What is the WordPress Critical Error on Your Website?
The WordPress critical error is among the most frustrating issues that anyone operating a website might encounter. Being alerted of a critical error on your website without being able to determine what is causing it is a feeling that is hard to put into words. There are just so many possible contributing factors that it can be difficult to know where to start. The good news is that you don’t have to! Let’s take a look at what the WordPress critical error is and what you can do to prevent it.
The WordPress Critical Error
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) used by bloggers worldwide. It was originally created back in 2003 and over the years it has gained a large amount of popularity due to its easy-to-use nature and the large number of free themes and plugins available online that can be added to a new WordPress site in minutes. If you’re looking to create a new blog or website then WordPress is an excellent choice as it’s incredibly easy to get up and running.
WordPress critical errors are those unexpected errors that are detected while using the software. These errors can be due to various reasons and it’s important to determine what is causing them in order to fix the issue and prevent it from happening again. The good news is that you don’t have to become a WordPress guru to prevent these errors from happening as there are numerous simple solutions that you can try. Some of the common reasons for a WordPress critical error include but are not limited to:
Malformed HTML
When you create a new post in WordPress, you have the option of including additional HTML code along with your content. This code can be used to enhance the look of your post or give it a different function than just displaying the content. For example, you could add a quote box to the end of each post to capture the reader’s attention or you could add a countdown to your post’s end to encourage the reader to keep reading. When you include this code in your post, you should ensure that it is correctly formatted as there are strict guidelines that must be followed in order to ensure that the code is valid and will display the way that you intend it to. HTML malformed errors occur when there is a problem with the way that the code is written rather than through a fault in the software or server it’s hosted on. For example, if your HTML contains a quote but the quote isn’t properly nested within the quotation marks, it could cause an HTML malformed error. In most cases, this type of error is easily fixed by re-formatting the code and ensuring that it follows the correct guidelines. There are some instances where this type of error can be extremely difficult to track down if it isn’t posted in the forums or discussed on social media sites like Twitter.
Broken Links
If you were to navigate to a page on your site that no longer exists, you would encounter a broken link. When a link on your site is broken, it means that the destination page cannot be reached. A broken link typically happens when someone clicks on a link and the requested page is either unable to be found or has been removed by the site’s owner. There are several ways that you can prevent broken links from occurring on your site. You can use tools like Google’s sitemap generator to create structured lists of your website’s posts, images and other media in order to make sure that all the links are working. You can also use software like Duplicator to create backlinks to your site from other websites. When a link on your site is broken, it can be extremely frustrating as it’s sometimes difficult to determine what exactly happened and why it is no longer working. It’s important to keep in mind that broken links can be fixed and it’s a simple process that many site owners and admins take advantage of from time to time.
Incorrectly Configured Permissions
When you create a new WordPress installation, you have the ability to configure the permissions that allow certain user roles to access different areas of your site. For example, you could decide that only users with the role of author are allowed to post new content to your blog and visitors with the role of reader have limited access to the posts. In some instances, it’s necessary to give certain user roles different levels of access in order to prevent certain parts of your site from being seen by certain audiences. If you think that there is something wrong with the permissions on your site and you don’t know how to fix it, it could potentially be a cause of one or more of the WordPress critical errors that you are encountering. When this occurs, it’s often necessary to ask your web host for assistance in order to determine what is causing this type of error and how to fix it. Unfortunately, not all web hosts are created equal and some are more knowledgeable about WordPress than others.
Missing Files
Missing files are a common cause of a WordPress critical error. This can happen if one of the required files for the particular page you are accessing is either missing or blocked by the website’s owner. In these instances, you will encounter a blank screen when you try to load the requested page. There are several ways that you can prevent this from happening. First, you can verify that all the required files are present and loadable by the server. Second, you can use tools like Keepass to create offline backups of your site’s most important files in case they are ever lost. Third, you can ask your web host for assistance in troubleshooting any issues that you are having as they are likely to be more familiar with the inner workings of your server than you are.
Plugin API
WordPress plugins are small programs that allow you to extend the functionality of your site in various ways. They can be used to perform tasks such as display an Instagram feed on your site or allow users to create forums or polls within your blog. Most plugins require a specific piece of software in order to work which is why they aren’t compatible with all web hosts. If you’re hosting your site on a shared server and have the Plugin API activated, it’s possible that one or more of the WordPress critical errors you’re encountering is due to a missing plugin or outdated version of a plugin. In these instances, you will need to locate a plugin that does what you need and ensure that it’s compatible with your web host’s software.
Outdated Software
As we mentioned earlier, WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems available today. Due to its active community and large number of plugins available, it is constantly updated by its developers to ensure that it is compatible with the most recent versions of WordPress and the vast majority of plugins require minimal to no programming knowledge to set up. If you’re using an older version of WordPress or one of the plugins that you are using is from an older version, they could be the source of one or more of your WordPress critical errors. In these instances, it’s important to update your software and make sure that you are loading the most recent version of the WordPress theme and plugins that you have installed.
As you can see, there are just so many different potential causes of a WordPress critical error. In most cases, it’s fairly easy to determine what is causing this issue and once you do, it’s just a matter of taking the necessary steps to fix it. If you’re ever alerted of a WordPress critical error on your site, don’t worry as there are several simple solutions to prevent it from happening again. Remember to check your site’s terms of use as well as its privacy policy as these documents may outline the steps that you need to take in order to ensure that your personal information is kept private. If you’re wanting to learn more about how to prevent WordPress critical errors then you can take a look at our guide on the topic or you can search the forums for existing conversations relating to this issue.