Your WordPress site is broken. Maybe it is returning a white screen, throwing an error, looking completely wrong, or just not loading at all. Here is what to do.
Step 1: Do not start clicking around
The instinct is to log in and start trying things. Resist it. Clicking through your WordPress dashboard, deactivating plugins at random or making changes without understanding the problem often makes diagnosis harder and can sometimes make the situation worse.
Note down exactly what you are seeing (screenshot it if you can) and what the last action was before it broke. That information is more useful than anything you could fix by clicking.
Step 2: Check if it is actually down
Sometimes what looks like a broken site is a browser cache issue, a CDN hiccup or a local internet problem. Check your site from a different device, on a different network (use your phone on data). If others can see it fine, the problem might be on your end.
You can also use a tool like downforeveryoneorjustme.com to confirm whether the site is genuinely unreachable.
Step 3: Put up a maintenance page if your host allows it
Most hosting control panels have a one-click maintenance mode option. If your site is visibly broken, showing errors or looking hacked, activating this is better than leaving visitors looking at the damage. Your host’s help documentation will show you where to find it.
Step 4: Think about what changed
Most WordPress breakages have an obvious trigger if you look for it. Common ones:
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A plugin was updated (manually or via auto-update)
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A new plugin was installed
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The WordPress core version updated
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The theme was changed or updated
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A page was edited and something went wrong
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The hosting company changed PHP versions
If you can pinpoint the trigger, you are already halfway to a fix.
Step 5: Check your hosting dashboard for recent changes
Some hosts log PHP errors and server events. A quick look at your server error logs (usually in cPanel under Errors or Logs) can tell you if there is a fatal PHP error and which file is causing it.
Step 6: Decide whether to fix it yourself or call for help
If you are comfortable in WordPress and have a recent backup to roll back to, you can try deactivating all plugins via FTP (rename the plugins folder), which rules out plugin conflicts quickly. If that brings the site back, reactivate plugins one by one until it breaks again.
If you do not have a backup, do not have FTP access, or the above sounds like a foreign language, call for help. Experimenting without a backup is how a fixable problem becomes an unrecoverable one.
Common breakages and what usually causes them
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White screen of death: usually a PHP memory limit issue, a fatal error in a plugin or theme, or a conflicting update
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Database connection error: hosting issue, corrupted database or wrong credentials in wp-config.php
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403 or 404 on all pages: permalink structure needs flushing (Settings > Permalinks, just save), or a server configuration issue
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Layout broken but site loads: a CSS file failed to load, probably a CDN or caching issue
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Site loads but looks hacked: malware injection, usually from an outdated plugin vulnerability
What not to do
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Do not delete files or plugins before someone has looked at the problem
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Do not restore a backup without understanding what caused the break (you may restore the vulnerability too)
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Do not install more plugins trying to fix the problem
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Do not make changes in the database unless you know exactly what you are doing
Read next
To understand what usually causes these situations, read What happens if you do not update WordPress. For more on common WordPress plugin problems, see WordPress plugin conflicts explained.
For the bigger picture, our complete guide to WordPress for South African small businesses pulls all of this together.
Need a hand?
If your site is down or broken and you need someone to sort it out, our WordPress rescue service covers emergency fixes for South African small businesses. Get in touch with a description of what you are seeing and we will come back with next steps.
Not sure which service fits? See everything we do with WordPress, from builds to rescues to ongoing care.
