23 WordPress website problems (and what to do about them)

Many WordPress sites hit the same fixable problems repeatedly. This guide lists 23 of them and what to do about each.

Technical foundation

1. Cheap hosting: a false economy

Bargain hosting often means slow loading, frequent downtime, and weak security. The saving is short-term; the cost shows up in lost visitors and rankings.

What to do: Use hosting with solid uptime, security, and support. Managed or white-label hosting is worth it when the site matters to your business.

2. Slow page load speeds

A large share of visitors leave if a page takes more than a few seconds to load. Slow speeds also hurt search rankings.

What to do: Test speed, optimise images, reduce and optimise scripts, and use caching. See Website speed for more.

3. No proper caching

Without caching, every visitor triggers full server work and repeated downloads of the same assets. That wastes bandwidth and slows the site.

What to do: Use server- or plugin-based caching (browser and page caching) suited to your host and stack.

4. Using WooCommerce for a single product

WooCommerce is powerful but adds a lot of overhead. For one product it is often unnecessary.

What to do: Use a lightweight payment or booking solution for a single product; reserve WooCommerce for real product catalogues.

Content and design

5. Stale or abandoned-looking content

A “latest post” from years ago suggests the site, and possibly the business, is neglected. It hurts credibility and SEO.

What to do: Either publish or update content regularly, or remove or reframe date-sensitive areas so the site does not look abandoned.

6. Content created without the right skills

Good website copy needs clarity, structure, and alignment with how people search and decide. Doing it in-house without that skillset often produces vague or off-target messaging.

What to do: Use someone who understands both your offer and how people read and search, or use a clear brief and structured process if you do it yourself.

7. Developer writing the copy

Technical skill does not automatically mean strong marketing or conversion copy. Mixing roles often produces either jargon or generic text.

What to do: Keep development and copy separate. Work with a copywriter or content specialist for words; use your developer for build and technical decisions.

8. Weak value proposition on the homepage

The homepage has seconds to say what you do and why it matters. A vague or buried value proposition loses visitors.

What to do: State clearly who you help, what you do, and why someone should care. Put that above the fold and align headings and CTAs with it.

9. Slideshows and unnecessary animation

Heavy carousels and motion often distract, slow the site, and frustrate mobile users. They can also make the site feel dated.

What to do: Prefer clear, static layout and only add motion where it clearly helps comprehension or action.

Maintenance and security

10. WordPress updates left unmanaged

Core, theme, and plugin updates need testing and sometimes code adjustments. Ignoring them increases security risk and the chance of breakage when you finally do update.

What to do: Apply updates regularly in a controlled way (staging then live, for example), or use a care plan or ongoing support that includes update management.

11. Too many administrator accounts

Each admin account is another potential entry point. Multiple admins with weak or reused passwords increase risk.

What to do: Limit admin accounts to those who truly need them, use strong passwords and 2FA, and follow WordPress hardening guidance.

12. No reliable backups

Without tested, off-site backups, one bad update, hack, or server failure can mean losing the site or paying for a full rebuild.

What to do: Set up automated backups (files and database), store them off the live server, and test restore at least once. See Backups and recovery and Why every website needs a backup plan.

13. Unoptimised images

Large, unoptimised images from cameras or phones slow pages and hurt Core Web Vitals and rankings.

What to do: Resize and compress images before upload, use appropriate formats (WebP where supported), and consider automation or a plugin that does this consistently.

Development and plugins

14. Too many plugins

Every plugin adds code, possible conflicts, and maintenance. Too many plugins make the site fragile and harder to secure and update.

What to do: Audit plugins and remove what you do not need. Prefer a small set of well-maintained plugins and custom code where it makes sense.

15. Multiple plugins doing the same job

Overlapping functionality (two caching or two SEO plugins, for example) can conflict and behave unpredictably.

What to do: Choose one tool per job, remove duplicates, and test after changes.

16. Code added via snippet plugins

Snippet plugins often inject code in ways that do not fit the theme or other plugins, leading to conflicts and security issues.

What to do: Put custom code in a child theme or a small custom plugin, following WordPress coding standards.

17. Page builders used poorly

Page builders are fine when used with clean structure and performance in mind. Bloated layouts, excessive modules, and unused assets slow the site and make it harder to maintain.

What to do: Use a builder with a clear structure, avoid unnecessary modules, and keep assets and design minimal so the site stays fast and maintainable.

Quality assurance

18. Layout breaks on mobile

Most traffic is mobile. Broken or cramped layouts there lose visitors and conversions.

What to do: Test on real devices and viewport sizes; fix breakpoints and touch targets so core tasks work on small screens.

19. Forms not tested

Untested forms mean broken leads, failed bookings, or silent failures. The problem often goes unnoticed until someone complains.

What to do: Test every form (submit, notifications, spam handling) after any change and as part of regular checks.

20. Broken links

Broken links look unprofessional and can hurt SEO and trust.

What to do: Run periodic link checks, fix or redirect broken URLs when content or structure changes, and keep important links in a checklist when doing big updates.

SEO and accountability

21. Basic SEO ignored

A site that is hard to find is underused. Missing basics (titles, descriptions, structure, indexing) limit organic traffic.

What to do: Implement on-page SEO basics: titles, meta descriptions, headings, clean URLs. Ensure the site is crawlable and indexable, and align content with how people search. See What is technical SEO? and On-page SEO.

22. No clear record of who changed what

Without change history or documentation, troubleshooting and accountability are difficult. That increases risk and cost when something goes wrong.

What to do: Use version control or change logs for code; document significant content and configuration changes so you can trace and revert if needed.

23. No path for simple changes

WordPress is flexible but not always obvious. People who need to make small updates often lack guidance and can break layout or settings.

What to do: Provide brief, task-based documentation (or training) for the edits they will do, and a clear route to support for anything beyond that.

What to do next

Many of these problems can be fixed without a full rebuild. Better hosting, caching, plugin cleanup, backups, and ongoing support reduce risk and improve stability. If you are not sure where to start, a website audit clarifies the biggest issues and whether improvement or rebuild is the right step. For sites you rely on, WordPress care plans keep updates, backups, and monitoring in place so you are not left firefighting when something breaks.