As a website owner, particularly if you’re hosting a WordPress website, you should be concerned about Error 520. This is because it can indicate that visitors cannot access your website due to issues on “your side.”

This can lead to frustrated visitors and potentially lost business.

In this article, we’ll review some of the common causes of Error 520 and provide tips for troubleshooting and fixing the issue.

How Websites are Rendered

To understand error 520 better, let’s take a quick high-level look at how websites and webpages are rendered through web browsers.
Skip this bit if you already know the nuances of how websites are rendered.

Or, if you’re familiar with concepts such as DNS, proxy servers, CDN, SSL handshake, and the like.

When a visitor types in a website URL into the web browser and presses Enter, the browser, first off, sends a DNS query to the Domain Name System (DNS) server. This is usually provided by the Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The DNS server is responsible for translating the website’s domain name (the one you entered in words) into the corresponding IP address of the server the website is hosted on.

The browser then sends a request to the website’s server address (which it received from the DNS server.) The request is relayed to the website server’s (web server’s) firewall.

This is where the request’s journey “through the internet” unfolds to ultimately render the website on the user’s browser.

If the website is protected (or served) by a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare, which is usually the case, the request first goes to the CDN’s servers. These act as forward proxy servers.

The server (also called the edge server) checks its cache to see if it has the requested content. If it does, it sends the content back to the user’s browser. If it doesn’t, it acts as a reverse proxy server and relays the request to the web server hosting the website and its content.

To do so, the reverse proxy server needs to know the IP address of the web server. This is where DNS comes in again.

A Quick Primer on Firewalls and CDN

CDNs are a geographically distributed network of servers (edge servers) that work together to provide fast delivery of internet content. They are designed to serve content to end-users with high availability and high performance.

Cloudflare is a widely used household name of a CDN that provides a range of services, including content delivery, DDoS protection, and web security.

From the purview of the website and the server it’s hosted on, a Firewall creates a barrier between the trusted internal network and untrusted external networks, such as the Internet.

Based on security policies, it monitors and filters incoming and outgoing traffic.

Coming back to how website content is relayed, the request from the CDN goes through the web server’s firewall and into the web server, where it is processed and responded to (with requested content) back to the user’s browser.

It is, in turn, rendered for the user to view.

Now that we have a broad understanding of how websites are rendered let’s look at how they may be obstructed, resulting in error 520.

How Error 520 Occurs

By displaying error 520, the server is essentially saying that it cannot process the request from the user’s browser. Hence, the website is currently unavailable.

Here are some ways it can occur:

PHP Applications Crashing

Sometimes, the website code written in PHP can crash or stop working properly. When this happens, it can cause Error 520 because the server cannot process the request from the web browser.

Incorrectly Configured DNS Records

At any point during the journey of the web browser’s requests, if the DNS records of your website are not set up correctly and in accordance with the web server, the web browser may not be able to find the website’s server, which can cause Error 520.

Corrupt or Incorrectly Configured .htaccess File

An .htaccess file is a configuration file associated with your website code that tells the web server how to handle certain requests. If this file is damaged or has incorrect settings, it can cause Error 520 because the server doesn’t know how to handle the request properly.

Large Request Headers and Excessive Cookie Usage

When a web browser requests a server, it sends along information called “headers,” which include things like cookies (which remember your preferences on a website). If there are too many headers or cookies, it can overload the server and cause Error 520.

Missing Request Headers

In contrast to the above point, sometimes, the web browser may not send all the necessary information to the server when making a request, and it may not be able to process the request correctly.

Empty Response From Server

It can also happen that the web server or the proxies do not send any response back to the browser, resulting in error 520 because the browser wouldn’t know what to do next.

A Firewall Blocking the Connection

Error 520 can occur if there is a firewall or other security measure in place that is blocking the connection between the reverse proxy server and the origin server.

SSL/TLS Handshake Failure

When a user connects to a website over HTTPS, their browser and the web server engage in an SSL/TLS handshake to establish a secure connection. This involves a series of steps to negotiate the encryption settings and exchange keys for encrypting and decrypting data.

Any issue with the SSL/TLS certificate configuration on the origin server can cause a handshake failure with the reverse proxy server and result in Error 520.

For instance, this can happen if the certificate has expired, is misconfigured, or is invalid.

Overloaded Server

Error 520 also arises if the origin server is overloaded and cannot respond to requests from the reverse proxy server.

How to Troubleshoot and Fix Error 520

There is no need to panic when you come across Error 520. There are several ways to identify and troubleshoot the root cause of the error.

Wait it Out

If you encounter an Error 520 while trying to access a website, you should wait a few minutes and refresh the page to see if the issue has been resolved. The error may arise due to temporary network or server issues.

For instance, the server or network may be experiencing a high volume of traffic or temporary overload that causes it to be unable to process requests.

During this time, the server may be fixing the underlying issue or automatically scaling up its resources to handle the increased load. So, it’s only logical that you give it time to start processing requests again.

Pause/Disable Cloudflare Temporarily

If you use Cloudflare as your reverse proxy server, you can temporarily disable Cloudflare to see if the error disappears. If it does, then you’d know the issue lies with Cloudflare and go about troubleshooting the same.

• Log in to your Cloudflare account
• Go to the Overview tab on the left-hand panel
• Scroll down to the Advanced Actions section
• Click on “Pause Cloudflare on Site” to temporarily disable Cloudflare from your website

Check and UpdateDNS Records

Login to your DNS provider account, the way to which could also be through your hosting provider, Cloudflare, or similar services. Check if the records are correctly configured, particularly the CNAME (Canonical Name) records.

CNAME record tells the DNS resolver to look up the IP address of the domain specified in the CNAME record and use that IP address as the destination for the request.

Depending on the DNS provider, updating the records could take a few minutes to several hours for the changes to take effect globally.

Restart PHP

Log in to your web server or hosting account, and locate the PHP configuration file for your website. It is usually named php.ini or located in a directory named conf.d or php.d.

Edit/review the file and make sure that the settings (such as memory limits, execution time limits, and file upload size limits) are configured correctly.

Enter your server’s command to restart PHP. Sometimes, the way to restart PHP is by restarting the web server itself. The commands vary depending on the type of web server and the software it runs.

Check Web Server Error Logs

Error logs can provide valuable information about an incident or error, such as where and why. Depending on the hosting provider, locating or generating error logs may differ.

Most error logs share a similar structure and offer essential details such as the incident’s date and time, the client’s IP address (if applicable), the error message, and a path to the affected resource or line of code responsible for the issue.

