WordPress site rescue is fast, one-off emergency help for a WordPress site that's broken, hacked, or down. I diagnose the root cause — bad plugin update, PHP fatal error, malware injection via a vulnerable plugin, database corruption, or server configuration error — fix it cleanly rather than masking it, and close the entry point so it doesn't recur. Most WordPress emergencies are resolved the same day once I have access. I prioritise rescue work over new builds and care-plan tasks.
Who it's for
What's included
How the process works
Rapid triage
You send me access (wp-admin, FTP/SFTP, and hosting panel). I review PHP error logs, WP debug logs, the active plugin list, and server error logs to identify the root cause — not the surface symptom — within minutes.
Safe fix
I work on a backup copy or staging environment where possible, fix the underlying issue, and test the fix thoroughly before applying it to the live site. No guessing, no 'try disabling plugins one by one.'
Harden
I close the attack vector or conflict that caused the problem — updating the vulnerable plugin, removing the malware backdoor, correcting file permissions, enforcing strong authentication. The fix is permanent, not a patch.
Handover
I explain in plain English what happened and how to prevent it. I can set up ongoing monitoring via a care plan if you'd rather not go through this again — hacked sites that aren't subsequently hardened are re-hacked within 48 hours on average.
Common questions
Most WordPress emergencies — white screens, fatal PHP errors from a bad plugin update, WooCommerce checkout breakage, or a site down after a failed auto-update — are resolved the same day once I have wp-admin access, FTP/SFTP, and hosting panel credentials. I prioritise rescue and emergency work over ongoing project work. Plugin conflict resolutions and PHP error fixes are typically resolved within 2–4 hours. Malware cleanup takes 4–8 hours for a typical infection, longer for sites with deep file-system compromise or database injections. If I can't fix it the same day I'll tell you within the first hour of diagnosis.
WordPress malware cleanup involves: confirming the infection vector (usually an outdated plugin with a known CVE — Wordfence Intelligence documents thousands of these); removing all malware files and database injections (spam links, redirect scripts, backdoor PHP files in wp-content/uploads or mu-plugins); restoring from a pre-infection clean backup where one exists; if no clean backup is available, manually cleaning all PHP files against known-good versions using WP-CLI checksums; updating all software to current versions; hardening file permissions, disabling XML-RPC if unused, implementing Wordfence or Sucuri firewall rules; and forcing password resets for all admin users. Sites cleaned without being hardened afterwards are re-hacked within 48–72 hours on average — hardening is not optional.
No. You don't need to diagnose anything — finding the actual cause is my job. Just describe what you see: 'the site shows a white screen', 'the checkout page stopped working this morning', 'I can't log into wp-admin', 'Google Search Console flagged malware'. Send that plus access details and I'll take it from there. The most important thing you can do is not start randomly deactivating plugins or reinstalling WordPress yourself before diagnosis, as this can destroy the error context I need to identify the root cause quickly.
No. Rescue and bug fix work is available as a one-off with no minimum engagement and no requirement to sign up for anything ongoing. Many clients come for an emergency fix and then choose to move onto a monthly care plan to prevent the next crisis — particularly hacked sites, which are statistically likely to be targeted again if not hardened and kept updated. But the emergency fix is available regardless.
Yes — WooCommerce update-related breakage is one of the most common emergency requests. Major WooCommerce versions (the WooCommerce 7, 8, and 9 series releases each introduced breaking changes for specific payment gateway plugins, shipping integrations, and custom checkout code) frequently break stores where plugins haven't updated simultaneously. I diagnose the specific conflict — usually identifiable in the PHP error log within minutes — resolve it either by pinning the WooCommerce version while the conflicting plugin updates, or patching the conflict directly, and test the complete checkout flow with a test order before declaring the fix done. If you're on a care plan, updates are staged-tested before applying to live, so this scenario doesn't arise.