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EasyWP: What to do if your website goes down
At some point, you may find that your website has suddenly gone offline. This can happen after recent updates, plugin changes, or sometimes for no obvious reason at all. Whether it’s a blank page, an error message, or a failed connection, unexpected downtime can be stressful – especially when you’re not sure what caused it or how to fix it.
You can always reach out to our Support Team for prompt assistance. However, if you're curious and prefer to understand the issue yourself, this guide will walk you through the most common “website down” scenarios and how to troubleshoot each one effectively.
NOTE: We recommend creating a backup of your WordPress website before performing any changes described in this guide to prevent unwanted changes and data loss. If anything goes wrong, you can restore the backup.
If the website does not work in various browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.), try checking it with different proxy services:
1. https://sitepreviewer.live/;
2. https://www.proxysite.com/;
3. http://kproxy.com/.
If some of your browsers display the website and some don’t, the browser cache is likely to be the cause. Follow our guide on how to clear cache in different browsers.
The website works in online proxies but not in browsers
Most likely, the issue is related to DNS propagation. The domain’s DNS zone change may cause issues and may take up to 24-48 hours to be completed. This is a fully independent process that includes updating servers’ DNS caches worldwide. That is why it may take a considerable amount of time.
The propagation process runs automatically and, unfortunately, cannot be manually influenced.
If you’d rather not wait, go ahead and edit the local hosts file to bypass the DNS propagation, forcing the domain to be resolved directly on the server.
The site doesn’t work in other browsers, proxies, or devices
If DNS propagation has passed, global issues on the server your domain is hosted on might be taking place. The reasons for the issue may be: scheduled or unscheduled maintenance, software updates, or temporary technical issues.
The best way to determine if there are any global issues related to EasyWP is to check the Namecheap status page. Select EasyWP from the left side panel to see all the posts related to Managed WordPress. Look through the recent posts to see if any of them are related to your server. When found, the latest updates and ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) on the handling can be found below the post.
The name of the EasyWP server is the same as the value of the ALIAS record created for your Namecheap domain name. The value of the ALIAS record can be checked in your Namecheap dashboard >> Domains >> Manage next to the domain name in question>>Advanced DNS tab.
If you use a third-party domain name, you can also check the host records that are used to point your domain name to EasyWP on your DNS provider side.
Our status posts contain the EasyWP ALIAS records along with their corresponding IP addresses.
If no status post is found, it is most likely that the issue is not a global one and requires further investigation. One of the reasons might be that the domain name is not connected properly to your website. Contact our Support Team so that we can investigate the issue from our side.
The 400 Bad Request status code indicates that the server is unable to process the request due to something that is perceived to be a client-side error.
The most common reasons for this error are:
1) URL string syntax error
2) Corrupted browser cache and cookies
3) DNS Lookup cache
4) The file size is too large
5) A conflict between browser extensions
1. Check that the domain name and the specific URL you’re trying to access are typed correctly. If the URL contains special characters, ensure they are encoded correctly and are valid URL characters. For long URLs, you might find it easier and less error-prone to use an online URL encoder/decoder. These types of utilities should also be able to detect illegal characters automatically in the URL as well.
3. If you’re trying to upload a file to a website that’s exceeding the server file size limit, you’ll encounter a 400 Bad Request error. Try uploading a smaller file first. If it proves successful, then the initial file is probably too large and you’ll need to reduce it before uploading it again.
4. Clear DNS cache. Local DNS data isn’t stored by the browser but by the operating system itself. Learn how to clear local DNS cache.
5. Deactivate browser extensions. If you have browser extensions installed that affect website cookies, then these could cause the issue. Try temporarily deactivating them to see if it makes a difference.
A "404 Not Found" error on specific page(s) means the web server couldn't find the requested page(s). It's a common status code, indicating that the page either doesn't exist or has been moved without a proper redirect.
This error often occurs due to several common causes:
1. Permalink Issues
WordPress uses permalinks (custom URLs) to make links SEO-friendly.
If permalink settings are corrupted or not updated after changes, pages may return 404 errors.
A possible solution is to go to Settings ? Permalinks in the WordPress dashboard and click Save Changes.
2. Missing or deleted content
The page or post you’re trying to access might have been deleted, moved, or never created.
Double-check your WordPress admin to ensure the content exists and is published.
Website posts are located in the WordPress admin area ? Posts.
Website pages are located in the WordPress admin area ? Pages.
3. Theme or plugin conflicts
Some plugins or themes modify the URLs and may cause 404 errors if misconfigured.
4. Incorrect site URL or home URL settings
If WordPress Address (URL) or Site Address (URL) are incorrect in Settings ? General, URLs may break.