Scrutinize them and try to identify the root cause.

Clear the Website Cache

Clearing a website’s cache deletes the temporary files and data stored on the website’s server, like images, scripts, stylesheets, and other types of website content. This will force the webserver to reload all its content from scratch, which can help resolve errors like Error 520.

Clearing the cache can also cause temporary performance issues, as the website must load all its content again.

It’s essential to weigh the benefits and drawbacks before clearing the cache. Ensure all necessary backups are in place before making any changes to the website’s configuration.

On that note, you may want to clear your browser cache on the off chance that the issue stems from your browser.

Check HTTP Error Response With a cURL Command

Running a cURL command in your command terminal, Windows key + R” and typing “cmd” (Windows) | Applications > Utilities > Terminal (MacOS), simulates a request to your website’s server and receives a detailed response.

The command format is as follows: curl -I http://example.com

By understanding what a successful response and an error response look like after a cURL command execution, you can verify that the web server is configured correctly and responding to requests.

You can also retrieve the server’s HTTP response headers and review the status codes and messages. Leave the review part to the experts (the support team) if you think it may be too much to digest.

Disable .htaccess

If your web server is powered by Apache, which is most likely the case, disabling the .htaccess used to configure web server settings on Apache servers can help resolve Error 520.

You can also verify that Cloudflare IPs are not blocked in .htaccess or your firewall.

The .htaccess (hypertext access) is a configuration file for Apache-hosted sites. For the unacquainted, Apache is a popular open-source web server software.

When there is a conflict between the rules in the .htaccess file and the server settings, or if the file is corrupted, the browser can return Error 520.

Check Headers and Cookies

Large headers and cookies can exceed the maximum allowed size limit of web servers or CDNs (like Cloudflare) which can cause Error 520.

For instance, at the time of writing this piece, the maximum threshold size of Cloudflare’s request headers is 32 KB, 16 KB per individual header.

Here are the steps to check headers and cookies.

1. Open the web page where you are experiencing the 520 error.
2. Right-click anywhere on the page and select “Inspect” from the context menu. This will open the developer tools panel.
3. In the developer tools panel, select the “Network” tab.
4. Make sure the “Preserve log” checkbox is checked.
5. Click on the “Clear” button (stop sign icon) to clear any previous network activity.
6. Reload the page to start capturing network activity.
7. Right-click anywhere in the network activity area and select “Save all as HAR with content.”
8. Choose a location on your computer to save the HAR file and click “Save.”

Analyze it to check for any anomalies, such as excessively large cookies or header sizes. If you find large headers and cookies, you can:

• Remove any unnecessary third-party plugins or scripts from your website
• Limit the request overhead i.e. the amount of unnecessary data that is transmitted between the client and the server during each request
• Use a cookie-free domain for your static assets, such as images, CSS, and JavaScript files

WordPress Specific Measures to Addressing Error 520

In addition to the aforementioned steps, here are a couple more that are more specific to WordPress websites.

• Check the WordPress logs to see if there are any errors that are causing Error 520
• Disable all plugins to see if Error 520 goes away. Then re-enable the plugins one by one to determine which one is causing the problem

Last But Not Least – Seek Professional Support

Although there are several steps that you as a website owner can take to troubleshoot Error 520, there may be situations when addressing the error is not entirely within your control.

For instance, if the error is caused by a temporary network outage or a server maintenance issue, you may have to wait for the server to come back online or for the hosting provider to fix the issue.

Also, resolving issues caused by a bug or configuration oversight may require technical expertise that is beyond your scope.

You may need to acquire support from their hosting provider, web developer, or other technical experts who have experience in troubleshooting server-side errors.

Do not hesitate to seek help from technical experts. After all, waiting too long to address them can result in lost traffic and potential revenue for the website.

The post How to Fix Error 520: A Comprehensive Overview appeared first on GreenGeeks.

A website’s inability to load can be caused by a variety of factors. So, in this article, we’ll look at the possible causes of the ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT error before looking at possible solutions.

The Internet has grown to become one of the world’s largest networks, connecting the entire globe and facilitating data sharing. However, there are a few errors that disrupt the normal operation of the Internet, reducing users’ efficiency while working on the system.

What is the err_connection_timed_out Error?

The connection timed out error is not a dangerous problem or an infected file that can harm your system. This message primarily informs you that the system was unable to establish a connection with the server.

Let us first examine how the Internet works.

When a user enters a keyword in the search bar or the URL of a website, the system sends a request to the server to allow access to the website’s content. The connection is established after the server checks the request and grants permission to the system, and data packets are shared between the system and the server.

An ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT error usually indicates that there is a problem with your local network connection. That is not always the case, however.

A connection timed out error appears when your website attempts to do more than your server can handle. It’s especially common on shared hosting, where memory is limited.

When you visit a website that doesn’t load, your browser will try for about 30 seconds before disconnecting. It will then return an “ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT” error, indicating a communication failure.

In Google Chrome, this may appear as “This site cannot be reached.” Domain.com responded too slowly.”

Because of the various web browsers, operating systems, and servers, the error can manifest itself in a variety of ways.

However, the majority of them have the same or similar meanings. “ERR NETWORK CHANGED” and “ERR CONNECTION REFUSED” are two very similar errors that can usually be resolved using the same troubleshooting steps outlined below.

Another common error code that appears under ‘This site cannot be reached’ is DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN, which is a DNS error that essentially means the requested domain does not exist.

The following are some examples of how the error might appear in different browsers.

• Mozilla Firefox
  The error message in Mozilla Firefox will be “The connection has timed out.” Domain.com’s server is taking too long to respond.
• Microsoft Edge
  The error message in Microsoft Edge will be “Hmmm… can’t reach this page.” Domain.com responded too slowly.” It does, however, contain the “ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT” error in Edge.
• Safari
  The error message in Safari will be “Safari Can’t Open the Page.” Safari is unable to open the page domain.com because the server on which it is hosted is not responding.”

What Causes the err_connection_timed_out Error?

There could be several potential causes for the connection timed out error. Some of these factors include:

• Slow Internet Connection: One of the possible causes of the error is a slow Internet connection. If the system does not have a fast and reliable Internet connection, it is possible that the server accepted the request but the system took too long to respond due to the slow Internet.
• Invalid URL: If a user attempts to access data via an invalid URL, the server automatically rejects the request.
• Server Delay or Error: There doesn’t need to be a problem at the user end only; it is also possible that there is a server delay and that a data timeout occurred before the server could release.
• Firewall Settings: It is possible that the Windows Firewall did not allow data packets to enter the system, causing the browser to display this error.

