Why does my WordPress site keep breaking?
The most common website job we get asked to fix is a broken WordPress site. WordPress is a lot like Windows. It needs updates all the time. The catch is that a WordPress site is WordPress plus a theme plus a pile of plugins, each from a different maker on its own timetable. Picture Windows where every program updates separately and nobody checked they still work together.
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The short answer
A WordPress site keeps breaking because it is built from many separate parts. WordPress, the theme and each plugin come from different makers and update on their own timetables. One update can clash with another part, or the web host moves to a newer version of PHP that an old plugin cannot run on. WaTo Consulting in Adelaide sees this more than any other website repair job. You can repair it once, have it maintained with tested updates and backups, or rebuild it as a code site.
The usual causes
A plugin update that clashes
Plugins are add-ons that give the site extra features, like a contact form or a booking calendar. Each maker tests their own plugin. Nobody tests your particular mix, so one update can knock out another plugin or the theme.
The host moves to newer PHP
PHP is the language WordPress runs on. Hosts retire old versions of it for good security reasons. A plugin that has not been updated in years may not run on the new version, and the site stops the day the host switches.
A theme the maker walked away from
The theme controls how the site looks. Many sites also use a page builder for the layouts. If the maker stops supporting either one, it slowly falls out of step with WordPress until an update scrambles the pages.
A paid licence that lapsed
Many plugins and themes are paid for by the year. When the licence runs out, the site keeps working but the updates stop arriving. Often the licence sat in the original developer's account and nobody knew it had ended.
No updates, then a break-in
A site left alone for a long time builds up known security holes. Strange pop-ups or visitors being sent to other sites usually mean someone has got in. That needs a proper malware clean-up before anything else. Our guide on what to do first when a WordPress site is hacked covers the first hour.
Automatic updates nobody watches
Switching on automatic updates sounds like the fix. It does keep things current, but an update can land overnight and break the contact form. If nobody checks the site afterwards, you find out weeks later from a customer.
Who this guide is for
- Your site shows a white screen or a 'critical error' message and you do not know why.
- The layout has scrambled, the site is crawling, or the shop checkout fails partway through.
- The contact form looks fine but the enquiries have quietly stopped arriving.
- You have paid to have the site fixed before and want to know why it keeps happening.
What to do when it breaks
- Stop clicking update. It is tempting to keep pressing buttons until something works. Each extra update changes more things at once and makes the real cause harder to find.
- Write down what changed last. Note the day it broke and anything that happened just before. An email from your host about PHP, a plugin you added, or a renewal notice you ignored are all useful clues.
- Restore last night's backup if you have one. A backup is a saved copy of the whole site. Most hosting accounts keep recent ones. Going back a day gets you online again, though any orders or enquiries since then need saving first.
- Have the cause found, not just the symptom. Switching off the plugin that crashed gets the page back. It does not explain why it crashed. If the site is down right now, log a website job and we will trace what set it off.
- Decide how you want to run the site from here. Once it is back up, choose between a one-off repair, ongoing care, or a rebuild.
The three ways forward, and how WaTo can help
- Fix it this once. Our website rescue and repair service gets a broken site working again and tells you what caused it. This suits a site that has been reliable until now.
- Keep it and have it looked after. A website maintenance plan means updates are tested, with a backup taken first. A shop or membership site should stay on WordPress and be maintained this way.
- Stop the cycle with a rebuild. Our WordPress rebuild turns the site into a code site, which has no plugins and no database to update. A standard site typically takes about a week. A suggested starting range for a small site of 3 to 5 pages is $3,000 to $3,500 plus GST.
- We will be straight about which one fits. A five-page brochure site that only gets touched when it breaks is a good one to rebuild. A site your staff edit every week is usually better kept and maintained.
- We fix, maintain and host WordPress sites, and we also rebuild them. We have been Adelaide owned and operated since 2001.
Related questions
Is WordPress a bad choice for a business website?
No. WordPress is a good tool that runs a large share of the web, in the same way Windows is a good tool that runs most office computers. Both need regular upkeep. Trouble starts when a site is built and then left alone, or updated without anyone checking the result.
My site was fine yesterday and I did not touch it. How can it break?
Something changed that you did not see. The most likely causes are an automatic update overnight, your host moving to a newer version of PHP, or a licence that ran out. Your host's emails from the last few weeks are a good place to start looking. If the screen shows an error message, our guide to the white screen and critical error messages explains each one.
Should I just turn off updates so nothing changes?
That swaps one problem for a worse one. A site that never updates stays stable for a while and then becomes easy to break into. Our guide on why to keep WordPress updated covers the security side. The safer answer is updates that someone tests and checks.
How do I know if my contact form has stopped working?
Send yourself a test enquiry from the live site and see whether it arrives. Do it after any update and once a month besides. A form that fails silently is the breakage owners notice last, because the page still looks normal.
When does a rebuild make more sense than another repair?
When the site is small, rarely changes, and has broken more than once. Each repair pays to keep the same moving parts in place. If you are weighing it up, our guide on your options for leaving WordPress compares the paths.
Will a rebuilt code site ever break?
Any website can have a problem, so we will not promise it never will. A code site has far fewer moving parts. It has no plugins to clash and no database to update, so the common causes in this guide do not apply to it.
How WaTo can help with this
Tired of fixing the same site?
If your WordPress site has broken again, get in touch or call us on (08) 7123 0805. Tell us what it does, how often it changes and how many times it has fallen over. We will say which of a repair, a maintenance plan or a rebuild we would choose, and why.
Mon to Fri, 8:30am to 5pm
