WordPress Site Broke After Update: What to Do Next
WordPress site broke after update? I restore the last backup, then test the next update on a staging copy. Hosting and care from $99 a month.
In this article· 6 sections
A theme update during Friday service can take the online menu and the reservation form down together. You hear about it from a guest at the host stand, not from any alert. The plugin or theme you just updated is the usual cause, and clicking Update again rarely puts the pages back.
Short answer: When your WordPress site broke after update, stop installing more updates. If you can still log in, deactivate that plugin or switch off the theme you just changed. If you cannot, restore the last backup. Managed Website Hosting & Care does that from $99 a month: hosting, daily backups stored apart from the site, and a fix when something breaks. On Business, the next update is tested on a staging copy before it goes live.
What do you do when your WordPress site broke after update?
Stop the next click. Deactivate the plugin or theme you just updated if the dashboard still opens, or restore the last backup if it does not. I do that restore, and the hosting around it, from $99 a month, with a daily backup kept apart from the site.
The page goes blank, the layout breaks, or the form stops sending. A browser may still connect. A guest still cannot book. If the dashboard opens, deactivate only that plugin or switch away from that theme. If it will not load, use the backup from before the click. Do not delete other plugins to see what happens.
That is the job on Managed Website Hosting & Care. Every plan includes the updates, a daily backup stored separately from the site, and a fix when something breaks, including a backup restore. If the site is down, Essentials and Business move it ahead during business hours. Priority includes 24/7 response if the site goes down.
What can you check before you hire anyone?
Write down the plugin or theme name you updated, try the login once, and look for a backup newer than that click. If the login fails or you cannot find a backup, more guessing in the dashboard usually makes the break worse.
- Write down the plugin or theme name, and about when you clicked Update.
- Open the WordPress dashboard once. If it loads, deactivate only that plugin, or switch away from that theme.
- Find the newest backup and note whether it predates the update. A backup you have never restored is still unproved.
- If you cannot log in, stop. Send the plugin name and a screenshot.
A ticket that resets a password, and will not open the site, does not fix this. If nobody knows where the backups are, that is the gap. On these plans the backup runs every day and is stored apart from the site.
How do later updates stay off the live site?
On Business and Priority I test core, plugin, and theme updates on a staging copy before they touch the live site. Every plan still includes those updates, a daily backup stored separately, and a restore or a fix if something breaks on my watch.
Essentials includes the updates and does not include a staging copy. Business and Priority do. I apply the update on a copy, check the pages and forms, then put it on the live site. WordPress maintenance lists that work: updates, backups, and small edits.
If something still breaks on my watch, the fix is included on every plan, and so is restoring a backup. Uptime monitoring runs around the clock, so a dead site does not wait for a guest to mention it.
Malware cleanup is separate. It is included on Business and Priority, and $125 an hour on Essentials. I tell you before going over. A broken layout after a theme update is a fix, not automatically malware.
Small edits use monthly time first: 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 3 hours by plan. After that, $125 an hour, and I tell you before I go over. Unused time does not roll over. Email michael@michaelheredia.com.
Which plan fits a site that breaks on update?
Business at $249 a month tests updates on a staging copy. Essentials at $99 a month includes 30 minutes of changes and a response within 2 business days. Priority at $499 a month adds a dedicated server and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
| Plan | Price | What you actually get |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $99 a month | Hosting, SSL, daily backups, updates, 30 minutes of changes, response within 2 business days. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour. A fix or backup restore is included. Outages jump the line during business hours. |
| Business (most popular) | $249 a month | Everything in Essentials, 1 hour of changes, updates tested on a staging copy before they go live, malware cleanup included. |
| Priority | $499 a month | Everything in Business, 3 hours of changes, a dedicated server, 24/7 response if the site goes down. |
All three are monthly, billed through Stripe, and you can cancel any time. See the plans. Business is the row that tries the next update on a copy first. Priority is the row with 24/7 response if the site goes down.
When this isn’t the right fit
This is the wrong plan if you need a redesign, a new feature, an online store, or an integration first. Those are quoted as a fixed price before any work starts. It is also the wrong fit if a person on your staff already applies updates and keeps backups.
If the site needs a rebuild, start with web development. I quote that work before it starts. These plans keep the site you already have.
If someone on your staff already applies updates and keeps backups, you do not need this. The plans include hosting, so starting means a move. One standard site is included. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote first.
You do not get a server login or a control panel to manage. You keep the domain and the content, and you can ask for a complete copy of the site any time.
What happens after you pick a plan?
Pick a plan and check out. I email you within 1 business day to start. Moving one standard site is included: I copy it, test it, and switch the domain at a quiet time. After that, send changes to michael@michaelheredia.com.
Checkout takes a couple of minutes. I email you within 1 business day to start, copy the site, test it, and switch the domain at a quiet time. After that you email changes, and they use the monthly time first.
If you cancel, the plan runs to the end of the paid month. Before it ends you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host.
If the site is broken today, open the plans or send a question with the plugin or theme name and a screenshot. I reply by email.
FAQ
What do I do if my WordPress site broke after update? +
Stop clicking more updates. If you can log in, deactivate the plugin or theme you just changed. If you cannot, restore the last backup. I do that on Managed Website Hosting & Care from $99 a month, with daily backups stored apart from the site and a fix when something breaks on my watch.
How much does managed WordPress care cost? +
Essentials is $99 a month, Business is $249 a month, and Priority is $499 a month. All three include hosting, SSL, daily backups, and core, plugin, and theme updates. Business and Priority test updates on a staging copy first. Past the included time, changes are $125 an hour, and I tell you before going over.
Will you test the next plugin update before it goes live? +
On Business and Priority, yes. I test updates on a staging copy before they go live. Essentials includes the updates without that step. If something breaks on my watch, the fix or a backup restore is included on every plan. Essentials is $99 a month, Business is $249 a month, and Priority is $499 a month.
What happens to my site if I cancel? +
The plan runs to the end of the month you already paid. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host. You keep the domain and the content, and you can ask for a complete copy any time. Unused change time does not roll over.
