15 Most Common Issues on WordPress (And How to Fix Them)

WordPress remains the world’s leading website-building platform, powering more than 43% of all websites on the internet. WordPress stays powerful. 

When WordPress site owners seek help with their websites, they often bring up recurring issues they’ve faced in the past, whether with previous developers or outdated setups. These challenges can range from site speed problems and plugin conflicts to theme errors and security breaches. 

We outline the most common WordPress issues users report, along with practical fixes, giving site owners and professionals alike a chance to avoid similar problems and ensure more stable websites.

1. Your WordPress Site Suddenly Shows a WSOD

Here’s what every website owner should know about the WSOD (White Screen of Death): it’s often caused by either a plugin/theme conflict or a PHP memory exhaustion. In both cases, your website simply stops rendering, leaving you (and your visitors) staring at a blank white screen.

How do you identify the root cause?

Start by checking plugin or theme conflicts. You can do this by deactivating all plugins via FTP or your hosting file manager, then reactivating them one by one. If that fails, increasing your PHP memory limit via the wp-config.php file often helps, especially for larger or more resource-intensive sites.

2. 500 Internal Server Error

The 500 Internal Server Error is frustrating and opaque.

This error is almost always the result of something hidden: a corrupted .htaccess file, a faulty plugin, or a misconfigured server. It disrupts the flow of operations and undermines confidence in your site’s reliability.

Rename your .htaccess file via FTP or File Manager to see if that resolves the issue. WordPress will generate a new one automatically. If not, disable your plugins one by one to isolate any errors. Checking the server logs can also give you a clearer picture of what’s really going wrong beneath the surface.

Don’t panic. The error is common and usually fixable without expert help. If you identify a plugin causing the crash, look for updates or alternatives. And once you’ve restored functionality, consider setting up monitoring tools so you’re never caught off guard again.

3. Error Establishing a Database Connection

It should come as no surprise that your site can’t function without a proper link to its database. WordPress needs to connect to the database to load all essential content (posts, users, and settings). If that connection fails, the entire website goes down.

But that’s not all. This error is often rooted in incorrect database credentials in your wp-config.php file or a database server that’s unresponsive. Even a small typo in your DB name or password can bring your site to a halt.

These WordPress issues can be hard to pinpoint at first glance. Sometimes it’s just a temporary glitch on the server. Other times, it’s a deeper configuration issue. A quick check of your hosting panel or a support request can often fix it fast. 

4. WordPress Stuck in Maintenance Mode

During an update – whether it’s a plugin, a theme, or core files – WordPress temporarily puts your site into maintenance mode. It’s meant to be a quick transition. But if that process gets interrupted? Your site can get stuck.

Visitors will see a message that the site is undergoing maintenance, and that message won’t go away. WordPress has left behind a .maintenance file in your root directory. It’s a simple thing, but it has the power to lock your entire site in limbo.

If you just ran an update and your frontend only shows “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance,” you’re likely dealing with this exact situation. It’s one of the most common and most fixable WordPress hiccups.

Stay calm. Log in to your hosting file manager or connect via FTP. Head to your site’s root folder and delete the .maintenance file. That’s it. Your site should spring back to life immediately. The best WordPress maintainers keep updates quick and clean, but they also know how to recover gracefully when something goes sideways.

5. 404 Errors for Posts or Pages

The appearance of 404 errors on posts or pages that clearly exist. At first glance, this seems like a deeper issue: missing content, a failed migration, or a broken theme. But more often than not, the root cause is surprisingly simple: broken permalink structures.

Website owners often misread this error. They spend hours chasing false causes when the solution is right in front of them. A minor change in server configuration, a plugin conflict, or a routine update can quietly corrupt permalinks, cutting off access to valid pages.

Our experience working with WordPress installations shows that, in many cases, these 404 errors are about missing structure. The fix is almost too easy: go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard and click Save Changes. This action flushes and rebuilds the permalink rules.

6. Login Page Redirect Loop

Redirect loops on the WordPress login page are another common but disruptive issue. Instead of landing on the dashboard, users are stuck in a frustrating cycle: logging in, only to be redirected back to the login screen repeatedly. 

These loops often stem from two issues: browser cookies/cache and misconfigured URLs in the wp-config.php file. At times, the .htaccess file may also play a role, causing redirects that conflict with proper login behavior.