How to fix the err_connection_timed_out Error

If you see this error on your website, where should you begin troubleshooting? Without a lot of context, it can be frustrating and overwhelming to know where to start.

Typically, these are either client-side issues (problems with your network connection or firewall) or server-side issues (problems with the server where the site is hosted) (memory limits, execution times, etc.).

Let’s take a look at some solutions for ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT. First, we’ll go over how to fix the problem if you’re getting the error while trying to load the site.

1. Examine Your Internet Connection

To resolve the ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT error, a browser will usually recommend that you first check your internet connection. Due to poor connectivity, it may be difficult for a site to reach a computer promptly.

Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge all advise you to check your network connection. While this may seem obvious, they all point to first checking your connection because it is one of the most common causes of the error.

Here are a few recommendations:

• Restart your router at home or work. This takes only a few minutes and solves far more problems than most people would like to admit. Disconnect the power supply and wait 30 seconds before plugging it back in to completely power cycle it.
• Examine your wifi connection to see if it is bad or slow. This is common in crowded public wifi hotspots like coffee shops or airports.

If the problems persist, try switching to a different network or restarting any relevant devices if you have access to them.

2. Disable Any Proxy Server Settings or VPN Connections.

A proxy server acts as a go-between for your computer and the website you’re visiting. Its function is to protect the user’s IP address, control which sites can be accessed, and cache site data to improve page loading speed.

However, proxy servers may unintentionally block the website you want to visit, resulting in the ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT error.

Reset your proxy settings to see if these servers are the source of the problem. For Windows 10 users, go to the Control Panel by pressing the Windows logo key. Select Network and Internet Options from the menu.

Open the Connections tab -> LAN settings in the Internet Properties window. Make sure to untick all of the proxy settings.

Users of macOS can go to System Preferences Network and select Advance. Uncheck each box on the Proxies tab and then click OK.

Reload the page to see if the error has been resolved. If it has, and you require the use of a proxy server for day-to-day tasks, consider reconfiguring the settings or switching to a different provider.

Those who use a VPN service may also experience the ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT error. In that case, we recommend switching VPN protocols because your ISP or firewall may have blocked the one you’re currently using.

Alternatively, try temporarily disabling the application.

3. Turn Off the Firewall and Antivirus Software, Temporarily

Firewalls and antivirus software are designed to keep users and their systems safe. They regularly scan your device and automatically block any suspicious activity.

However, this level of security can occasionally cause connection problems.

This is because firewalls frequently block unnecessary pages or reject content that is completely safe. This has happened numerous times with software such as AVG.

To see if this is the case for you, disable your firewall and antivirus software. Of course, this is only advised if you are certain that the site you intend to visit is secure.

Furthermore, you should only disable this type of software temporarily. To avoid becoming vulnerable to attacks, turn it back on after you’ve finished checking to see if the error has been resolved.

If you keep getting errors because of your firewall or antivirus software, you should think about changing it and whitelisting the site for access.

4. Change DNS Server

The next option is to change your DNS servers. DNS servers are automatically assigned by your ISP by default. However, you could try temporarily switching to a public DNS server, such as Google or Cloudflare.

Some people prefer to use Google’s public DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) over time because it is often more reliable.

Cloudflare also provides free, secure, and lightning-fast DNS (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1), which we will use in this example. The steps are the same if you want to use Google; simply replace the DNS server addresses with Google’s.

If you’re already using a free DNS server and experiencing problems, removing and reverting it back to your ISP’s DNS servers may help.

Google and Cloudflare aren’t perfect all of the time, and there have been a few instances where switching back has resolved the problem. This is especially true if you’re connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot in an airport or coffee shop.

Follow these steps if you’re using Windows 10:

• Open the Network and Internet Network and Sharing Center in the Control Panel. On the top left, click Change adapter settings.
• Select Properties by right-clicking on the current connection.
• Select whether your DNS settings should use IPv4 or IPv6 addresses. Then, select Properties.
• Substitute the following IP addresses for the originals:

Use 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.8.4 for IPv4 addresses.

Use 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844 for IPv6.

• Restart the browser by clicking OK.

Those running macOS can refer to the following guide: Customize Your Mac with System Settings. On the DNS tab, in the DNS Servers section, click the Plus sign. Enter each IP address one at a time. Select OK.

5. Renew IP Address and Flush DNS

To flush DNS, you must first clear the DNS caches that your computer has saved.

The DNS cache keeps track of the IP addresses of the websites you visit. This saves the computer from having to translate the domain name to the IP address every time you visit the site.

The DNS cache, like browser data, can become out of date. The IP addresses may be outdated, causing problems when attempting to access the site.

Users of Windows 10 can flush DNS by using the Command Prompt. To access the Run command, press the Windows logo and R keys together. Then, in the dialog box, type “cmd” and press OK.

Enter the following into the Command Prompt window:

ipconfig /flushdns

If it is successful, it will display a success message.

Then add the lines below to troubleshoot the network and renew the IP address. Each time you add a new command, make sure to press Enter:

ipconfig /registerdns

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

netsh winsock reset

Restart your computer and open the browser to see if the commands were successful.

For macOS:

Open the Terminal application on macOS and type the following command:

dscacheutil -flushcache

On Macs, there is no success message.

6. Examine Your Hosts File

Every computer has a file called the local host’s file. This is a file containing manual DNS entries that are associated with specific IP addresses.

This is usually only changed when you want to preview your DNS before moving domains to a new host. Alternatively, you may have a local development site running using a tool such as DevKinsta, Vagrant, or Docker.

There are numerous ways this file could have been changed or edited. As a result, it’s always a good idea to double-check that the website you’re trying to access isn’t listed. Simply follow the steps outlined below.

Windows

Additional access to the host’s file is usually required. As a result, the first step is to launch your text editor as an administrator.

Simply go to your start menu, look for your text editor, right-click it, and choose “Run as administrator.” This can be done in any text editor, including Notepad, Notepad++, Atom, and others.

Navigate to File -> Open in the top-left menu and enter the path below into the File name bar.

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\

Then choose the host file.

Below the last line that begins with the “#” sign, the file will display a list of blocked websites. Delete them and save your changes by pressing Ctrl + S.

macOS

macOS clients can open the Terminal, embed this line underneath, and hit Enter:

sudo nano/private/etc/host

Eliminate the rundown of sites that are underneath the “::1” line.