Make sure these URLs match your actual domain and protocol (http:// protocol is used for websites without installed SSL certificates, while https:// is used for websites with installed SSL certificates).
5. Cache problems
Cached versions of pages or CDN cache may serve outdated URLs that lead to 404 errors.
The 429 error typically appears when the load balancer on the server blocks multiple simultaneous requests sent from a single IP address, protecting the website from a DDoS attack. This should be temporary and lifted within a few minutes.
This error may be caused by a plugin or theme sending a large number of unnecessary requests, which triggers suspicious activity in our Anti-DDoS system. To identify the source, deactivate all plugins and then reactivate them one by one until the issue reoccurs. Each time you activate or deactivate a plugin, make sure to clear the website cache. The same troubleshooting method can be applied to your theme.
Alternatively, contact a web developer to assist you with debugging.
The white screen (blank page) is one of the most common errors that occur in WordPress. In this section, we will cover possible causes and the ways to fix them.
Clear cache
If you do not have access to the WordPress dashboard, clear your browser cache.
Activate WP_DEBUG mode
You can also use the WordPress debug function to identify the type of errors being generated. To do this, locate the wp-config.php file in the root folder of your website and enable WP_DEBUG mode by changing the following line from false to true: define('WP_DEBUG', true).
Once the debug mode is activated, you should see the error logs, which will help you to debug the issue.
NOTE: The debug mode may not always show the error log.
You can access your website files by following this guide.
Increase WordPress memory limits
Since WordPress memory limit is one of the most common causes of blank pages, we recommend increasing your limit. Indications of this error could be a white screen or an error message.
In the config.php file, add the following code right before the /* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */' line:
If you’re unsure which plugin caused the issue, deactivate them one by one until the problem reappears, then address the offending plugin to resolve it.
Change the website theme
If the plugin troubleshooting doesn’t fix the white screen on the website, then you should try changing the theme. You can find detailed instructions on how to switch the theme using our guide on how to install a new theme for your website.
NOTE: Make sure that the default theme is present in the /wp-content/themes folder. If it's not, you can download a default WordPress theme.
If the issue persists after completing the steps above, feel free to contact our Support Team to receive further assistance.
When the website exceeds some hardware limits, like CPU or RAM, you may face 502/503/504 errors. Many reasons may cause this issue: a poorly optimized website, a heavy theme or plugin, a large number of visitors, a DDoS attack, and more.
The website’s resource usage can be checked in your EasyWP Dashboard via this guide. We also recommend using the Usage DD plugin to monitor your website's resource usage. The plugin can be installed via this guide.
If you notice CPU or RAM resource usage spikes, you can perform the following steps:
1) You can upgrade your Starter or Turbo EasyWP subscription to increase the resource limits.
The upgrade can be performed in the EasyWP Dashboard by selecting Change in the Overview >> Subscription section.
During the 30-day free trial period, it’s not possible to upgrade a trial plan inside the dashboard. As soon as the trial period is over and the subscription is renewed, you will be able to upgrade the plan as usual. However, if you do not want to wait, you can contact our Support Team to proceed with the manual upgrade of your subscription.
2) Optimize your website. If you experience any issues during this process, you can contact your web developer to optimize the resource usage of your website.
3) Deactivate plugins and change the theme. With these guides, you can deactivate the plugins and change the theme of your website even if your WordPress admin area isn’t working. Then, check the resource usage.
If these steps do not resolve the issue, please contact our Support Team so we can investigate the cause.
The following error message is usually caused by a malfunctioning plugin, theme, or code in one of the WordPress files: "There has been a critical error on this website. Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions".:
First, you can check if there are any recent backups of the stable website version in your EasyWP dashboard. If you have one, you can restore it to see if it helps.
You can check your WordPress admin area email inbox to see if you receive any instructions. This email can contain a possible reason for the issue. For example, a plugin or a theme that triggered the error.
You’ll also see a link to the WordPress troubleshooting guide. You can open the page and try following the instructions provided there.
If you do not receive any instructions, you can proceed with general troubleshooting. As your WordPress admin area is usually unavailable when the critical error occurs, you can deactivate the website plugins via phpMyAdmin or SFTP access.
This guide provides a method for changing the website's theme to the default one in the website database, even if you cannot access the WordPress admin area.
If deactivating all plugins and switching the theme to a default one does not help, you can try the WP_DEBUG mode to see if any specific errors are displayed on the page.
Corrupted default WordPress files can also cause a critical error. To fix the default WordPress files, you can activate EasyWP WordPress Autoupdates.
NOTE: If the feature is already activated, you need to deactivate it, save the changes, and activate it again. These actions will restore the default WordPress files.
