Troubleshooting Common Issues

Introduction
Managing a website involves addressing occasional technical challenges, but most issues are easily resolved with proper troubleshooting. At readyFlips, we recommend adopting a proactive approach, including using a staging site for testing changes before applying them to your live website. This guide provides step-by-step solutions for common issues, ensuring minimal disruption to your operations.

1. Login Issues #

Problem #

Unable to access the WordPress dashboard.

Possible Causes #

• Incorrect credentials.
• Security plugin lockouts.
• Plugin conflicts affecting login functionality.

Solutions #

1. Check Credentials:
   • Double-check your username and password or reset them using the “Forgot Password” option.
2. Bypass Lockouts:
   • If blocked by a security plugin like LoginPress, wait for the lockout period to expire or disable the plugin via FTP.
3. Test in Staging Site First:
   • If you suspect a plugin issue, test your login process on your staging site to avoid impacting your live website.

2. Slow Website Performance #

Problem #

Website takes too long to load.

Possible Causes #

• Large unoptimized images.
• Excessive plugins or heavy scripts.
• Lack of caching or CDN integration.

Solutions #

1. Enable Caching:
   • Activate LiteSpeed Cache or another pre-installed caching plugin.
2. Optimize Images:
   • Use free plugins like EWWW Image Optimizer to compress large images.
3. Test Changes on Staging Site:
   • Before enabling new plugins or settings, test the changes on your staging site to monitor any potential slowdowns.

3. Plugin Conflicts #

Problem #

Website features malfunction or stop working after installing/updating a plugin.

Possible Causes #

• Compatibility issues between plugins or with your WordPress version.

Solutions #

1. Deactivate Problematic Plugins:
   • Disable plugins via the staging site to identify the culprit without risking your live site.
2. Update Plugins Safely:
   • Always test updates on the staging site before applying them to your live website.
3. Roll Back Updates:
   • Use WP Rollback to revert to a previous plugin version if an update causes issues.

4. Broken Links or 404 Errors #

Problem #

Users encounter “404 Page Not Found” errors.

Possible Causes #

• Incorrect URL structure or deleted content.

Solutions #

1. Check Permalinks:
   • Navigate to Settings > Permalinks and save the settings to refresh the URL structure.
2. Set Up Redirects:
   • Use a plugin like Redirection to redirect users from broken links to valid pages.
3. Test in Staging Site:
   • Validate any permalink or redirect changes in your staging environment before applying them live.

5. Hosting or Server Downtime #

Problem #

Website shows errors like “500 Internal Server Error” or “Database Connection Error.”

Possible Causes #

• Hosting issues or resource limits exceeded.

Solutions #

1. Contact Hosting Provider:
   • Confirm if there’s an issue with your hosting server.
2. Use a Staging Site for Testing:
   • Test server resource usage by replicating your live website setup on a staging site.
3. Upgrade Hosting Plan:
   • Consider upgrading your hosting if resource limits are repeatedly exceeded.

6. Updates Causing Errors #

Problem #

Website crashes after updating WordPress, themes, or plugins.

Possible Causes #

• Incompatibility between updates and your existing setup.

Solutions #

1. Test Updates on Staging Site First:
   • Clone your website to a staging site and perform updates there. Monitor for any issues before updating the live website.
2. Restore Backups:
   • Use backup plugins like WPvivid or UpdraftPlus to restore a working version if updates cause problems.

7. Missing or Broken Content #

Problem #

Certain elements appear broken or missing from your website.

Possible Causes #

• Plugin or theme-related issues.

Solutions #

1. Reinstall Themes/Plugins:
   • Reinstall the affected plugin or theme to fix missing files.
2. Check Content on Staging Site:
   • Confirm if the issue exists on the staging site to identify the root cause.

Why Use a Staging Site? #

Benefits of Testing First #

1. Avoid Breaking Your Live Site:
   • Changes on a staging site ensure your live website remains operational even if issues arise.
2. Identify Conflicts Early:
   • Catch compatibility issues before they impact your users.
3. Improve Troubleshooting:
   • Safely test fixes without affecting real-time visitors.

How to Set Up a Staging Site #

• Many hosting providers offer a one-click staging site feature.
• Alternatively, use backup plugins like WPvivid to clone your live website for testing.

Conclusion
Proactively testing changes on a staging site is the best way to prevent issues on your live website. By following this guide and using a structured troubleshooting approach, you can resolve most common problems quickly and efficiently. For advanced assistance, the readyFlips support team is always here to help.