7. Verify Your Domain’s DNS

You should also ensure that your domain’s DNS is correctly pointed to your hosting provider.

If you recently migrated your WordPress website to a new host, it is possible that the DNS was incorrectly cached on your computer. In that case, step 5 above should suffice.

It could also be that it is too soon and you need to wait a few hours for the DNS to fully propagate.

8. Remove Browser Cache

Web browsers cache information on your computer. This includes your browser history, stored login data, and cookies, which are all preserved to load the relevant sites faster the next time you visit them.

But, before you do anything, you may quickly determine if it’s a browser cache problem by opening your browser in incognito mode.

You might also try a different browser.

If you’re still seeing the issue, you should erase your cache. We’ll use Google Chrome in this example.

Begin by accessing the main menu (in the top-right corner of your browser window). From there, choose More Tools: After that, select Clear browser data.

Make sure that all of the stated file categories are chosen on the subsequent page. Chrome will be unable to remove the full cache if they are not. Instead, it will merely delete the most recent items, which will not provide the intended result.

Another way to finish this procedure is to type the following URL into your browser’s address bar:

chrome://settings/clearBrowserData

The subsequent screen should provide you with the same options as described previously.

WordPress-Specific Fixes for err_connection_timed_out

Sometimes, how your WordPress site is set up can cause a connection time out error. Let’s take a look at what you can check for in WordPress to clear the problem.

The remaining troubleshooting methods will concern the settings of your WordPress site or server.

Examine the Maximum Execution Time

Your site’s maximum execution time. The default time on most servers is 30 seconds. This is the maximum amount of time a PHP script may execute (after which it times out).

On shared hosts, this is usually set to a low value or left at the default.

Because the php.ini file is placed on your server, you cannot simply alter it from WordPress. To change this, we recommend contacting your hosting provider to see if they can assist.

Change the maximum execution time in the php.ini file

Some PHP programs may consume more memory than is permitted, causing the site to take too long to reply to the browser.

The memory limit, like the maximum execution duration, can be increased. However, the quantity should be within the maximum available RAM allowed to your plan by your hosting provider.

If you don’t know the maximum available RAM for your hosting plan, contact the company’s support team or read the documentation.

Open the .htaccess file in File Manager to raise the limit. Then insert the line below, utilizing the maximum available RAM as follows:

memory limit php value 128M

The code should be placed at the bottom. It should be above “END WORDPRESS” if you use WordPress. Finally, click the Save & Close button.

Change the maximum execution time in the .htacess file

Another option is to manually alter the timeout value on the website’s .htaccess file. Locate the .htaccess file in the public html directory. Edit it and paste the following code before the “END WORDPRESS” line:

php value max execution time 120

Finally, click the Save & Close button. Access the website to check if the error has been resolved.

Disable Your Plugins Temporarily

A plugin, like with most WordPress issues, might undoubtedly be the source of the issue. To see if that’s the case, you’ll need to disable all of your site’s plugins.

If you receive the “ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT” error, this indicates that you do not have access to your WordPress admin area. This implies you’ll have to SFTP into your website. We recommend that you use FileZilla.

Connect to your website using your SFTP client and browse to the WordPress root folder. If you can’t locate it, it’s commonly named public html, html, public, www, or the name of your site.

Navigate to the wp-content directory by opening that folder. Inside, you’ll find a plugins folder, which has distinct subdirectories for each plugin installed on your site (both active and inactive).

What you’re going to do now is right-click on the plugins folder and rename it. To make it easier to identify later, we propose plugins.old or plugins.deactivated.

WordPress will now be unable to locate any of your plugins. When this occurs, the plugins are immediately disabled. Try entering your WordPress dashboard now.

If the timeout problem has disappeared, you can presume that one of your plugins was to blame. All that remains is to determine which one was causing the problem.

Return to the wp-content directory and appropriately rename your original plugins folder. Then, one by one, disable each of your plugins until you locate the problem.

NOTE: GreenGeeks customers can disable all of the plugins from the Manage WordPress dashboard of their accounts. This is perhaps easier and quicker for those who don’t know much about using FTP software.

Activate the Default Theme for a Limited Time

If a theme has bloated code or compatibility difficulties with a website, it may produce ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT. WordPress suggests returning to the default theme to see whether the theme is the problem.

If the admin interface is unavailable, you can do this operation manually. This means that you must log in to phpMyAdmin to access your WordPress database.

Click on wp options in the phpMyAdmin section. Then, using the names template and stylesheet, identify two queries. They might be found on the second or third page.

When you’ve located them, double-click on the option value column and change the current theme’s name with a default one. It may be twenty-one, twenty-two, or twenty twenty-three.

You may also have a “Default” WRC Theme that comes with the installation of WordPress.

Check to see whether the admin panel and website are now accessible. If they are, consider reinstalling or changing the theme.

Increase the Memory Limit

The WP MEMORY LIMIT option allows you to determine the maximum amount of memory that PHP can utilize. If you’re using shared hosting, it’s most likely set to a low amount, such as 64M.

You can increase the memory limit by adding the following to your wp-config.php file. This must be placed above the wp-settings.php inclusion.

define(‘WP MEMORY LIMIT’, ‘256M’);

Do you know what your current PHP memory limit is? If you have access to your WordPress dashboard and are using WordPress 5.2 or higher, the PHP memory limit may be found under the “Site Health” tool.

Conclusion

Connection and timeout issues are never enjoyable to troubleshoot, but perhaps you now have a bit more information under your belt to help you address them fast.

It’s critical to understand that the “ERR CONNECTION TIMED OUT” error might be caused by a client-side issue, such as a faulty network connection, or by a problem with the server where your WordPress site is hosted.

Do you have any other suggestions for resolving this mistake or problem? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post How to Fix the “err_connection_timed_out” Error appeared first on GreenGeeks.

Today, let’s see if we can solve this problem.

Fixing the DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN Error

To understand better, here is a quick primer on how DNS works.

Your computer or device usually has one or more DNS servers configured in its network (or internet) settings, which your browser uses to resolve domain names.

When you type in a domain (something like XYZ.com) or click on a link, your browser needs to know the IP address of the website’s server to establish a connection and load the website’s content.

For this, it sends a request to a DNS server, which is responsible for translating the website’s domain name into its corresponding IP address. And when that is obstructed, you’d get the seemingly glaring error – DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN.

Different browsers have different ways of exhibiting NXDOMAIN errors. In fact, at the time of writing this piece, Chrome is the only major web browser that displays the error verbatim.

