Please review our guide to determine if these solutions apply to your situation before submitting a ticket.
The top three most frequent issues
- Outdated software on your website
- Compatibility issues with your theme
- Conflicts with other plugins
Outdated plugin
Regularly updating the latest version of the plugin and theme is crucial for safeguarding your website against hacking attempts. The latest versions of WordPress, WooCommerce, WooCommerce.com extensions, your theme, and plugins often include bug fixes that can resolve existing issues.
To check for updates on your website, navigate to WooCommerce > Status > System Status. Any important notifications will be highlighted in red.
Update guidance
- Back up your site fully, data, and files.
- Contact your hosting to assist you
- Use Jetpack Backup (Use for free)
- Go to Dashboard > Plugins, and update plugin(s) that are out of date.
- Go to: WordPress Dashboard > Plugins and upgrade WooCommerce to the latest stable version.
- Update WordPress to the current version. A notification on your WordPress Dashboard will alert you if an update is available.
- Update your theme to the current version.
Plugin and theme conflict
Nearly half of the issues we handle are due to conflicts with third-party themes and plugins. To resolve conflicts themes and plugins, follow these steps:
- Switch to a Default Theme: Change your theme to a default WordPress theme, like the free Storefront theme, and check if the issue persists. If the problem disappears, reach out to your theme developer for assistance. They might have an update that addresses the issue.If the issue continues with a default theme, proceed to the next step.
- Deactivate All Plugins Except WooCommerce: Temporarily disable all plugins except WooCommerce and the problematic WooCommerce.com extension(s). Check if this resolves the issue. If the problem is resolved, it indicates a conflict with one of the deactivated plugins. To identify the conflicting plugins, reactivate each plugin one by one, repeating the actions that caused the issue until the problem reappears. If the issue persists with a default theme and no additional plugins are activated, move on to the next step
- Contact our support forum: Make sure to provide as much information as possible in your support ticket. Answering the following questions can help speed up the process:
- When did you first notice the problem?
- Have any recent updates been applied to your website?
- Did you change themes or make design modifications?
- Have you installed any new plugins?
- Can you replicate the issue on multiple devices?
- Is the problem occurring in one specific browser or across all browsers?
- Do you see any specific error messages? If so, consider taking a screenshot.
Troubleshooting
- Fatal error: When you encounter a fatal error message, it often provides information about the specific path and the name of the plugin or theme responsible. This information is crucial for identifying where the issue lies and determining what needs to be fixed.
- System status: You can find valuable information on the WooCommerce System Status page, including details about versions, template overrides, and memory. To access it, navigate to WooCommerce > Status > System Status. Keep an eye out for items highlighted in red—they may require action. This could involve updating memory, ensuring proper page creation, or addressing outdated plugins. For more guidance, refer to the documentation on understanding the System Status Report.
Slow sites
To improve site performance, start by identifying the root cause.
- Cache and CDN: Use a caching plugin like WP Super Cache and consider a CDN such as Cloudflare or Jetpack Photon. However, be cautious as incorrect settings may cause issues. Verify all configurations post-implementation.
- Hosting: Discuss with your hosting provider how your hosting plan affects site performance. Opt for quality dedicated hosting over cheaper shared options.
- Images: Optimize image sizes with tools like WP Smushit, as large files can slow down your site. Refer to the WC Image Guide for further details.
- Memory: You may need to increase the WordPress memory limit to improve performance.
- Plugins: Slow performance could be due to plugin load. Deactivate and reactivate plugins one at a time to identify any issues. Consider using Plugin Organizer to manage activation order and toggle plugins.
- Theme: Test your site with a default WordPress theme to see if the issue is theme-related. If performance improves, the theme might be the problem.