Common Issues & Solutions

Quick Solutions to Common Problems

❌ Site Shows 500 Error

Solution: Ask Alfred: "Check the error log for example.com" — he'll read your Apache error log and identify the cause. Common causes: PHP syntax errors, .htaccess issues, or permission problems.

🔒 SSL Certificate Warning

Solution: Ask Alfred: "Request a new SSL certificate for example.com" — he'll generate a fresh Let's Encrypt certificate. Also try: "Force HTTPS on my domain."

🐢 Slow Website

Solution: Ask Alfred: "Run a performance benchmark on example.com" and "Optimize images in /images" — he'll identify bottlenecks and compress assets.

🌐 Domain Not Resolving

Solution: Ask Alfred: "Check DNS records for example.com" — verify your nameservers and A records are correct. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate.

🚫 White Screen of Death

Solution: Ask Alfred: "Read the error log" and "List WordPress plugins" — a faulty plugin or theme is usually the cause. Alfred can deactivate problematic plugins.

🔄 Updates Failing

Solution: Ask Alfred: "Check file permissions on my WordPress directory" — permissions issues are the most common cause of failed updates.

🗃 Database Errors

Solution: Ask Alfred: "Optimize the WordPress database" — this repairs and optimizes database tables.

📧 Can't Send/Receive Email

Solution: Check Alfred: "List email accounts for example.com" to verify the account exists. Then verify your email client settings match the server settings (see Email Setup article).

📩 Emails Going to Spam

Solution: Ask Alfred: "Add a SPF record for example.com" — proper SPF and DKIM records improve deliverability.

💡 Pro Tip: When in doubt, just describe your problem to Alfred: "My website is showing an error" — he'll investigate and suggest solutions.