Common WordPress Errors Explained

Every WordPress site will encounter an error at some point. Most of the common ones have straightforward causes and can be fixed without panic. Knowing what they mean is the first step.

The most common WordPress errors

White Screen of Death

Your site shows a completely blank page — no content, no error message. Usually caused by a PHP error from a recent plugin or theme update, or a memory limit being exceeded. The site is not gone; something is preventing it from loading correctly.

500 Internal Server Error

A generic server-side error that means something went wrong but the server is not telling you what. Common causes include a corrupted .htaccess file, a plugin conflict, or a PHP memory limit. Often appears after an update or a configuration change.

404 Not Found

The page the visitor tried to reach does not exist at that URL. Can happen after changing permalink structure, deleting a page, or moving content without setting up a redirect. Google also flags these in Search Console when it finds pages that have disappeared.

Error Establishing a Database Connection

WordPress cannot connect to its database. Often caused by incorrect database credentials, a database server that is temporarily down, or a corrupted database. This one makes the site completely inaccessible until resolved.

Too Many Redirects

The browser keeps bouncing between URLs in a loop and eventually gives up. Usually caused by a misconfigured SSL setting, a plugin redirect conflict, or an incorrect URL configuration in WordPress settings.

What to do when something breaks

Most errors appear after an update. The safest way to handle updates is to run them on a staging environment first and verify the site works before going live — exactly why staging environments matter.

If your site is throwing an error and you are not sure where to start, a website checkup will identify the cause. Our maintenance service keeps sites running and catches issues before they become problems. More in the maintenance knowledge base.