It sucks when something goes wrong in WordPress, especially when it’s something that’s going on behind the scenes and beyond your control.
As we’ve touched on before, your server plays a big part in whether your site is working efficiently or whether it is slow, unresponsive or compromised. Even just an hour’s downtime can have a knock-on effect to how your customers perceive your business so it’s best to understand the issues that may arise from the underlying server technology and how to resolve them.
Server issues can be tricky and, unfortunately, you can’t always count on your web hosting provider to be supportive or get it fixed – hence why we have pulled together some common problems that may arise on your WordPress site and the steps you can take to resolve them.
1. Slow loading pages
There are several factors that could make your site sluggish. If you’ve done everything to speed up your site and are still having problems, then your server could be to blame.
Start by checking the server status of your web hosting company. If there’s anything wrong with the servers, you’ll find the information there.
If this becomes a regular issue, you’re best speaking with a support representative to see if they can explain what is affecting your site. It could be that you need to upgrade to cloud hosting or that you need increased bandwidth.
If your site is experiencing a surge in traffic, bandwidth limitations may be the issue. Within your hosting account, you can check for overages in bandwidth to see if that’s what’s slowing your site down.
2. Not receiving emails
Most businesses create email addresses branded to their web domain. If you’ve created a personalised email address but your inbox is empty, it’s time to start troubleshooting.
Start simple and send yourself an email (or get somebody else to) to check there isn’t an issue with maxed-out server space. If nobody gets a notification that the inbox is full, verify that the problem isn’t with how you configured the forwarding.
In your email app’s settings, check your hosting email is listed there. If that’s been set up correctly, you can look at the email management tool in your hosting account to see if emails are coming through.
If they’re not, then you should ask your web host provider to look into it as it will likely be a configuration issue.
3. Updates not reflected on the site
If you’re not seeing the updates you’ve made in the backend, caching your website is the first step.
If you’ve already cleared your cache, cleared your browser and tried viewing on a different device,
then your cache_temp folder may not be working properly. If this is the case, you’ll need to contact hosting support for assistance.
4. “Server does not exist”
If you’re seeing a blank page with a message that says “server does not exist”, it usually means your account has been suspended.
Reasons for this can be due to missed payments or if you are regularly exceeding the plan’s bandwidth and storage limitations. To get your site back up, immediately contact your hosting provider to find out why it’s been suspended and take the necessary steps to avoid it from happening again.
5. Memory exhausted error
This error can be scary as it usually displays the ‘white screen of death’ – yikes. This often happens if you try to install a WordPress plugin or theme file that exceeds the allowable limit or isn’t compatible with plugins you’re already using.
The easiest way to fix it is to revert your site back to how it was before you tried to upload the plugin or theme. Increase the default PHP memory limit by logging into your control panel and navigating to your file manager. Open the wp-config.php file and add the following code to increase the memory limit:
define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ’64M’);
Now you’ve increased the memory limit, you can try to upload the theme or plugin again.
As you can see, there are many variables when it comes to using WordPress. Like with all types of technology, errors can occur which are not always that straightforward to fix. Though we hope this blog has given you a better idea of where to start if things do go wrong.
If you need emergency WordPress help to get your website back up and running, you can always get in touch with WP Tech Support. Our team of WordPress developers are available 24/7 and will quickly diagnose the problem and figure out the best way to get your website back on track. We also offer monthly support plans to keep your website in tip top shape so that you don’t have to worry about carrying out regular maintenance yourself.