The 10 problems, and the fixes

Most WordPress hosting incidents are one of ten things. Work through them in this order — 90% of sites are fixed before you ever contact support.

1. 500 Internal Server Error

The generic failure — a plugin, theme, or server config problem.

Check the PHP error log (cPanel/hPanel → Error Logs) — it names the culprit
Temporarily rename /wp-content/plugins to disable all plugins
If that fixes it, re-enable plugins one by one to find the offender
Still broken? Increase PHP memory limit — see PHP versions

2. White screen of death

A blank page usually means a fatal PHP error.

Set WP_DEBUG to true in wp-config.php to show the error message
Disable plugins via the plugins folder rename (as above)
Switch themes by renaming /wp-content/themes/[theme]
Restore from your backup if you need a clean slate

3. Slow site / high TTFB

First, test where the slowness is — TTFB vs load time point to different fixes
Enable page caching (LiteSpeed Cache or similar) — see speed up WordPress
Check PHP version (8.3 is ~3x faster than 7.4)
Confirm you're not on an oversold entry plan — that's a hosting upgrade conversation

4. Error establishing a database connection

The database is down or credentials are wrong.

Check the DB name/user/password in wp-config.php
Verify the database exists in your host panel (cPanel → MySQL)
Contact your host — this often means a MySQL outage on their side

5. "404" on every page (except home)

The permalink rewrite is broken.

wp-admin → Settings → Permalinks → click Save (this rebuilds rules)
Confirm .htaccess is writable
If on a new host, your server may need the WordPress rewrite enabled — see cPanel hosting

6. Emails not being delivered

WordPress site mail (resets, orders) failing = PHP mail() problem. Switch to SMTP: WordPress SMTP setup
Business mail in spam = missing SPF/DKIM/DMARC: email deliverability
Check mailbox storage is under quota

7. "Cannot modify header information" warnings

Harmless but noisy — usually a plugin echoing whitespace.

Fix the offending plugin (the warning names the file)
Or suppress with error-reporting settings in wp-config.php

8. Site is fine but HTTPS shows a warning

Mixed content — some assets still load over HTTP
Update your WordPress Site Address to https://
Install an SSL-insecure-content fixer plugin, or re-scan after forcing HTTPS. See email & SSL setup

9. Malware / hacked warnings

Scan with a security plugin (Wordfence)
Check for unknown admin users and files in uploads
Restore a clean backup, then harden: security checklist

10. Host says "up" but the site is down for you

Clear DNS cache and test from another network/device
Confirm your domain points at your host's nameservers (see domains and hosting)
Check Cloudflare settings if you use it — a bad rule can 525/error the site (Cloudflare hosting)

How to escalate to support fast

When you do contact support (see which hosts have great support):

Screenshot the exact error (not a paraphrase)
Include the PHP error log lines
Note when it started and what changed before (an update? a plugin?)
Test on another device so you can say "it's every network, not just mine"

The faster you give them reproduction steps, the faster you get a fix.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my WordPress site keep getting 500 errors? Usually a plugin/theme conflict or PHP memory limit. Check error logs, disable plugins one by one, and raise the memory limit. The full flow is above.

Why is my WordPress site slow even on good hosting? Caching off, old PHP version, or unoptimized images/scripts. Run the speed guide — most sites gain 40%+ just from caching.

What should I do before contacting hosting support? Collect the error message, error log lines, the timeline, and repro steps. That's the difference between a 5-minute and 5-day fix.

How do I fix a database connection error? Verify credentials in wp-config.php, confirm the DB exists, then check with your host — a MySQL outage is on their side.

Should I restore from backup when something breaks? If you can't identify the cause in ~15 minutes, yes — restore a recent backup rather than debugging for hours. Then troubleshoot the root cause on a staging copy.

WordPress Hosting Troubleshooting: The 10 Most Common Problems (2026)