A 500 Internal Server Error, a blank white page, or the message There has been a critical error on this website all mean a piece of code on your site failed. On WordPress sites the cause is almost always a plugin or theme, often right after an update.
If you can still reach your dashboard
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard (the link is under Websites in your GUDHOST account).
- Go to Plugins and deactivate the plugin you installed or updated most recently, then reload the broken page.
- If that doesn't help, deactivate the other plugins one at a time, checking the site after each.
- If the problem started after a theme change or update, switch to a default WordPress theme, such as Twenty Twenty-Four, under Appearance → Themes.
Once you find the cause, leave it deactivated and look for an update or ask its developer.
If you can't reach your dashboard
When WordPress hits a critical error, it usually emails your administrator address a recovery mode link. That link lets you log in with the broken plugin or theme paused, so you can deactivate it. Check your inbox and spam folder for an email from your site.
If you have no recovery email, open your site under Websites in your GUDHOST account and deactivate plugins under Plugins there, without logging in to WordPress: start with the one you installed or updated most recently. If you switched PHP version just before, switch back under Performance on the same page.
If that doesn't help, contact support. We'll check the error logs, find the plugin or theme at fault and can switch it off for you. If the logs show the site needs a different PHP version or more memory, we can change that too.
What to tell us
Your domain, the page that fails, roughly when it started and what changed just before. That helps us find the right entry in the logs quickly. If needed, we can also restore a daily backup from before the problem started.