As a Website Owner, Should You Be Worried About the NXDOMAIN Error Message?

Receiving an NXDOMAIN error can be concerning for a website owner, blogger, marketing agency, or business hosting their website on WordPress.

It’s natural to wonder whether other users are also unable to access your website and whether the error is a sign of a larger problem.

First, panic is unnecessary when encountering an NXDOMAIN error, as it is relatively common. And you don’t necessarily need to be a website expert to resolve an NXDOMAIN error.

The error might even fix itself when you restart your PC or wait it out for a while.

However, it can be helpful to have a basic understanding of DNS and website hosting to troubleshoot and resolve the issue effectively, should the need arise.

Here is how to fix DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN error.

First Steps in Scrutinizing an NXDOMAIN Error

You need to figure out if it is just happening for you (or your device), or are all visitors affected.

Here is what you need to check.

1. Check the Domain Name

Check if you’ve typed in the domain name correctly. A simple mistake in the spelling of a domain can lead to an NXDOMAIN error.

It could be as simple as adding an extra character or misspelling something within the address bar.

2. Try a Different Device or Connection

Try accessing the website from a different device, browser, or network. Perhaps you can switch from wifi to cellular for checking your connection.

It’s likely that the error is specific to your current device or network, and other users may be able to access the website without issue.

To that end, check if you can access other websites and try restarting your router or modem. Network connectivity can also cause NXDOMAIN errors.

3. Check Security Settings

Check if your firewall, VPN, or antivirus software may block your website’s accessibility. Sometimes, security software can accidentally flag legitimate websites as being malicious.

Do this by disabling them temporarily and trying to reach the website.

4. Wait Out the Problem

Wait and try again later. NXDOMAIN errors can be temporary and may resolve on their own over time. Sometimes, if you (or your ISP) have recently changed DNS settings, it can take some time for the changes to propagate across all DNS servers.

To that end, clear your browser cache, which can force your browser to retrieve fresh DNS data instead of the cached one.

5. Monitor Website Performance

While you wait, monitor your website: Keep an eye on your website’s performance and connectivity to ensure that you are not experiencing any other issues affecting your visitors’ experience.

Didn’t Work? Let’s Do Some More!

Again, there’s no need to panic should the above steps be futile. There are many ways to go about addressing the NXDOMAIN error.

Before you look at a few prominent ones, it’s essential to understand what a Command Prompt is.

Skip this bit if you already know.

The Relevance of Command Prompt

The Command Prompt is a command-line interface (CLI) program included in most operating systems (OS). It’s a powerful tool that can be used for various purposes, such as troubleshooting and system administration.

To access the Command Prompt in Windows, press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box, type “cmd” in the box, and hit Enter. In some instances, you may need to permit it to “Run as Administrator.”

The Mac OS also has a command-line interface called Terminal. Use the Spotlight search to find and launch the Terminal. Press the Command + Space keys to bring up Spotlight, then type “Terminal” and press Enter.

Let’s look at how we can use the Command prompt, among other ways, to resolve the DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN error.

Clear DNS Cache

When you visit a website, your computer stores its IP address in a DNS cache so that it can be quickly accessed in the future without needing to perform a new DNS lookup. However, sometimes the cache can become outdated or corrupted, leading to the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN error.

To clear the DNS Cache on Windows, open the command prompt, type “ipconfig /flushdns,” and hit Enter. Open your browser, and try reaccessing the website.

In MacOS, type in the following command in the terminal window and press Enter: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder. Enter the administrator password when prompted.

A few seconds after the command is executed and the DNS cache is cleared, you should see a message indicating that the mDNSResponder process has been restarted.

To that end, Google Chrome has a dedicated DNS cache. To clear the same, type in “chrome://net-internals/#dns” at the browser search bar, hit enter, and click “clear cache host.”

Restart DNS Client Service

As a Windows Service that runs in the background, DNS Client Service is responsible for resolving domain names to IP addresses. Without it, users would need to manually enter the IP addresses associated with every website they visit.

This is impractical and time-consuming.

Restarting the DNS Client Service can help address the NXDOMAIN error.

Type “net stop dnscache” in Command in the Windows command prompt and press the Enter key. This will stop the DNS Client Service. Wait for a few seconds to let the command take effect. Then, type “net start dnscache” to start the DNS client service again.

MacOS does not have a DNS Client Service like Windows.

Change DNS Server

Your ISP usually supplies DNS Server addresses, which you can freely change while facing issues. The most prominent ones to adjust to are Google’s (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare’s (1.1.1.1) public DNS. Often, switching to these servers resolves the NXDOMAIN error.

Here is an outline of how you can go about it:

• Start menu
• Type and select “Control Panel” in the search bar
• Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center
• Change the adapter setting (on the left-hand side)
• Right-click on the network adapter you want to configure (which is usually the one representing your internet connection)
• Select “Properties”
• Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
• Click Properties

Use the following DNS server addresses:

On Windows, enter the new DNS server addresses (Google and Cloudflare from above) in the “Preferred DNS server” and “Alternate DNS server” fields. You can enter multiple DNS servers separated by commas.

Click “OK” to save the changes and exit the Properties window.

On MacOS, Click on Apple menu > System Preference > Network > Select the network connection you want to configure from the list on the left-hand > Advanced > DNS

Click on the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and select “System Preferences.” Click on the “+” button at the bottom left of the DNS Servers list to add a new DNS server (click the “-” button to remove the existing DNS server).

Type in the IP address of Google and Cloudflare public DNS. Then click “Ok” to save changes.

Release and Renew Your IP Configuration

Often regarded as a quick fix for networking issues, releasing and renewing IP addresses can resolve NXDOMAIN errors.

In Windows, open the command prompt, type “ipconfig /release,” and press Enter to release the IP configuration. Then type “ipconfig /renew,” and press Enter to renew the IP address.

Try accessing the domain name again and see if the NXDOMAIN error is resolved.

Additionally, flushing the DNS will clear any old or stale entries (i.e., any record in the DNS database that maps a domain name to an IP address) that may be causing NXDOMAIN errors.

Type in: ipconfig/flushdns

In MacOS, Type the following command into the Terminal window and press Enter: sudo ipconfig set en0 DHCP. If you are using Wi-Fi, replace “en0” with “en1” in the command.

Enter the administrator password if prompted.

Reset Chrome Flags

Enabling certain Chrome Flags can lead to DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN error.

Chrome Flags are experimental features in the Google Chrome browser. They are not enabled by default. So if you weren’t aware of Chrome Flags until now, don’t bother resetting.

