Common hosting issues and quick fixes

Site down, or showing an error. A 500 or 503 error usually points to a server-side fault: a bad .htaccess rule, a plugin or script error, or the server running out of resources. A white screen on WordPress, often called the White Screen of Death, is usually a plugin or theme conflict or a PHP error.

A slow site is often unoptimised images, too many plugins, or a plan that no longer has enough resources for the traffic.

A domain not resolving after a nameserver change is usually just propagation: DNS changes take time to reach every resolver worldwide. An SSL name mismatch warning means the certificate was issued for a different hostname than the one in the browser, for example missing the www or a subdomain.

How DNS propagation works

Mail landing in spam is usually missing or misconfigured SPF, DKIM or DMARC records for your domain. Not being able to send or receive mail is usually a wrong setting in the mail app, such as the incoming/outgoing server, port or encryption type, or an incorrect MX record.

A browser "not secure" warning means the site has no valid SSL certificate on that URL, or part of the page loads over plain HTTP. The second case, mixed content, happens when an HTTPS page still loads an image, script or stylesheet over HTTP.

A renewal that did not go through usually means the payment method on file failed or expired. A payment that will not complete is often the card itself, such as an expiry date or a bank decline.