CMS & e-commerce
WordPress troubleshooting: white screen, 500 error, hacked or broken site
A WordPress site showing a white screen, a 500 error, an unreachable login page or redirects to suspicious sites is not just a technical issue: it is revenue, leads and credibility lost every hour. WordPress troubleshooting means quickly diagnosing the real cause, bringing the site back online, then fixing it for good so the outage does not return.
This service is for any business whose WordPress or WooCommerce site has stopped working, degraded after an update, been hacked, or shows errors the host cannot explain.
We work with proven methods: reading PHP and server logs, enabling debug mode, selectively disabling plugins with WP-CLI, comparing core file integrity, analysing the database. You receive an intervention report explaining what happened and what we changed.
When do we step in?
White screen or critical error
The site shows nothing, or WordPress reports "There has been a critical error". The cause is often a PHP fatal error in a plugin or theme, or an exhausted memory limit.
500 or 503 error after an update
A plugin, theme or PHP update introduced an incompatibility. The faulty component must be identified without blindly uninstalling everything.
Hacked site
Redirects to spam sites, Japanese pages in Google, unknown files in wp-content, administrators added without your knowledge. The clean-up must be thorough and followed by hardening.
Cannot log in to the admin
Redirect loop on wp-login.php, password rejected, cookie error: often caused by a wrong site URL, an overly strict security plugin or a corrupted .htaccess file.
Database connection error
Wrong credentials in wp-config.php, full database, corrupted tables or a MySQL server down: we diagnose and repair without data loss.
The site is too slow to use
Multi-second response times, dashboards that never load: heavy SQL queries, a wp_options table bloated with autoloaded options, stuck cron jobs.
How we work
- 1
First contact and safeguarding
You describe the symptoms and we ask for the necessary access (hosting, FTP or SSH, database). We immediately take a backup of the current state, even if broken.
- 2
Diagnosis
PHP and server error logs, WP_DEBUG on a copy, disabling plugins with WP-CLI, switching to a default theme, verifying core file integrity against official checksums.
- 3
Recovery
Fixing the identified cause: rolling back the faulty plugin, repairing .htaccess or wp-config.php, repairing MySQL tables, raising the PHP memory limit, removing malicious files.
- 4
Lasting fix
Replacing an abandoned plugin, upgrading PHP, hardening access, rotating security keys and passwords, resetting the salts in wp-config.php in case of a hack.
- 5
Report and recommendations
You receive a report explaining the cause, the actions taken and what remains to be done to prevent a recurrence, with or without moving to a maintenance contract.
Technologies we use
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
- PHP
- MySQL / MariaDB
- WP-CLI
- Apache / .htaccess
- Nginx
- SSH
- PHP-FPM logs
- Wordfence / malware scanners
- phpMyAdmin
Related expertise
Why choose Agencei?
We look for the cause, not the symptom
Bringing the site back is not enough. We identify why it went down, otherwise the outage returns within days.
Server and database skills
Many WordPress outages come from hosting: saturated PHP-FPM, memory limits, MySQL failures. We work on those layers too.
No irreversible action
Backup before intervention, documented changes, ability to roll back. You lose neither content nor orders.
A clear explanation
You understand what happened in plain language, which lets you decide what to do next without depending on us.
In brief
- What is this service?
- WordPress troubleshooting service: diagnosis and recovery of a WordPress site that is down, hacked, returning a 500 error or broken after an update.
- Who is it for?
- Any business whose WordPress or WooCommerce site is offline, degraded or compromised, with or without a maintenance contract.
- What problem does it solve?
- White screen, critical or 500 error, admin login impossible, database error, hacked site, outage after a plugin or PHP update.
- How long does it usually take?
- Often a few hours for a plugin or configuration file error; several days for a deep hack or a corrupted database.
- What factors influence the price?
- Price depends on severity, access to logs and the server, the extent of any hack and the requested urgency.
- How does the engagement run?
- Backup of the current state, log reading, isolating the faulty component with WP-CLI, fix, hardening, intervention report.
- What are the risks?
- Reinstalling blindly and losing data, restoring the site without addressing the cause, leaving a backdoor after a partial clean-up.
- What alternatives exist?
- Restoring a host backup if it is clean and recent, host support for purely server-side outages, a rebuild if the site is too old.
Frequently asked questions
How long does WordPress troubleshooting take?
A fatal error caused by a plugin is often fixed within a few hours once we have access. A deeply hacked site, with modified files everywhere and an infected database, can take several days of cleaning and verification.
What should I do while waiting for you?
Do not delete anything and do not reinstall WordPress. If you can, note the last action taken (update, installation, hosting change) and get your credentials ready. A backup of the current state, even broken, helps the diagnosis.
My host says the problem is the site, the agency says it is the host. Who is right?
This is a common situation. We read the logs on both sides to settle it objectively: a PHP error in a plugin and a saturated MySQL server do not leave the same traces. We then give you the answer with the evidence.
Can a hacked site be cleaned without rebuilding it?
In most cases, yes: replacing core and plugin files with official versions, removing injected files, cleaning the database, changing all credentials. We recommend a rebuild only if the theme or plugins are too old to be secured.
Do you work outside business hours?
We handle requests according to their urgency and team availability. Specify in your request whether the site is fully offline or only degraded; it helps us prioritise.
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