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What I Fix (Every Day)
Most people don’t come looking for help because their website is “a bit off”.
They come because something is broken. Or slow. Or hacked. Or silently costing them enquiries.
This post explains the real-world WordPress problems I fix every day, why they happen, and what usually needs to be done to resolve them — calmly, properly, and without guesswork.
If your site feels fragile, unpredictable, or just not behaving the way it should, chances are it falls into one of these categories.
The Core Issues I Fix
Site Down or Throwing Errors
White screens. Fatal errors. Endless loading spinners. Error messages no one asked for.
This usually happens after:
- A plugin or theme update
- A PHP version change
- A server migration
- A conflict that’s been quietly brewing for months
Common symptoms include:
- “Critical error on this website”
- Admin access locked out
- Pages returning 500 or 503 errors
- The front-end loading, but the wp-admin not
The fix is rarely “just reinstall WordPress”. It’s about isolating the fault, restoring stability, and making sure it doesn’t happen again.
Hacked or Compromised Sites
If Google flags your site as unsafe, spam pages appear, or your host suspends the account, the problem is already serious.
I regularly clean up:
- Injected spam links
- Malicious redirects
- Infected plugins or themes
- Backdoors that reinfect the site after a “cleanup”
Real security isn’t just removing visible malware — it’s identifying how the site was compromised and closing that door permanently.
Slow, Timing Out, or Unreliable Performance
A site doesn’t have to be “down” to be broken.
Slow sites:
- Lose enquiries
- Hurt SEO
- Create distrust before a word is read
Typical causes include:
- Bloated themes and plugins
- Poor hosting setups
- Database clutter
- No caching or misconfigured caching
- Images are doing far more work than they should
Performance fixes are about measured improvements, not installing five speed plugins and hoping for the best.
Broken Layouts and CSS Issues
Pages that used to look fine suddenly don’t.
Common problems:
- Mobile layouts collapsing
- Buttons are no longer clickable
- Spacing and alignment issues
- Fonts or colours changing unexpectedly
These often appear after updates, editor changes, or partial theme overrides. The fix is almost always precise — not a redesign, just careful repair.
Checkout or Forms Not Working
This is one of the most expensive problems a site can have.
I regularly fix:
- WooCommerce checkouts failing silently
- Payment gateways are refusing transactions
- Forms that “submit” but go nowhere
- Emails that never arrive
If enquiries or payments stop, nothing else matters until this is fixed.
Updates Gone Wrong
Updates are supposed to be boring. When they aren’t, something’s off.
Problems I see daily:
- Sites breaking after core updates
- Plugins incompatible with current PHP versions
- Theme updates overwriting customisations
- Half-completed updates are leaving the site unstable
The solution is rarely rolling everything back blindly — it’s about controlled recovery and safe forward movement.
Not Sure What’s Wrong?
You don’t need the technical language. You don’t need to diagnose it yourself.
Most people just know:
- “Something’s broken”
- “This used to work”
- “We’re losing leads”
- “Google’s not happy”
That’s enough to start.
How a Rescue Actually Works
Step 1 — Diagnose the problem
I look at what’s failing, why, and how serious it is.
Step 2 — Fix and verify
The issue is resolved properly, and then tested across the site.
Step 3 — No fix, no fee
If it can’t be fixed, you don’t pay. Simple.
The Problems I See Every Week
- Site down or inaccessible
- WordPress errors after updates
- Hacked websites and malware infections
- Broken mobile layouts
- Checkout and form failures
- Plugin conflicts
- Fatal PHP errors
- Hosting-related issues
These aren’t edge cases. They’re an everyday WordPress reality.
Flat Emergency Rescue Fee
Emergency rescues are a one-off flat fee, not an open-ended hourly meter.
That typically includes:
- Full diagnosis
- Malware cleanup (if needed)
- Conflict resolution
- Performance stabilisation
- Security hardening
- Verification and testing
- Clear explanation of what happened
No upsells. No pressure. No mystery invoices.
Recent Rescues
✔ Hacked site cleaned and secured
✔ WooCommerce checkout restored
✔ Speed issues resolved
✔ Broken layouts repaired
Different problems. Same outcome — a stable site again.
Still Not Sure?
You don’t need to know what’s wrong. You just need it handled.
Start the rescue, explain what you’re seeing, and I’ll take it from there.