plugin trial-by-disabling, database repair, malware cleanup, configuration corrections. We work with the live site only after a backup confirms a safe restore point.
Post-mortem and prevention
After recovery you receive a written post-mortem: root cause, what was changed, recommended next steps. We can also help with WordPress security hardening, ongoing maintenance, monitoring and managed hosting to prevent recurrences.
Tools we use to fix WordPress
- WP-CLI (command line WordPress)
- Query Monitor, Debug Bar, New Relic
- phpMyAdmin, MySQL CLI, Adminer
- WF SecurityCloud™ for malware scanning
- SSH, SFTP, rsync for safe file recovery
WordPress areas we cover
- WordPress, WooCommerce, Elementor, Divi
- PHP, MySQL, Apache/Nginx optimization
- Malware removal & security hardening
- Migration between hosting providers
- Speed optimization & caching
WordPress problems - frequently asked questions
Why does my WordPress site show a white screen?
A white screen of death in WordPress is almost always caused by a PHP fatal error from a plugin conflict, a broken theme update or an exhausted memory limit. Enable WP_DEBUG in wp-config.php to see the real error message, then disable plugins via FTP and switch to a default theme to isolate the cause.
How fast can you fix my WordPress problem?
For acute WordPress problems we usually start within 30 minutes. Initial diagnosis takes 30 minutes and most recoveries are completed within 1 to 3 hours. White screen, plugin conflicts and database connection errors are usually fixed the same day.
Is it safe to update WordPress automatically?
Automatic minor updates and security patches are generally safe and recommended. Major version updates and plugin or theme updates should be tested on a staging environment first. We can configure controlled auto-updates that include backup-before-update and instant rollback if something breaks.
My WordPress site got hacked - what do I do?
Take the site offline immediately, take a forensic backup, then call us. We remove malware, identify the entry point, patch the vulnerability and harden the site. We also help submit re-review requests to Google if the site was flagged.
Why is my WordPress so slow?
Slow WordPress is usually caused by too many plugins, an unoptimized database, missing caching, large unoptimized images or undersized hosting. We audit performance, identify bottlenecks and implement caching, image optimization and database cleanup.
Do you offer ongoing WordPress maintenance?
Yes. Our web maintenance service includes WordPress core, plugin and theme updates, security monitoring, backups, performance optimization and emergency support. This is the most cost-effective way to prevent WordPress problems before they happen.
WordPress not working?
Contact us and we'll fix your WordPress problem. Swedish experts since 2002.
Describe the issue and we will get back quickly
Send what happened, what is affected and how urgent the situation is.