askbowtie

Fixes & Troubleshooting

Sometimes you just need to fix the thing. These guides cover common website problems — the issues you've probably searched for before — with actual solutions, not generic advice.

Each guide starts with the symptom (what you're seeing), explains the likely causes, and walks through the fix step by step.

Contents

How these guides work

Every troubleshooting guide follows the same structure:

  1. Symptom — What you're observing (the thing that made you search for help)
  2. Common causes — Why this typically happens
  3. Diagnosis — How to identify which cause applies to you
  4. Fix — Step-by-step instructions to resolve it
  5. Verification — How to confirm the fix worked
  6. Prevention — How to avoid this problem in the future

The goal is to get you from "something is broken" to "it's fixed" as quickly as possible.

WordPress problems

WordPress powers over 40% of the web, and its plugin architecture means plenty of things can go wrong. These are the issues we see most often.

Forms not sending email

Your contact form shows a success message, but the email never arrives. This is almost always a server configuration issue, not a form plugin problem.

Common cause How to identify Fix
PHP mail disabled Host disabled it Use SMTP plugin
Missing SPF/DKIM Email rejected as spam Configure DNS records
Blacklisted IP Shared hosting issue Use external email service

Full guide: Why Your WordPress Form Isn't Sending Emails

Plugin conflicts

Site breaks after installing or updating a plugin. Features stop working. Admin pages throw errors.

Diagnosis: Disable all plugins, re-enable one by one until you find the conflict.

Common culprits:

White screen of death

The site shows a blank white page. No error message, just nothing.

Causes:

Fix:

  1. Enable WP_DEBUG in wp-config.php to see the actual error
  2. If you can't access admin, rename plugins folder via FTP
  3. Increase PHP memory limit if that's the issue

Slow dashboard

The WordPress admin is painfully slow while the frontend is fine.

Causes:

Fix:

  1. Identify slow plugins using Query Monitor
  2. Run database optimization
  3. Consider better hosting if resource-limited

Shopify problems

Shopify handles hosting and infrastructure, so problems are usually theme or app related. The upside: you don't need to worry about server configuration. The downside: when something breaks, you have fewer diagnostic tools available.

Checkout issues

Customers can't complete checkout, or checkout behaves unexpectedly. Checkout problems are the highest priority — every broken checkout session is lost revenue.

Symptom Likely cause Fix
Payment declined Gateway configuration Check payment provider settings
Infinite loading JavaScript error Check browser console, disable apps one by one
Missing fields Theme customization Revert recent theme changes
Discount codes not working App conflict or code expiration Check discount settings and app order

Theme customization problems

Changes don't appear, or customizations break after theme update.

Prevention: Use a child theme or duplicate your theme before updates. Document all customizations in a separate file — you'll need this when the theme updates and overwrites your changes.

App conflicts

Apps interfering with each other or with theme functionality. Shopify's app ecosystem means multiple apps often try to modify the same parts of your store.

Diagnosis: Disable apps one by one, testing checkout after each. Check browser console for JavaScript errors that name specific apps.

General web issues

Problems that happen on any website, regardless of platform.

SSL certificate errors

Browser shows "Not Secure" or certificate warnings.

Error Cause Fix
Certificate expired Renewal failed Renew certificate
Mixed content HTTP resources on HTTPS page Update all URLs to HTTPS
Certificate mismatch Wrong certificate for domain Install correct certificate

DNS propagation

Changes don't take effect, or site works for some people but not others.

Reality: DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally. Check propagation status with tools like dnschecker.org.

CDN caching issues

Changes made but old content still appears.

Fix: Purge CDN cache. If using Cloudflare, enable "Development Mode" temporarily to bypass cache while debugging.

Browser caching

You see updates but users don't, or vice versa.

Fix: Hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R) to bypass local cache. For persistent issues, append version strings to asset URLs.

Debugging workflow

When something breaks, follow this workflow:

1. Reproduce the problem

Can you make the problem happen consistently? Does it affect all users or just some? All browsers or specific ones?

2. Identify recent changes

What changed before this started happening?

3. Check the obvious

Before diving deep:

4. Gather error information

5. Isolate the cause

6. Apply and verify fix

Make one change at a time. Verify each change before moving on. Don't stack multiple changes without testing.

When to escalate

Some problems require external help:

Contact your host when:

Contact your platform when:

Hire a developer when:

Document everything before escalating. "The site is broken" is less helpful than "After updating Plugin X to version 3.2, the checkout page shows a JavaScript error in the console: TypeError: Cannot read property 'submit' of undefined."

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if it's a client-side or server-side problem?

If the browser console shows JavaScript errors, it's client-side. If you see 500 errors or the page never loads, it's likely server-side. Server logs will confirm.

Should I try to fix things in production?

For minor issues, yes — but have a rollback plan. For major issues, replicate on staging first if possible. Never experiment on production during high-traffic periods.

How do I prevent problems from recurring?

Document what broke and why. Set up error monitoring to catch problems early. Test changes on staging before production. Keep backups.

What if I can't reproduce the problem?

Check if it's user-specific (browser, device, location). Check error monitoring for patterns. Ask affected users for details — browser, device, exact steps.

How long should I spend before asking for help?

If you've spent an hour and made no progress, step back. Either you're missing something obvious (take a break) or you need expertise you don't have (escalate).

Sub-pillars

WordPress Fixes

Forms not sending, plugin conflicts, slow sites, and the issues that cost you conversions.

Form Failures

Forms that don't submit, data that disappears, submissions that never arrive. Platform-agnostic diagnosis and fixes.

Shopify Issues

Checkout problems, app conflicts, and theme issues. Step-by-step solutions for Shopify store problems.

Related resources