Millions of webmasters rely on WordPress to keep their website up and running. The biggest advantage that WordPress offers is ease of operation and 99% uptime. However, all CMS have their own kinds of errors and WordPress too has some.
Here are the top 8 commonest WordPress errors and how you can fix them:
1- White Screen of Death Error
White screen of death happens when the browser requests a resource but the server is unable to fulfill the request and instead displays a white screen. You can look at the below image for reference:
White screen of death occurs due to memory exhaustion. Memory limit might exceed due to improper theme installation, incorrect plugin installation or problem in the server of the web host.
The best way to get rid of the White screen of death is to identify the underlying issue that is causing the error and fix it at the earliest.
2- Error Establishing a Database Connection
Commonly known as the “EEDC” error, this can happen due to corrupt WordPress files, incorrect login details, unresponsive database server or a corrupted database. The below screenshot displays how this error looks when the user tries to visit the URL.
Start by checking whether your WordPress database is corrupted and continue the checking by verifying the database user id and password and the login details.
In case none of the fixes help, simply restore your WordPress files from the available backup and the issues will be fixed.
3- Image Upload Error
The HTTP image upload error happens when you try to upload images in your website using the media library as displayed in the below image:
Here is how you can fix HTTP image upload error:
- Log into the cPanel dashboard.
- Navigate to your WordPress site’s root directory.
- Open the .htaccess file and add the following line of code at the top of the file:
SetEnv MAGICK_THREAD_LIMIT 1
- Save the file and clear your cache for seeing the changes.
Following the above steps will fix the issue in most of the cases.
This is one of the most irritating errors that can happen in your WordPress site and can be caused due to any of the below reasons:
- Improper themes or incorrectly installed plugins
- Errors in the PHP script
- Insufficient server resources
- Server issues
- Malicious attacks such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack
In order to debug and fix 503 service unavailable error, first of all identify the underlying issues that’s causing the problem. For example, you can deactivate the problematic WordPress theme or the plugin via FTP or the file manager or you can deactivate the WordPress theme by navigating to the wp-content -> themes folder.
5- Password Retrieval Not Working
This is one of the most commonest issues that webmasters face in their WordPress site. This error happens when you cannot reset your admin password and are unable to login. Also, the password reset emails do not reach your inbox.
If you face this issue then try checking your WordPress email functioning using Check Email. In case email functionality is not working then install the WP Mail SMTP Plugin. In most cases, this plugin will be able to solve the problem. However, if you still face issues then contact your host and ask them to fix the issue.
6- Sidebar Below Content Error
It becomes extremely frustrating for the webmaster when the sidebar constantly shows up right below the content instead of getting displayed in the side. A reference image is provided below:
This error can show up due to errors in your HTML code or the CSS. Also, there might be any issues with the recently installed plugins or the recent editing you did might be incompatible with the existing theme. Underlying the exact cause is the first step to fix the problem.
Once you are aware of the issue causing the error, fix it using the site manager or you can use W3C HTML Validator or W3C CSS Validator to validate your code.
7- 500 Internal Server Error
When 500 internal server error happens then you see a screen like the one below:
This error can be caused by any one of the following reasons:
- Corrupted .htaccess files
- Incorrect file permissions
- Script timeouts
- Incompatible PHP version
- WordPress updates
Fixing 500 internal server error is easy if you are aware of the issue that is causing the problem. First of all, check the .htaccess file because many times the file gets corrupted and causes the issue. Simply login to the root directory of WordPress, look for the .htaccess file and disable it. Moreover, insufficient PHP limits can also cause the issue. If this is the case then increasing the PHP values with the help of the .htaccess file might help. Also, look out for issues in PHP script or debug the WordPress code. If nothing seems to help then restore your last backup.
8- Connection Timed Out Error
Last but not the least, you might face this commonest error in your WordPress site often. This problem happens when you start requesting a lot more resources than what your server can manage.
Follow the below steps in order to fix the issue:
- Deactivate all the plugins and see if the issue if fixed. If yes, then try reactivating the plugins one by one and see which plugin is causing the problem.
- Try moving to the default theme “WordPress Twenty Sixteen”.
- Use wp-config.php file to increase your memory limit or ask your shared host to increase your memory limit.
- Follow the instructions provided here to Increase the maximum execution time in your php.ini file.
Following the above steps will help to fix the issue. Ensure to keep the core files updated and clean.
Conclusion
Identifying and fixing WordPress issues is easier if you know the right steps to take at the right time. Don’t panic when you see errors as these are a part of the normal coding life. Simply follow the steps provided in the article and your site will be up and running in no time.