You should verify that the domain name is connected to your EasyWP website. You can follow the corresponding sections of the guide and double-check that all steps were completed when assigning your third-party domain name or domain name from Namecheap.
If you are sure that the domain name is pointed correctly to EasyWP, the issue might be related to DNS propagation.
If you changed the nameservers of your domain name, it may take 24-48 hours for the DNS changes to be accepted globally. Please give it some time to propagate.
If the website has been created recently or the domain name has been changed, it may take up to 30-60 minutes (more, in rare cases) for local ISPs to update their DNS caches so that everyone can see your website. Please give it some time to propagate.
Unfortunately, this process cannot be influenced or sped up because of its automated nature.
When your WordPress site shows a warning like “Your connection is not secure” or "This site is not secure", it usually means there’s a problem with the site’s SSL certificate or how it's configured.
To check the SSL certificate of your website, you can input your domain name in the Namecheap SSL Checker and select Check.
If your domain name uses Namecheap DNS (FreeDNS, BasicDNS, or PremiumDNS), you can use the Free Positive SSL certificate.
NOTE: If your website already uses the Free Positive SSL certificate and SSL Checker shows an expired SSL certificate, you need to reinstall the Free PositiveSSL certificate via these steps:
1. Open your EasyWP dashboard;
2. Select Manage next to the website in question;
3. Select Manage next to SSL Certificate;
4. Select Change next to Certificate;
5. Select the No SSL option;
6. Save the changes;
7. Wait for 3-5 minutes;
8. Select Change next to Certificate again;
9. Activate the Free PositiveSSL certificate;
10. Save the changes.
If your website uses third-party DNS, you can install a custom SSL certificate.
Another reason for this issue could be that the website links were changed to the https:// protocol without installing a valid SSL certificate.
The "s" letter in "https://" protocol stands for secure. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol used for transmitting data over the internet. The "s" indicates that the communication between your browser and the website is encrypted and secure, typically using SSL/TLS certificates.
This means that if you changed the links to the https:// protocol in your WordPress, you can try one of the following steps:
1. Install a Free PositiveSSL (for domain names on Namecheap DNS) or custom SSL certificate (for domain names on third-party DNS);
2. Change the links back to http://. If your WordPress admin area is inaccessible due to this error, proceed to the unsafe link only if you are certain that your website content is safe.
Another option is to change the links in your database:
This issue may occur due to the Supersonic CDN cache.
To help resolve the issue, follow these steps:
1) Open your Namecheap dashboard >> Apps;
2) Select the Supersonic CDN logo;
3) Log in with your Namecheap account credentials;
4) Select Manage next to the website in question;
5) Open the CDN Settings tab:
6) Scroll down and select the 'Cache All Query Strings' option in the Query String Control setting.
If your WordPress site redirects to the installation page, it typically indicates a problem with the database connection, the wp-config.php file, or the WordPress installation.
First, you can check if there are any recent backups of the stable website version in your EasyWP dashboard. If you have one, you can restore it to see if it helps.
If you don’t have a recent backup of your website, you can try manually fixing the “error establishing a database connection.” To do this, check that the wp_ prefix in the wp-config.php file matches the prefix used in your database.
The wp-config.php file is located in the root directory of your WordPress website. To access your website files via SFTP, open any FTP client, e.g., FileZilla. Here you will need to use your SFTP credentials, which can be located within your EasyWP Dashboard >> Files & Database. Learn how to access your WordPress website folders and files via SFTP.
Then, open the wp-config.php file and find this line:
$table_prefix = 'wp_';
Open the website database and check if the prefix is the same as you found in the wp-config.php file:
If these prefixes differ, you need to update the prefix in the wp-config.php file to match the database. Download the wp-config.php file to your computer, edit it, and then upload it to your website, replacing the existing file. Once it’s done, please remember to clear the website`s cache.
Corrupted default WordPress files can also cause this error. The easiest way to update the default WordPress files is to activate the EasyWP WordPress Autoupdates feature.
NOTE: If the feature is already activated, you need to deactivate it, save the changes, and activate it again. These actions will restore the default WordPress files.
You can also download the latest WordPress version manually. Then, unarchive the files and upload them to your EasyWP website, replacing all the existing files with the same names via SFTP access.
Website downtime can happen for many reasons, from temporary DNS propagation and caching issues to plugin conflicts or server resource limits. This guide has outlined the most common causes and provided step-by-step instructions to help you identify and resolve them.
Always remember to create regular backups of your WordPress site before making any changes. You can then quickly restore your website if troubleshooting steps do not go as planned. Keeping your WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated, along with monitoring your website’s performance, will also reduce the risk of errors in the future.
If you continue to experience problems or need further assistance, please contact our Suport Team - we’re here to help!