If you’ve played with Chrome flags, you’d probably know how to reset it.

In the address bar of your Google Chrome browser (or its derivatives like Brave), type chrome://flags and locate and click “reset all to default” at the top of the page.

Other Browser Tweaks

Disabling browser add-ons and reinstalling the browser can sometimes help alleviate NXDOMAIN.

Add-ons or extensions can interfere with the browser’s ability to connect to the internet, which can cause DNS errors. Also, an outdated browser may not be compatible with the latest DNS protocols.

Fixing NXDOMAIN Error on Android and iOS

To rectify the DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN error on your Android or iOS, you can trial-and-error around clearing the mobile browser cache, disabling extensions, using a different browser, resetting DNS, or using a different DNS server.

If none of these solutions resolve the NXDOMAIN error, it may be a more complex issue that requires further investigation or assistance from a technical expert.

Lastly, Seek Technical Assistance

If none of the above-mentioned techniques work and your browser still displays the NXDOMAIN error, consider seeing technical help from the experts or your hosting provider.

Encountering errors like DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN can frustrate and disrupt your online experience. However, by taking the time to troubleshoot and fix such issues, you can gain valuable knowledge and experience, which is critical to creating a successful online presence.

The post Troubleshooting the DNS PROBE FINISHED NXDOMAIN Error appeared first on GreenGeeks.

Creating a page hierarchy makes it easy for authors to keep track of pages, while also making it easier for visitors to find related content. Of course, there are situations when creating subpages is not ideal.

Thus, before you implement such a system on your website, you need to understand what it entails and when to use one.

Now, a page is different from a post in WordPress. Although they behave similarly, posts are meant for regularly producing content while pages are best used for static information, such as an “About Us” page or a contact form.

What Is A Parent Page In WordPress?

A parent page is a top-level page that is at the top of the hierarchy. Or in other words, it is the original page that child pages are derived from. Without the parent page, you cannot have a child page.

The parent page passes on its URL slug to all child pages, which makes it easy to identify them from one another.

For example, If I had a website that had PlayStation as the parent page, all child pages would have “/PlayStation” in their URL. Visitors need to pass through the parent page in order to access the child pages.

What Is A Child Page In WordPress?

A child page is a page that lives under a parent page in the hierarchy. It inherits the parent page’s slug and can only be accessed through the parent page unless the URL is manually entered.

If you had a child page called PS5, and a parent page called Playstation, the URL slug would be “/PlayStation/PS5” which makes it easy to locate the parent page.

There is no limit on the number of child pages that can come from a single parent. It is also possible for a child page to have a child page, which is commonly referred to as a grandchild page.

When Should You Have A Parent And A Child Page?

Understanding what a parent and child page is in WordPress is one thing, but understanding when to use one is another story entirely.

To be perfectly honest, choosing how and when to use them depends entirely on the kind of website you run.

For example, consider your typical business website, let’s say, home improvement. You may have a parent page called Services, with multiple child pages for each service you offer. This could be roofing, painting, repairs, and so on.

This is a pretty good use of the parent page because visitors will be aware you offer other services and would have to pass through the main service page, thus seeing everything else you offer.

Of course, there are times this isn’t a great option.

For instance, if you run a blog, well, you are much more likely to take advantage of taxonomies like categories and tags for your posts versus creating multiple pages.

As you can already see, this can be a bit complicated, thus, there’s no right answer when it comes to when to use them.

How to Create A Parent Page In WordPress

Setting a page as the Parent Page is incredibly easy in WordPress. The only requirement is that the page must be published so it is selectable in the WordPress Page Attributes section of Gutenberg.

As long as that is done, it takes less than a minute to do.

With another published page in place on your website, go to the page you wish to make a child page or create a new page. Once there, expand the Page Attributes option in the editor settings.

Click on the Parent Page drop-down box and select the page you want to make as the parent. This means the current page you are on will become a child page.

Note: While you can select the homepage, it is highly recommended not to.

And that’s it. Save the changes and you’ll have your first parent page. You’ll be able to denote a subpage in the WordPress page viewer by the “-” in front of the title like so:

And with that, you now know how to make a Parent and Child page in WordPress. Whenever you do this, it is a good idea to create a new sitemap and submit it to Google. This is because your link structure has changed.

If you want to get the best SEO results, always reupload a new sitemap when you are adding a parent page in WordPress.

How to Create a Child Page in WordPress

Creating a parent and child page is very easy. Parent pages are not made to be parent pages. Instead, you select pages that are related to the parent page and call them child pages.

For example, I created three pages Pets, Dogs, and Cats. Pets will be the parent page, but I did not tell WordPress that.

Go to any page that you would like to make a child page. In my case, I am choosing the Dogs page. On the right-hand side of the page, you will see a Page Attribute box.

Under the word “Parent” you will see a drop-down box. Select the page you would like to be the parent page. In my case, I am selecting the Pets page.

By doing this the page you selected will be the parent page of the child page you are on. Save your work. When you are selecting pages you will be able to tell what pages are parent and child pages.

This can be seen by the child pages being dashed beneath the parent page like so.

How to Add an Index to Parent Pages

Now that you have your parent and child pages set up, it is time to add the index. This will help visitors locate relevant pages with ease.

Let’s start by logging into the cPanel and clicking on the File Manager option. The File Manager will allow you to access all of the files related to your website.

You need to locate your themes functions.php file. Click on the public_html directory, then click on the wp-content folder. Inside of this folder, you will find all of the content related to your website.

Click on the themes folder and enter the folder of the theme you are currently using. Finally, right-click on the functions.php file and select the Edit option.

A pop-up window will show up. This box will warn you to create a backup of your files before editing anything. This will ensure that you can revert your website back to when it was working if something goes wrong.

Click on the “Edit” button. A new tab will open containing all of the code from the file.

Copy and paste the following code into your themes functions.php file:

function Index_child_pages() {
global $post;
if ( is_page() && $post->post_parent )
$childpages = wp_list_pages( ‘sort_column=menu_order&title_li=&child_of=’ . $post->post_parent . ‘&echo=0’ );
else
$childpages = wp_list_pages( ‘sort_column=menu_order&title_li=&child_of=’ . $post->ID . ‘&echo=0’ );
if ( $childpages ) {
$string = ‘
‘ . $childpages . ‘
‘;
}
return $string;
}
add_shortcode(‘index_childpages’, ‘Index_child_pages’);

This code will simply check to see if the page is a parent page. If it is a parent page, it will display the child pages and if not, nothing will happen. This is done by using the shortcode [index_childpages].

