How to Fix a Broken WordPress Site: A Step-by-Step Guide

WordPress is a widely popular content management system (CMS), but like any software, it can encounter issues that may break a website. Whether it’s a result of plugin conflicts, corrupted files, or a malware attack, a malfunctioning WordPress site requires immediate attention to restore functionality. Here’s how to repair a broken WordPress installation step by step.

1. Backup Your Site

Before starting any repair process, creating a full backup of your website is crucial. This backup should include your WordPress files, themes, plugins, and, most importantly, your database. A backup ensures you can restore your website to its previous state if anything goes wrong during the repair process. Use a plugin like BlogVault or UpdraftPlus, or manually backup your website via cPanel, Plesk or using SSH.

2. Check for Plugin or Theme Conflicts

Often, plugin or theme conflicts are the root cause of WordPress issues. To test this, disable all your plugins. If the site becomes functional again, reactivate them individually to identify the problematic plugin. If the problem persists, switch to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four. If the active theme was the issue, reinstall the current version of it and then recheck. If a plugin or theme update caused the issue on the site, it is possible to roll back to a previous version.

3. Fix Corrupted Core Files

WordPress core files can sometimes become corrupted due to incomplete updates or modifications. To fix this, download a fresh copy of WordPress from WordPress.org. Uploading the new files to your server using an FTP client, overwriting the old core files except for the `wp-content` folder and the `wp-config.php` file containing your themes, plugins, and configuration settings. This ensures your site is refreshed without affecting critical data.

4. Repair Your Database

A corrupted database can lead to errors like “Error Establishing a Database Connection.” You can attempt to repair the database through phpMyAdmin, where you’ll select your WordPress database, check all tables, and choose the “Repair table” option. Alternatively, you can add `define(‘WP_ALLOW_REPAIR’, true);` to your `wp-config.php` file and run the WordPress database repair tool by navigating to `www.yoursite.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php`. Once repairs are complete, remove the line from your `wp-config.php` file.

5. Reinstall WordPress Core

If repairing individual components doesn’t work, reinstalling WordPress might be necessary. Go to Dashboard > Updates in the WordPress dashboard and click the Reinstall Now button. This will reinstall the WordPress core files without affecting your content. Download a fresh copy of WordPress for manual reinstallation and replace all the core files via SSH while keeping your `wp-content` folder and `wp-config.php` files intact.

6. Scan for Malware

If your website was hacked, a malware scan is essential. Plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri can help scan for malware and remove infected files. After cleaning your site, take security measures such as changing passwords, updating plugins, and setting up firewalls to prevent future attacks.

7. Seek Professional Help

If the above steps don’t resolve the issue, it might be time to seek professional assistance. Many WordPress support services, such as Sucuri or BlogVault, specialize in efficiently recovering and repairing WordPress sites.

Repairing a WordPress installation will involve replacing WordPress core files with a clean version and ensuring that the site’s plugin and theme versions are current and clean. Following these steps and regularly maintaining your website by keeping WordPress core updated along with plugins and themes. Also by testing upcoming WordPress major versions on a staging site will make your site remain working and unbroken.

Useful Links

https://developer.wordpress.org/advanced-administration/upgrade/upgrading/