WordPress shows a critical error. Where should you start?
When a website stops loading, the first priorities are understanding the impact and preserving its data. The critical error message alone does not identify the cause. A few straightforward checks can prepare a repair without adding changes that are difficult to undo.
1. Record what has stopped working
Open the homepage, an inner page and the administration address. Note where the error appears, approximately when it started and what happened beforehand: an update, a new plugin, a code edit or a hosting change. A screenshot helps, provided you hide customer details and private information.
2. Check hosting status and backups
Look for notices from your hosting provider and confirm the date of the latest usable backup. A complete WordPress recovery normally needs both files and the database. Before restoring an older copy, identify orders, enquiries or content received since that backup. A restore could overwrite those newer records.
3. Look for the recovery email
Check the administrator's mailbox, including spam. For some fatal errors, WordPress sends a Recovery Mode link that may let you sign in and identify a failing plugin or theme. This link opens a sensitive access flow, so keep it private. If the email does not arrive, the hosting provider may be able to help inspect the server logs.
4. Pause before changing several things
Avoid deleting plugins, changing the theme or restoring successive backups without recording each action. If a test copy exists, reproduce the problem there. Base the repair on the identified component and error, with a way to reverse the change. Do not publish complete logs: they may contain internal paths, addresses or other sensitive information.
5. Send a useful request for help
Your first message to ArqWeb only needs to describe the problem. Technical access can be arranged later through an appropriate channel, with permissions limited to the work involved.
- Public website URL and affected pages.
- Exact error text, start time and recent changes.
- Hosting provider and whether backups exist, with their dates.
- Business impact: unavailable site, broken enquiries or blocked purchases.
- Do not include passwords, keys, recovery links or customer records.
6. Check the customer's journey
After the repair, test the website as a visitor, including forms, message delivery and, where relevant, a test purchase. Confirm that administration access and backups work too. Keep a short record of the cause, the change applied and the checks completed, so the next maintenance task has useful context.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to leave WordPress?
An error alone does not justify a migration. First assess its cause, the condition of the website and the cost of maintaining it. Changing platforms is a separate decision.
Can you quote a repair time from the error message?
The message helps start the diagnosis, but timing depends on the cause, available access and backup quality. The scope of the repair is defined after that assessment.
Reference documentation
A note from ArqWeb
This guide organises checks and decisions for a common situation. Implementation depends on the website, access and systems involved. We can assess your situation if you need help applying these steps.
Let's look at your situation.
Tell us what you need and what you have already. We will reply with next steps and a proposal suited to the work.
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