WordPress is used by more than 43% of all websites globally and is a great CMS platform for businesses and those at home! But, as its popularity increases, so does its share of challenges. WordPress developers often suffer from plugin conflicts and performance bottleneck problems.
Here are the common WordPress Development Issues and their solutions
1. Plugin and Theme Conflicts
There are thousands of plugins and themes, and you cannot avoid conflicts with plugins. Such features can conflict with each other. For example, web features can malfunction, thereby slowing your website down or even bringing it down entirely.
The Solutions:
- Audit Plugins and Themes
You need to check regular installation plugins and themes. You need to delete those which are outmoded or superfluous.
- Test Before Deployment
When testing new plugins or themes it is recommended to use a staging environment which will allow you to test it on the live site beforehand. It means that your visitors will not be troubled by conflicts.
- Check Compatibility
Plugins and Themes should always be compatible with the current WordPress version. In most cases, developers specify compatibility information in their documentation.
- Debug Mode
Debug mode can be achieved by running define (‘WP_DEBUG’, true); in your wp-config. Php file. It will help identify errors or conflicts to troubleshoot with ease. If conflicts persist, consider reaching out to the plugin or theme developers for support.
2. Slow Website Performance
In case your website is slow to load, then the user experience will also be bad, and it can have negative effects on SEO rankings. The reasons behind slow performance are large image files, poorly optimized code, and more HTTP requests.
The Solutions:
- Image Optimization
To reduce the size of images, make sure you use tools like TinyPNG or Smush to compress the image, without losing quality. In addition, think about serving images in formats like WebP.
- Caching
Caching a static version of pages with WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache would reduce loading times.
- Content Delivery Network (CDN)
It is recommended to use CDNs like Cloudflare or StackPath to serve content across several servers that would tremendously increase performance and decrease latency.
- Minify Assets
Plugins like Autoptimize help in minimizing CSS, JavaScript & HTML files. It decreases file size and loading speed. Selecting a reliable hosting service provider is crucial.
- Choose a Reliable Hosting Provider
Make sure you have the right hosting plan in case you are not sure of your website’s traffic or resource demands will grow. Host yourself on managed hosting that is optimized for WordPress.
- Database Optimization
Plugins like WP-Optimize can help optimize and clean the database to make the database run faster on the queries.
3. White Screen of Death (WSOD)
The White Screen of Death or WSOD is a blank page that leaves developers without a clue as to the reason why it occurs. The most common triggers are PHP errors, memory limit exhaustion or incompatible code.
The Solutions:
- Increase Memory Limit
To give WordPress more memory use define (‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’) to the wp-config.php file.
- Disable Plugins
Rename the plugins folder to deactivate plugins via FTP. Renaming the plugins folder can work to help narrow down the symptomatic plugin.
- Switch to Default Theme
Change the active theme folder name to compel WordPress to return to the default theme such as Twenty Twenty One. Switching to the default theme also takes care of identifying if the problem is a theme issue.
- Error Logs
In case there is a server error logging it or if you wish to know more, you can check server error logs or enable debug mode for detailed error information.
You can also get certain error messages that will point to the root cause in these logs. It is important to disable debug mode otherwise, you would be exposing sensitive information.
4. Database Connection Errors
Database connection errors occur when your website just does not work at all. Usually, the reason behind this issue is wrong database credentials, server downtime or a corrupted database.
The Solutions:
- Verify Database Credentials
You need to check wp-config.php for the correct database name, username, password, and host. It may be due to a minor typing issue.
- Repair the Database
You can repair the database by just adding define (‘WPALLOWREPAIR’, true); to wp-config.php and you can access yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php to fix the database.
- Optimize the Database
Intelligent and continuous optimization of your database with plugins such as WP-DBManager can protect against database corruption.
- Contact Your Host
In case the database connection problem continues, contact your host for assistance. They may be useful for database recovery or for detecting trouble in the server.
5. Hacked Website
Security holes could cause some hackers to carry out a hack attack, which involves damaging site resources or site reputation. Hackers often exploit outdated software or weak login credentials.
The Solutions:
- Regular Updates
Update the core, plugins, and themes of WordPress.
- Install Security Plugins
Use plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri for your site. Your website should have plugin functionalities (e.g., firewall, malware scanner) in it.
- Backup Frequently
Maintain regular backups using plugins like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy. Backups also must be stored outside the organization, to provide even more protection.
- Secure Login Credentials
Use strong passwords and implement two-factor authentication (2FA). Limit login attempts to deter brute-force attacks.