Once you have inserted the code into the functions.php file, click on the “Save Changes” button to finish.

Now, visit any page that is a parent page and insert the shortcode into a shortcode block.

You can now view an index of all of your child pages for a parent page. It’s a simple addition that can significantly improve site navigation. Remember that you will have to paste this shortcode on every parent page if you want it inside of the page.

Alternatively, if you post it on the sidebar it will display correctly for each page.

How to Edit the Child Page URL to Remove the Parent Slug in WordPress

There are cases where you may want to remove the parent slug from a child page’s URL. While this is possible, and I will demonstrate how to do this, it is worth pointing out that you are better off not making that page a child page in the first place.

Changing the URL in this way can have negative consequences on your website’s SEO. If you wish to proceed with editing the URL, keep reading to learn how to do it with the Custom Permalinks plugin.

Step 1: Install Custom Permalinks

Let’s get started by clicking on Plugins and selecting the Add New option on the left-hand admin panel.

Search for Custom Permalinks in the available search box. This will pull up additional plugins that you may find helpful.

Scroll down until you find the Custom Permalinks plugin and click on the “Install Now” button and activate the plugin for use.

Step 2: Remove the Parent Slug

This plugin works after activation. To edit your child page’s URL, go to your child page. Underneath the Gutenberg editor of the child page, you will see the Custom Permalinks section.

You should see a text box that contains the default URL. Simply remove the parent slug from the URL.

If you do not see the option to edit the parent slug, then you might have encountered a compatibility issue. This happened to me personally, while preparing this tutorial.

I could not determine which plugin caused the issue, but deleting the ones that I did not need solved the issue.

Click on the “Update” button to apply the URL changes. You will need to repeat this for every child page you would like to remove the parent slug from.

Congratulations, you have successfully edited the child page URL to remove the parent slug for your WordPress website. You can use this plugin for more than just removing the parent slug. You can alter any URL on your website to say whatever you want. Keep in mind that it is a good idea to consider your website’s SEO. Unorganized URLs can hurt your website.

How Does A Parent Page Impact SEO In WordPress

One of the main advantages of using a parent page is the SEO benefits it can bring to your website, at least if you use them right. You see, it’s also possible to misuse these pages and hurt your SEO by creating duplicate content.

Let’s take a look at what to do to get the best SEO results and what to avoid.

The Content Must Be Relevant

One thing is consistent across all websites, they need to create content that is relevant to the keywords they are ranking for. And this is perhaps the most challenging part for parent and child pages, as many developers get it wrong.

A child page must consist of unique content that is relevant to the parent page. For instance, a parent page about Marvel and a child page about Ironman make perfect sense.

Whereas, a parent page about Game of Thrones and a child page about One Piece don’t.

Simply put, if the parent and child page does not consist of relevant material, they won’t rank well. In fact, they can actually hurt your rankings, but this is true for any kind of content you produce.

Avoid Duplicate Content

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make when it comes to parent and child pages is that in an attempt to make them relevant to one another, they end up becoming duplicate content.

The main cause of this is typically when a child’s page is not unique enough to stand on its own. For instance, imagine a scenario with a parent page about Pizza and a child page about Pepperoni Pizza.

That’s really similar. How different can these pages realistically be from one another?

While talented writers can make unique content like that standout, the truth is most websites will fall into a trap and create what search engines call duplicate content, which hurts your search rankings.

Get More Clicks

One of the main reasons for a parent page and child page to exist in WordPress is to improve your navigation. Or in other words, make it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for.

Of course, this also makes it easier for search engines to understand the relationship between such pages, which is a benefit in itself.

This can help drive traffic between your pages, which is beneficial to your website’s SEO. The more clicks a page gets, the better it performs. Thus, sending visitors from your parent page to your child page can be a huge boon for SEO.

That said, you do want to make sure that the parent page has content to stand on its own. It can actually work against you if visitors are just using the parent page to get to the child page.

Alternatives To Parent Pages

WordPress has a variety of solutions for when you may not want to create a parent page that sometimes works better. Each one works well in specific cases, and you may already be using them on your site.

In fact, if you are not using the first one, you’ve done something very wrong.

Taxonomies

Taxonomies are one of the most important aspects of a well-maintained website. For most websites, this includes your categories and tags, which help visitors identify your post content.

Similar to a parent and child page, a category and post category share a similar relationship. In fact, it’s almost identical.

In many cases where you feel a separate page is not necessary, creating a post hierarchy is a much better option. And to do that, you will be utilizing your taxonomies like categories to properly separate them.

They also offer a similar benefit to parent pages when it comes to SEO. Realistically, you should use taxonomies no matter what you do. It’s just good web design.

Anchor Links

As I said earlier, one of the main benefits of a parent and child page is navigation, however, there are other options. One such is creating anchor links. These allow visitors to quickly navigate to a specific piece of content on a page.

In case you are not familiar with anchor links, these are text links a visitor can click on and have their page automatically scrolled to that location. It’s quite handy and they are present in every table of contents on the internet.

How is this a substitute for a parent page?

Well, instead of creating multiple pages, you could have a single larger page that utilizes anchor text for quick navigation. This helps you avoid duplicate content because it will be on the same page and makes on-page navigation much simpler.

Sidebar Menus

Another approach that can be wildly successful is focusing on your sidebar menu design. The sidebar is a widget area that is visible on every post or page in WordPress unless you change the visibility options.

That means it is an amazing area to post archives, search bars, recent posts, and other useful navigation options to help users quickly find what they are looking for regardless of what post or page they are currently viewing.

That said, it is important to avoid overcrowding your sidebar area. If there are too many items in it, it can be a real hindrance.

One way to avoid this is to make sure the elements you add to it are collapsable and expandable. This gives visitors control over what they see. Thus, if they don’t want to see a long list of archives, they can collapse the menu item.

Create A Parent Page In WordPress Today

As you can see there are many benefits to creating a parent page in WordPress, and it’s very easy to do. There are even several alternatives you can use to improve site navigation while still getting SEO benefits.

Has adding a parent page hierarchy improved your website’s SEO? Did you decide to try any of the alternatives?

The post Parent Page WordPress: What is it & How to Use it Correctly appeared first on GreenGeeks.

If the image looks bad, it will have a direct impact on the amount of traffic you receive. It is essentially a billboard for your content with the goal of grabbing a reader’s attention. That’s why so much effort goes into them.

