If you or your organization has a WordPress website then chances are your WordPress site has or will experience technical difficulties at some point. This isn’t a criticism of WordPress but the reality of all software. As WordPress continues to grow and evolve, thanks to a dedicated team of developers, updates are necessary and certain parts of WordPress become obsolete. When this happens, you’ll be asking yourself, ‘how do I fix my WordPress site?’
So, what do you do when you find yourself with a broken WordPress website? First you take a deep breath and remember you have a recent backup of your WordPress site. You do have a recent backup of your WordPress website, correct?
Developers and WordPress experts can diagnose and fix your WordPress site issue usually fast, but you will pay for their services. However, there’s a few troubleshooting progressions the average person can go through to diagnose and fix WordPress site issues themselves.
1. Update WordPress, Theme and Plugins
Often when a WordPress website breaks, an update was performed to either WordPress itself, a theme or a plugin. Makes sure WordPress itself and your theme are updated to the latest version and all of your plugins are updated. Simple updates can often quickly fix issues on your WordPress website. Still trying to fix my WordPress site? Go to the next step.
2. Switch Themes
If your WordPress website uses a free or premium theme, a theme conflict could be cause the website’s issue. Try switching to another theme and then check to see if the issue is resolved. If the issue hasn’t been resolved, switch back to the original theme. Still trying to fix my WordPress site? Go to the next step.
3. Deactivate Plugins
With the thousands of plugins available for WordPress, conflicting plugins cause the majority of WordPress issues. Hopefully your WordPress website isn’t bloated with dozens or plugins. Go through the plugins and deactivate each one, one at a time. Check to see if the issue is resolved after each plugin deactivation. The overwhelming cause of WordPress sites is conflicting plugins. Still trying to fix my WordPress site? Go to the next step.
4. Web Browsers, Caching and Cookies
It’s entirely possible that your WordPress website issue isn’t a WordPress site issue at all. Sometimes the issue is actually on your local machine and your website visitors are still enjoying a smooth user experience. First, try clearing your web browser’s cache and cookies, which are found in your web browser’s settings. Then try closing and restarting the browser or try another web browser. And if the issue still persists, try resetting your computer entirely. The ‘old reboot’ fixes a surprising number of not just WordPress website issues but all tech problems. Still trying to fix my WordPress site? Go to the next step.
5. Website Hosting Issues
While rare, sometimes website hosting providers will cause a WordPress website issue, again, by deploying an update. More experienced WordPress and website managers can inspect their hosting account for changes or problems. Less experienced WordPress and website managers can make a quick call to the hosting provider and raise the issue with the technical support staff. Still trying to fix my WordPress site?
If the above steps fail to correct the WordPress website issue, the issue is something more complex than the average manager can solve. At this point it’s time to call your developer or hire an agency to diagnose and fix my WordPress site issue.
Still having trouble? Contact Sensus Media to fix your WordPress site.
