WordPress errors are one of the most widely occurring and perplexing WordPress issues. Though WordPress is easy to use, still, there are various common errors that can occur and drastically impact your site’s overall quality and performance.
If something unwanted or unusual occurs on any WP site, it needs to be updated and maintained immediately. Therefore, it is important for you to know how to eliminate WP errors before they pollute your site’s interface and user experience.
The error messages usually appear when something is wrong, but the server cannot really determine where the actual problem is. But by reporting and resolving these server errors, you can make informed decisions on time.
In this article, we will discuss the most common WordPress errors, along with showing you how you can fix them in order to restore your site’s functionality and prevent deadly disasters in the future.
Different Types of WordPress Errors
There are generally four basic types of WordPress errors that need to be fixed in time: HTTP, PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript errors. These errors can occur either due to an incompatibility between a server, plugins, or a corrupted file. Here are the 5 most common types of WordPress errors that you need to know about.
1. Parse Error/Syntax Error
Syntax error happens due to an issue with a site’s code, most commonly in the functions.php file. It is an unexpected error that usually occurs when WordPress detects something in the code is either missing or added. It can be simple as a semi-colon, comma, or too many brackets.
In order to fix the problem, you need to scan the entire file by getting access to the specified file using SFTP. Then, you will have to find the file to determine if the problem is in the functions.php file for the site’s current theme. After identifying that, get access to that theme’s folder, right-click on functions.php, and then view and edit the file.
2. Internal Server Errors
An internal error is a general issue with the website’s server. This means there might be a temporary glitch with the WordPress site’s programming. These server errors usually occur when the origin of an error is undefined on the server.
Internal Server Errors are usually eliminated by contacting the server’s support agents. In this case, site owners usually need to perform identity verification in order to proceed and fix server issues.
3. 404 Error
Most internet users are usually familiar with the 404 Error. It indicates that the server is unable to find the requested page. This type of server error is most commonly associated with changed URLs and broken links.
When this happens, the most likely cause is the .htaccess file. This file handles any site’s hyperlink structure, and it is possible that it might not be redirecting URLs correctly. In order to eliminate such errors, the first step is to regenerate a new .htaccess file.
However, if this does not fix the error, you might need to re-upload .htaccess. The most convenient method for this is to create a new file, name it .htaccess and paste it into the default code.
4. Connection Timed Out Error
You have probably seen this error appear after a site has unsuccessfully tried to load for some time. It means the server is struggling to load the site or might already have given up.
This could happen for numerous reasons; the most common one is that your site does not have the resources that it requires to function properly. This can happen either due to using shared hosting, another site hogging your server’s resources, or your website has surpassed its maximum bandwidth.
If this error occurs multiple times, then in order to correct this issue, you might need to consider upgrading your hosting plan. By doing this, you can also prevent problems like slowdowns and downtime, as your site will now have more server resources and will unlikely be affected if other sites see a surge in traffic.
That’s why it is usually recommended to optimize WP sites for speed and plugins and also check the theme to see if it is dragging down the site’s overall performance.
5. PHP Error
PHP is considered the backbone of WP sites. The PHP code is compiled by a PHP module and is installed on the server. Themes, plugins, databases, or server configurations can trigger PHP errors. This is the reason why you should not install a lot of plugins on your WordPress website. Remember that most of the PHP errors that you see on your WordPress site are generally notices and warnings.
In order to fix this type of error, deactivate all plugins from PHPmyadmin, then restore the theme to the default version. After that, log in to the WordPress admin and update all the WP plugins. Then, activate all the changed themes and plugins.
FAQs:
1. How Do I Find Errors in WordPress?
To review the error in WP, navigate to your /wp-content/ folder in your File Manager once you are connected to your site. You will find a file called debug.log inside the folder. Then locate the debug log file. This file usually contains all WP errors, errors, and logged-in notices.
2. How Do I Fix a Crashed WordPress Site?
Here are a few steps to recover and restore your WP site after a crash:
- Restore a backup of the WP site
- Retrace your last steps
- Deactivate plugins
- Switch to a default theme
- Install a fresh version of WordPress
