WordPress Update Broke My Site and Came Back Blank
WordPress update broke my site and the page came back blank. Restore a backup, then test the next update on a staging copy. Plans from $99 a month.
In this article· 5 sections
Say you run a small repair shop. The last click before you lock the door is a WordPress update. The site comes back blank: white space, or a short error, where the hours and the phone number were.
Short answer: When a wordpress update broke my site, the public page usually came back blank after WordPress itself, a plugin, or a theme changed. Stop further updates and restore a backup from before that click if you can bring one back. Managed Website Hosting & Care tests updates on a staging copy on Business and Priority, and the plans start at $99 a month.
What do I do when a WordPress update broke my site?
Write down whether it was WordPress itself, a plugin, or a theme, then stop. Restore a backup from before that click if you can. If the blank page happened on my watch, I fix it or restore the backup. That work is included, from $99 a month.
A core, plugin, or theme update can report success and still leave the public page empty. Visitors then get white space where the hours and the phone number were. Another update on that blank site is a second change you cannot sort from the first. If it happened on my watch, I fix it or restore the backup, included on every plan, outside the monthly change minutes.
I monitor uptime around the clock. Priority gets a 24/7 response if the site goes down. On Essentials and Business, an outage goes to the front of the line during business hours. A page that still answers and shows nothing is a break on my watch, so the fix is included. The uptime check tells me when the site stops answering, not what the page says.
What can I check before anyone else touches it?
Open the site in a private window and on a phone, in case only your browser saved a blank page. Note the time of the update. If a backup from before that moment exists and you can restore it, use that copy. If it does not, stop.
Open the address in a private window, then on a phone that has not visited the site today. If only your usual browser is blank, it was holding an old copy. If both are blank, the live site is blank.
The free website health check shows whether the address answers, whether HTTPS is in place, and whether redirects look right. A passing check beside a blank page means the site answers and the layout does not. The check will not rebuild the page.
If you have a backup from before the update and you know how to restore it, restore that copy. If you cannot find one, stop clicking through plugins. Email michael@michaelheredia.com with a link or a screenshot.
A backup your host keeps on the same account is not the copy I store. On a plan I keep a daily backup separately, including when you stay on your current host. Your host keeps billing you. The price stays the same.
How do I keep the next update off the live page?
On Business and Priority I apply core, plugin, and theme updates to a staging copy first. The live site changes only after that copy looks right. Essentials includes the updates and does not include that test. A fix on my watch, or a backup restore, is included on every plan.
The blank page happens because the update landed on the only copy visitors can see. I run it on a staging copy first. If that copy comes back blank, the live site stays as it was.
Essentials, at $99 a month, includes the updates and does not include that test. Business, at $249 a month, and Priority, at $499 a month, do. Every plan also includes hosting and SSL, daily backups stored separately, monitoring around the clock, and security hardening: locked-down logins, firewall rules, and safe defaults. Hardening does not replace the staging test.
That work is on the WordPress maintenance page. You can keep the host you already pay, and I look after the site there. Priority’s dedicated server applies only when I host. Moving one standard site is included: I copy it, test it, then switch the domain at a quiet time. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote first.
Which plan fits a site that went blank after an update?
Essentials is $99 a month: updates, a separate daily backup, 30 minutes of changes, reply within 2 business days. Business is $249 a month and tests updates on a staging copy first. Priority is $499 a month, with 3 hours and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $99 a month | Hosting and SSL, separate daily backups, updates, monitoring, security hardening, 30 minutes of changes, reply within 2 business days. No staging test. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour. Fixes and restores on my watch are included. |
| 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 when I host, and 24/7 response if the site goes down. |
“Most popular” is only the label on Business. All three are billed monthly through Stripe, and you can cancel any time.
A blank page after an update is not malware. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour on Essentials and included on Business and Priority. Small changes after the site is back (text, photos, hours, a new post, or a section) use the monthly time first, then $125 an hour. I tell you before going over. Unused time does not roll over.
Checkout takes a couple of minutes. An email arrives within 1 business day to start onboarding. 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 any time. The plans are that same list.
When this isn’t the right fit
This is a monthly plan for a site that already exists and needs updates, backups, and fixes. It is the wrong fit if you need a redesign, a new store, or a custom feature first, or if your staff already tests updates and restores backups.
If the pages need a new design, start with web development. Redesigns, new features, online stores, and integrations are a fixed price before any work starts. If your staff already tests updates on a staging copy and can restore a backup, you already cover this failure.
On 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.
See the plans, or send a question through the hosting form.
FAQ
What do I do if a WordPress update broke my site? +
Stop further updates. If you have a backup from before that click and you can restore it, bring that copy back. On my plans, daily backups are stored separately from the site. If the blank page happened on my watch, the fix or the restore is included. Business and Priority test the next update on a staging copy first.
What do the plans cost? +
Essentials is $99 a month, with 30 minutes of changes and a reply within 2 business days. Business is $249 a month, with 1 hour, updates tested on a staging copy, and malware cleanup included. Priority is $499 a month, with 3 hours, a dedicated server when I host, and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
Do you test updates before they go live? +
Business and Priority test core, plugin, and theme updates on a staging copy before they go live. Essentials includes those updates and does not include the staging copy. A fix on my watch, or restoring a backup, is included on every plan. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour on Essentials and included on the other two.
Can I keep my current host? +
Yes. The plans and the price stay the same. Your host keeps billing you for hosting, and I look after the site on that account with my own daily backup stored separately. Priority's dedicated server applies only when I host. Moving one standard site is included: I copy it, test it, then switch the domain at a quiet time.
