A WordPress site may stop loading because of a hosting outage, a PHP error, a plugin or theme problem, or incorrect DNS settings. Visitors may see a blank page, a timeout, an error page, or a hosting placeholder. This checklist helps you narrow down the cause.
Work the list in order. Stop when you find the break. If the problem is one covered WordPress issue and you want someone else to fix it, use the $99 one-time fix after you confirm the site is yours to authorize.
Confirm it is really down
- Open the homepage in a private window and on a phone network, not only the office Wi‑Fi.
- Try the bare domain and
www. A certificate or redirect loop can look like “down” on one hostname only.
- Check whether
/wp-admin loads. A front-end failure with a working admin often points at a theme, page builder, or cache layer, not a total host outage.
- Ask whether only one page fails. A single broken landing page is a different job from the whole site.
Separate hosting from WordPress
If every site on the same host is unreachable, or the host status page shows an incident, wait on the host. WordPress fixes will not help while the server is offline.
Other sites loading or a working hosting dashboard does not rule out a hosting problem affecting your site. Check your site's error logs and resource limits, and ask the host whether its web server or database is having trouble.
Check the error logs
When you can reach the filesystem or host file manager:
- Start with the PHP error log in your hosting dashboard. If you need WordPress debug logging, follow your host's instructions and keep errors hidden from visitors. Do not share logs publicly; they may contain sensitive information.
- Check the PHP error log and the host “error” or “resource” graphs for the same minute the site failed.
- Look for a recent plugin or theme update, a migration, or a recent code change. The last change is the first suspect.
A white screen of death with nothing in the browser usually means PHP stopped before HTML. The log line matters more than refreshing again.
Rule out maintenance mode and half-finished updates
If the site shows “briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance,” look for a .maintenance file in the WordPress root and remove it only after you confirm no update is still running. Leaving a stuck maintenance file keeps the site offline even when files are fine.
If an update stopped partway through, ask your host about restoring a known-good backup. Before restoring the database, check what newer orders, form submissions, or edits would be lost.
Disable plugins and switch to a default theme (safely)
Use a staging copy when possible. Before changing the live site, take a backup and record which plugins are active. Disabling plugins can stop checkout, forms, bookings, and other features.
If you cannot reach the dashboard, use SFTP or your host's file manager:
- If the error log identifies a plugin, temporarily rename that plugin's folder under
wp-content/plugins and retest.
- If you need to test all regular plugins, temporarily rename
wp-content/plugins to plugins-off, then visit /wp-admin/plugins.php so WordPress marks the missing plugins inactive. Restore the folder name and reactivate the previously active plugins one at a time, checking the site after each. This does not disable must-use plugins or all caching components.
- To test the theme, first confirm a default WordPress theme is installed. Then temporarily rename the active theme's folder under
wp-content/themes and retest. If you are unsure how to restore it, ask your host for help.
Check DNS, SSL, and the wrong document root
- Check that each DNS record points to the destination your host specifies. A/AAAA records use IP addresses; a CNAME points to a hostname.
- Confirm the certificate covers the hostname you type.
- Confirm the server configuration or “document root” still points at the WordPress directory you expect, especially after a migration.
When a $99 one-time fix is the right next step
Request the $99 one-time WordPress fix if you want help with one clearly defined issue on one WordPress site. Describe what failed and when it started. We confirm the scope before work begins. Send credentials only through the private access link provided after your request is accepted.
Full rebuilds, new custom features, full migrations, and multiple unrelated issues are outside this offer.
Related checks
If the checks do not identify the cause, send your host the error message and the time the problem started. Suspected compromise needs a security investigation as well as getting the site loading again.