Something has broken on your WordPress site and you are staring at an error — or worse, a blank page. Don’t panic. Almost every common WordPress problem has a well-known cause and a straightforward fix, and you rarely need to be technical to sort it out.
This guide covers the issues you are most likely to hit, what causes them, and how to fix them — starting with the quick wins that solve most problems.
First: try these before anything else
Before diving into a specific error, a few general steps resolve a surprising share of problems. Always take a backup first if the site is still accessible.
Deactivating your plugins is the single most useful move — a faulty or conflicting plugin causes many issues, and switching them off (then reactivating one by one) quickly identifies the culprit. Switching temporarily to a default WordPress theme rules out a theme problem. Clearing your site and browser cache resolves many “it looks broken but isn’t” situations. And simply asking your host is often the fastest route, since they can see what is happening on the server.
Common issues and how to fix them
Here are the errors you are most likely to encounter.
Universal troubleshooting sequence
- Back up the site if you can still reach it.
- Clear the cache — both your site’s and your browser’s.
- Deactivate all plugins, then reactivate one at a time to find a conflict.
- Switch to a default theme temporarily to rule out the theme.
- Re-save permalinks (Settings → Permalinks) to rebuild .htaccess.
- Check for updates — core, theme, and plugins — and apply them.
- Still stuck? Restore a clean backup, or contact your host.
A little more detail on the ones that worry people most.
A completely blank page usually means a plugin or theme conflict, or the site has run out of memory. Deactivate your plugins (via the dashboard, or by renaming the plugins folder in File Manager if you are locked out), and if that fixes it, reactivate them one at a time to find the offender.
This means WordPress cannot reach its database. It is often a temporary server issue — wait a moment and refresh — but can also follow a migration if the database details are wrong. If it persists, your host is the quickest fix, as it frequently sits at the server level.
A generic error with several possible causes, commonly a corrupted .htaccess file or a plugin conflict. Regenerating your permalinks (Settings → Permalinks → Save) rewrites .htaccess, which often clears it. Deactivating plugins rules out the other common cause.
WordPress runs out of allocated memory on busy or plugin-heavy sites. Modern WordPress runs best with a PHP memory limit of at least 256MB. You can raise it in wp-config.php, but the cleanest fix is to ask your host to increase it — and to review whether you are running more plugins than you need.
Slowness is usually caused by too many plugins, an unoptimised theme, large images, or a host that is underpowered for your traffic. Caching, optimising images, and removing unused plugins help; if the site is consistently slow, the host may be the limit. Our managed WordPress hosting guide covers hosting built for speed.
The universal troubleshooting steps
When you are not sure what is wrong, this sequence diagnoses most problems.
Common issues at a glance
| Issue | Likely cause | First fix to try |
|---|---|---|
| Blank white page | Plugin/theme conflict or memory | Deactivate plugins; try a default theme |
| Database connection error | Server issue or wrong DB details | Refresh; if it persists, contact host |
| 500 internal server error | Corrupt .htaccess or plugin conflict | Re-save permalinks; deactivate plugins |
| Memory limit reached | PHP memory too low for the site | Raise to 256MB+; ask host; cut plugins |
| Site is slow | Plugins, images, or weak host | Add caching; optimise images; upgrade host |
| Stuck in maintenance mode | Update interrupted | Delete the .maintenance file via File Manager |
| 404 on pages | Permalink / .htaccess issue | Re-save permalinks to rebuild them |
Back up first whenever the site is still accessible.
When to contact your host
Some problems are the host’s to fix, not yours — server errors, database issues that are not migration-related, and anything you cannot access the dashboard to change. Contact support when the fix requires server-level access, when you have tried the general steps without success, or simply when you would rather not risk making it worse. A good host handles these routinely.
If a recent change caused the problem and you cannot undo it, restoring from a clean backup is often the fastest way back — our guides on security and backups and migrating both cover this, and the main WordPress hosting NZ hub links to the rest.
This article is general information to help you troubleshoot, not specific technical advice. WordPress setups and hosts differ, so back up before making changes, and contact your host or a professional for problems you are not comfortable fixing yourself.
Reference sources
Frequently asked questions
Why is my WordPress site showing a blank white page?
The “white screen of death” is usually a plugin or theme conflict, or the site running out of memory. Deactivate your plugins — via the dashboard, or by renaming the plugins folder if you are locked out — then reactivate them one at a time to find the cause. Switching to a default theme rules out a theme problem.
What does “error establishing a database connection” mean?
It means WordPress cannot reach its database. Often it is a temporary server issue, so refresh after a moment. It can also appear after a migration if the database details are incorrect. If it persists, contact your host, as the cause frequently sits at the server level.
How do I fix a WordPress site that’s running slowly?
Common causes are too many plugins, a heavy theme, large unoptimised images, or an underpowered host. Add caching, optimise your images, and remove plugins you do not use. If the site stays slow after that, your hosting plan may be the bottleneck and worth upgrading.
What is the 500 internal server error?
A generic server error, most often caused by a corrupted .htaccess file or a plugin conflict. Re-saving your permalinks (Settings → Permalinks → Save) regenerates .htaccess and frequently fixes it. If not, deactivate your plugins to rule out a conflict.
How do I increase my WordPress memory limit?
Modern WordPress runs best with a PHP memory limit of at least 256MB. You can raise it in wp-config.php, but the simplest and safest route is to ask your host to increase it. It is also worth checking whether you are running more plugins than your site needs.
When should I contact my host instead of fixing it myself?
Contact your host for server-level errors, database problems unrelated to a migration, anything you cannot reach the dashboard to change, or when the general troubleshooting steps have not worked. These are routine for support teams, and it is better than risking further damage.
Should I back up before troubleshooting?
Yes, whenever the site is still accessible. A backup means any fix you attempt can be undone if it makes things worse. If you cannot access the site at all, a recent existing backup is often the quickest way to restore it to working order.