Website downtime is a frustrating challenge for WordPress site owners. Quick resolution is essential, but pinpointing the cause can be tricky due to multiple potential factors.
This guide explores common reasons for downtime and helps you troubleshoot efficiently, potentially resolving the issue before reaching out to Support.
General first steps
Before diving into troubleshooting, check whether the issue is global or specific to your browser, network, or IP address. Follow these steps:
- Verify site status: Use an online downtime checker such as Is it down right now? If the site is reported as up, the issue may be local.
- Clear your browser cache and cookies: Open your site in an incognito/private window or try a different browser, network, or VPN.
- Check for global outages: Visit 10Web Status Page to see if your hosting server is experiencing downtime. (Find your server instance in Hosting Services > Credentials on your 10Web dashboard.)
- Restore a backup: Before diving into deeper troubleshooting, try restoring one of the automatic daily backups from 10Web Dashboard > Backups tab.
If none of these steps resolve the issue, the next step is to understand the nature of the downtime. Determine whether both the frontend and backend are affected and note any error codes. Below are some of the most common errors and how to troubleshoot them.
HTTP status codes
500 Internal Server Error
Most common causes: Plugin conflicts, exhausted PHP memory, or misconfigured server settings.
Troubleshooting steps:
- Disable plugins one by one using the Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin (if WordPress Admin is accessible) or via SFTP/SSH.
- Check the PHP logs of your site. If you see the “Allowed memory size exhausted” error, increase the memory_limit in Hosting Services > PHP Configurations. Here is how.
403 Forbidden
Most common causes: Incorrect file permissions, security plugins blocking access, or server misconfiguration.
Troubleshooting steps:
- Reset file permissions via SFTP/SSH.
- Re-upload the index.php file.
- Check security plugins, firewall, and CDN settings.
- Disable plugins one by one using the Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin or via SFTP/SSH.
404 Not Found
Most common causes: Broken permalinks, deleted pages, or missing files.
Troubleshooting steps:
- Reset permalinks in WordPress Admin Dashboard > Settings > Permalinks.
- Check if the missing page exists and is not set to Draft.
502 Bad Gateway
Most common causes: Server overload, PHP/database server crashes, or reverse proxy issues (e.g., Cloudflare CDN misconfiguration).
Troubleshooting steps:
- Restart PHP via Hosting Services > Tools in your 10Web dashboard.
- If using 10Web’s Cloudflare Enterprise CDN integration, ensure your domain is correctly pointed to Cloudflare proxy IPs. Try disabling the CDN Integration (Please, note that if you are not using 10Web Nameservers, you will also need to revert the A records to your origin server IP in your DNS registrar)
503 Service Unavailable
Most common causes: High server load, maintenance mode, or DDoS attacks.
Troubleshooting steps:
- Restart PHP via Hosting Services > Tools.
- Check if a maintenance.php file exists in the wp-content/ folder and delete it via SFTP.
504 Gateway Timeout
Most common causes: Slow server response, database overload, or firewall issues.
Troubleshooting steps:
- If backend access is available, install the Query Monitor plugin to identify slow queries, PHP errors, or lengthy API calls.
- Increase PHP configurations in Hosting Services > Tools.
- Temporarily disable any proxy or firewall settings to check if they are causing the issue.
WordPress-specific errors
Error establishing a database connection
Most common causes: Incorrect database credentials, database corruption, or server downtime.
Troubleshooting steps:
- Verify database credentials in wp-config.php against the information in Hosting Services > Credentials > Database Access
Important:
Only experienced WordPress users should edit wp-config.php, as incorrect changes can break both your site and 10Web dashboard connection.
- In phpMyAdmin, navigate to your database, go to the Structure tab, select all tables, and choose Table Maintenance > Repair Table.
There has been a critical error on your website or White Screen of Death
Most common causes: Plugin/theme conflicts, PHP errors, or missing WordPress core files.
Troubleshooting steps:
- Check your PHP and error logs for critical error messages related to plugins, themes, or PHP settings.
- If backend access is available, install Query Monitor to identify problematic plugins or queries.
-
For experienced WordPress Users: Verify the integrity of WordPress core files using SSH with the command:
wp core verify-checksums
If the check fails, reinstall WordPress via WP-CLI:
wp core download --skip-content --force
Note:
Back up your site before proceeding.
Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance
Most common cause: A failed or incomplete WordPress update.
Troubleshooting step:
- Delete the maintenance.php file from the wp-content/ folder via SFTP.
SSL & hosting errors
SSL/TLS errors (ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR, NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID, etc.)
Most common causes: Incorrect SSL configuration, expired SSL certificates, or mixed content issues.
Troubleshooting steps:
- Go to Hosting Services > Tools, find the SSL Certificates section, remove the existing certificate, and generate a new one.
- For experienced users: Use browser dev tools to check for mixed content errors and fix them with plugins like Better Search Replace or SSL Insecure Content Fixer.
Too many redirects (ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS)
Most common causes: Incorrect WordPress URL settings, misconfigured redirect rules, or plugin conflicts.
Troubleshooting steps:
- Check Hosting Services > Redirects for incorrect or malformed redirect rules.
- Disable SEO and redirection plugins one by one using the Health Checker & Troubleshooting plugin (if WordPress Admin is accessible).
- Go to Hosting Services > Tools, remove the existing SSL certificate, and generate a new one.
- Navigate to Settings > General from your WordPress admin dashboard or (if you don’t have WP Admin access) wp_options table of your Database and check the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) fields in the settings. Make sure both URLs are set correctly, and don't forget to save any changes you apply.
If the troubleshooting steps in this guide don’t resolve your issue or if you’re unsure how to proceed, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Customer Care Team via live chat. We’re available 24/7 to assist you!