Here are some recommendations to address this problem:

• Clear browser cache and cookies. Since outdated session data can trigger the loop, this is often the quickest fix.
• Check site URL definitions. In wp-config.php, confirm that WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL are correctly defined. 
• Review .htaccess rules. Incorrect rewrite rules can also contribute to the problem. Restore the default WordPress .htaccess file to help restore expected behavior.

7. Slow Website Performance

Website performance, especially speed, is a critical factor. The root causes of a slow website are familiar to most developers: bloated themes, too many resource-heavy plugins, and large, unoptimized images. In many cases, the hosting environment also fails to meet the performance needs of modern, dynamic WordPress sites.

Besides sticking to lightweight themes and essential plugins and using plugins for speed optimizations, invest in high-performance hosting to offer fast load times and optimized infrastructure.

8. Image Upload Issues (HTTP Error)

Not all image upload problems are the same, so don’t treat every HTTP error as a single-issue fix. These errors can be triggered by a range of underlying causes:

• If your image exceeds the upload limits set by your server, you’ll likely encounter an HTTP error. Consider resizing the image or compressing it before uploading.
• Some image formats don’t play well with WordPress. Convert the image to RGB or save it as PNG or standard JPEG.
• If your server can’t handle the image processing request, increase the PHP memory limit by editing wp-config.php or ask your hosting provider to help.
• Proactively use image optimization tools before uploading and ensure your hosting environment is configured to handle the demands of your media-heavy content.

9. Theme or Plugin Compatibility Issues

WordPress websites rely heavily on themes and plugins, but when these components become outdated, they can conflict with each other or with the core WordPress system. This often leads to errors, broken layouts, or site crashes. Therefore, regularly updating all themes and plugins is important. Equally important is testing changes on a staging site first. 

10. Changes Not Showing on Website

One of the most common frustrations is making updates, but only to see no visible change. This is commonly caused by caching. WordPress, browsers, and even hosting providers often store cached versions of your site to improve speed, but this can prevent recent edits from appearing immediately. 

To solve this, you must clear both your browser cache and your WordPress cache, including any caching plugin or server-side cache used.

11. Syntax Error in Code

A single misplaced semicolon or bracket in your WordPress functions.php file or a custom plugin can break your entire website, resulting in a white screen or critical error. This is often caused by manual edits made. There is a way to fix this by accessing your site via FTP or your hosting file manager, and reverting the file to its previous working version, or correcting the syntax manually.

12. Broken Theme After Update

Signs of a broken theme vary. You might see blank pages, a distorted layout, or a completely inaccessible site. Sometimes, buttons do not work, fonts go rogue, or elements are misaligned. But underneath it all is usually the same root cause: an update that wasn’t tested for compatibility.

If you have a backup, restore it. If not, access your site via FTP or your hosting file manager and switch to a default theme. Then, troubleshoot the problem or contact the theme developer for support.

13. Email Not Sending from WordPress

If users report not receiving emails, or if form submissions and WooCommerce notifications seem to disappear into thin air, you’re likely dealing with a misconfigured mail system. WordPress relies on the hosting server’s native PHP mail() function, which is notoriously unreliable and often blocked by hosting providers.

Clearly define how email is meant to function on your site. Then, install an SMTP plugin to route all emails through a proper SMTP service (like Gmail). 

14. Failed Auto-Update

Failed auto-updates usually stem from a server timeout, restrictive file permissions, or limited memory. If the update process gets interrupted or lacks the necessary access, WordPress can’t finish baking the new version into your site.

What’s the fix?

When auto-updates fail, update WordPress manually via FTP or your hosting control panel. Also, check that your file permissions allow WordPress to write and modify core files.

15. Security Vulnerabilities 

A single outdated plugin or compromised login can lead to data loss, downtime, or worse: a site that no longer feels safe for you or your users. And here’s how to protect your site:

• Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts.
• Keep your WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated.
• Install only trusted security plugins to monitor and block threats.
• Schedule regular malware scans and security audits.

Conclusion 

Ultimately, what can be recommended is a proactive approach to WordPress management – one in which site owners or developers calmly evaluate the state of their website and strategically allocate efforts into three focus areas: First, routine maintenance and optimization tasks; second, areas where current setups or tools are underperforming and require thoughtful upgrades or replacements; and third, complex or unpredictable issues, such as plugin conflicts, where ongoing monitoring, timely intervention, and risk mitigation are essential. 

And remember, if you ever run into a technical issue you can’t resolve, don’t hesitate to reach out to the WPX Support Team. Thanks to our Fixed For You Guarantee (FFY), we’ll fix the issue for you, fast and free, so your website stays up and running smoothly.