- SSL Certificate
Install an SSL certificate to encrypt data transfers. SSL Certificate not only does provide security, but it also provides users with an enhanced feeling of trust and a better position in search engine ranking.
6. SEO Issues
Unsuitably optimized SEO can lead to a “blacklist” situation where your website shows up one above all others within search query results but physically is never truly present in it. SEO issues may be identified or spotted as copy, no metadata, and bad page speed.
The Solutions:
- SEO Plugins
Utilize Yoast SEO or All in One SEO to set the meta tags, title, and description. These plugins also offer certain guidance on on-page SEOs optimization.
- Fix Broken Links
Employ a tool (e.g., Broken Link Checker) to automatically run your website on an interval, to identify broken links.
- Canonical Tags
The proper application of canonical tags avoids issues like the presence of duplicate content.
- Mobile Optimization
Have a look at the Mobile-Friendly Test on Google to understand how your website performs on the mobile devices. Searchers with an optimization for mobile devices have a better ranking in search engine.
- Site Speed Optimization
Strategies such as using lazy loading of images, and improving the server response time, can help to mitigate the page speed bottleneck.
7. Error 404 Pages
Dangling links and incorrect URL hrefs may lead to 404 errors that are unacceptable to clients and disruptive to SEO.
The Solutions:
- Redirects
If Redirects are broken links, then the Redirection plugin, which should translate Redirects to their (corrected) links, should be considered.
- Check Permalinks
Reset permalink settings in the WordPress dashboard. Ensure your permalink structure is consistent and functional.
- Monitor Links
Once in a day, please check if the website is correct by testing its links so as to delete any faulty link as soon as possible. Manual of this process can be achieved with the aid of software like Screaming Frog.
- Custom 404 Pages
Create an original 404 page to guide your site visitors to your most valuable site zones, thus reducing bounce rate.
8. Custom Code Challenges
The genesis of the custom code challenge is the modification of WordPress by an untrusted code which causes a bug, a compatibility, or a maintenance issue.
The Solutions:
- Follow WordPress Coding Standards
You should follow the official WordPress coding convention to write clean code. Therefore, use tools like PHP CodeSniffer to enforce standards.
- Child Themes
Do not apply a thematic theme or theme customization for backward compatibility since a thematic change may lead to a backward incompatibility. Such a practice ensures that your modifications are preserved.
- Test Thoroughly
Code that is to be run on live site needs to be benchmarked on the staging site. Debugging in production can disrupt user experience.
- Seek Professional Help
If you are unsure what caused the problem/issue, it is advised that you seek expert assistance from talented developers equipped to make bespoke modifications to your WordPress.
9. Multilingual Site Issues
Developing multilingual websites in practice is a challenge because of translation mistakes or poorly organised sitemaps.
The Solutions:
- Use a Reliable Plugin
Tools like WPML or Polylang simplify multilingual site management. They provide intuitive interfaces for translating content.
- Test Language Switching
Ensure language switchers work seamlessly across all pages. Broken switchers can confuse users and reduce engagement.
- SEO for Multilingual Sites
Employ hreflang tags to indicate to the search engines the language and, more generally, the geographic origin of the content. This improves visibility in target markets.
- Translation Consistency
Work with the human translation community to make homophonic associations reproducible and to disambiguate errors that can only be corrected with human translation accompanied by automated tools.
10. Backup and Restore Failures
Insufficient backup data recovery will cause data loss. Without a reliable backup, recovery becomes challenging.
The Solutions:
- Automate Backups
Schedule automated backups using plugins like UpdraftPlus. Set a frequency that matches your site’s update schedule.
- Test Restores
- Periodically reschedule the backups testing to verify whether it is possible to restore the backups correctly. Testing avoids surprises during critical moments.
- Store Backups Offsite
VST backups should be securely backed up on remote storage, such as via Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3.
- Multiple Backups
Saving more than one copy of the backup is one of the ways to secure from the corrupted data in the recent backups.
Final Thoughts
You can hire WordPress Developers to circumvent the difficulties in WordPress development. You can also use the correct methodological solutions and tools. For example,
consistent maintenance, appropriate testing, and staying up to date on WordPress technology are all relevant for the health of your WordPress site.
Consequently, solving the issues concerning the presented solutions as discussed will lead you to have the ideal experience as a developer of a WordPress based website.
About the Author
Harikrishna Kundariya – a marketer, developer, IoT, Cloud & AWS savvy, co-founder, and Director of eSparkBiz, a Software Development Company. His 14+ years of experience enables him to provide digital solutions to new start-ups based on IoT and SaaS applications.