In most cases, the biggest mistake beginners make is not selecting the right size for their post thumbnail in WordPress. Even if you have a great image, it will look bad if the sizing is off.

In fact, you might be cutting out key parts of the image, or making any text hard to read.

Thus, if you really want to succeed on WordPress, you are going to need to learn how to change the featured image size.

What Is A Featured Image?

A featured image is an image that represents your post or page content.

The featured image will be the first thing visible after the title and is also visible when selecting a post or page from a directory or search engine. Thus, it has a direct effect on the traffic to your site.

It is often called the header image and is used by WordPress to create thumbnails, so the naming can change.

The featured image will appear in multiple locations outside of its original post or page. For instance, it can appear on your homepage if you showcase the newest or most popular posts or your website’s search results.

It will also appear front and center when you share that post or page on social media platforms. As you can imagine, due to how often the image is seen, it is critical to make a good one.

One thing to keep in mind is that many featured image sizing options are dependent on the theme you choose. Each supports different image sizing options and you will need to consult the theme documentation to find the best options.

Thus, the header image size in WordPress is variable and not set in stone for every single website.

How to Set A Featured Image

Now, before you can go about changing a featured image’s size, you need to actually have a featured image. Let’s quickly cover how you will set a featured image in WordPress.

Step 1: Open A Post or Page

Simply open any post or page in WordPress. Alternatively, you can create a new one.

Note: The process is identical for both pages and posts.

Step 2: Locate the Featured Image Section

By default, when you create a new post or page, the settings wheel should be open and visible on the right-hand side. If it is not, click on the settings wheel to open it.

Locate the Featured Image option and click it to expand.

Step 3: Set the Featured Image

Click on the Set featured image box.

This will open up the media library. Select the image you want to use. You will see options to configure the image. You can add Alt Text, Title, Caption, and Description in them.

Just click on the “Set Featured Image” button and your image will be in place.

Did you notice what option was not available? There are no options to configure the size of your featured image. Let’s fix that.

How to Change the Featured Image Size in WordPress

Before going into this, I need to stress that the best size for a featured image depends on your theme. Every theme is unique, thus, you need to select the sizes based on what your theme recommends.

Not following what your theme advises could result in low-quality images that could appear blurry or cut off.

Method 1: Editing the Image in WordPress

So, there is actually an option to edit any image in your media library. You can find this when selecting the image.

You have some pretty basic photo editing options that include cropping, rotating the image right or left, and flipping the image horizontally or vertically. More important, you can actually scale the image.

All you need to do is change the dimensions (in pixels) and click on the “Scale” button.

Now, in reality, this will only be effective in some situations. You see, this can drastically lower the quality and result in blurry images. It really depends on the original dimensions of the image and what you scale it to.

For this reason, most developers will ignore these options in WordPress and focus on using actual photo editing software like Photoshop, which is the next method.

Method 2: Properly Size the Image Before Uploading It

The Featured Image will appear at whatever size the original image was (theme permitting). Thus, one of the simplest ways to control its size is to use software like Photoshop and manually adjust it.

This even includes stock images, as you can put them into Photoshop and crop them to get the correct size without losing quality.

In general, most blogs will utilize Photoshop as it is the widely available photo editing software. There is also a wealth of tutorials that exist to demonstrate how to use it, which can help beginners.

If you don’t have the money for Photoshop, you can use a free online alternative such as Photopea. It works similarly to Photoshop and has many of the same functions and tools.

This also has another simple advantage, you can store the original image on your computer.

Throughout a website’s lifespan, it’s very possible that you will make several changes in relation to your images. This could be changing the size, the border, a specific graphic element, font, or something else.

Having the original available, allows you to edit it, then reupload it. This can save you from having to search for the same stock image again or create a new one from scratch.

Essentially, properly size it before uploading it, that way you can just place it and be done.

Method 3: Set the Featured Image Size In WordPress with PHP

Another, more complicated method, is to code the featured image size using PHP. Or more specifically, by adding some code to your theme’s functions.php file.

Now, I say more complicated loosely, because it really just boils down to copying and pasting a line of code and adding your own values to it. Thus, it’s not very hard.

Yet, it poses a bigger risk because if you make a typo, it can mess up your website.

Before proceeding, I strongly recommend making a backup. In fact, no matter what you do, you should create one.

A backup is an invaluable tool for developers as no matter what mistake occurs, you essentially have a get-out-of-jail-free card. And sometimes, it’s not even a mistake on your end that requires a backup.

In any event, all you need to do is locate your theme’s functions.php file, and paste the following line of code in it:

<?php 
    set_post_thumbnail_size( $width, $height, $crop );
?>

This code is not ready for use as you must make a small change to it. The $width must be replaced with the width of your image in pixels. The $height must be replaced with the height of your image in pixels.

Lastly, the $crop option will crop the image to the specified width and height. If you want to enable this, enter True. Alternatively, you can either leave it blank or enter False.

Thus the code will look like this for a 100 x 100 image without cropping:

<?php 
    set_post_thumbnail_size(100, 100, False );
?>

And that’s it. Save the changes and images you upload to your website after making this change will follow these rules.

Note: Since this code is in your theme’s functions.php file, if you change themes, you will have to add it again. Some themes may not support this function, thus, consult your theme documentation.

How to Change WordPress Image Sizes

Of course, featured images are not the only ones that exist in WordPress. There are actually four default image sizing types:

• Thumbnail size: 150×150 pixels
• Medium size: 300×300 pixels
• Large size: 1024×1024 pixels
• Full size: Original Image Size (No limit)

In fact, every time you upload an image to your media library, WordPress makes a copy of it using each of these sizes. Many developers actually take the time to disable this feature because it will eat up server space.

While these are the default image sizes in WordPress, they can be changed. This is important because sometimes these sizes don’t work well for a theme or for specific types of content.

For instance, the Thumbnail size may be too small for some websites, which could result in a blurry or hard-to-see image.

Let’s cover how to change the WordPress image size.

Step 1: Go to Media Settings

Click on Settings and select the Media option.

Step 2: Change the Default Image Sizes

This area contains the settings that allow you to customize the size of the three default image types. All this entails is changing the image dimensions, so it’s pretty straightforward.

Step 3: Save the Changes

After you have made the changes, all that you need to do is click on the “Save Changes” button at the bottom. Going forward, these will be the sizes your website will utilize.

Important Note: This will not change any of your existing image sizes. You will have to re-upload the image for it to have these sizing options, as WordPress only creates them upon an upload.

For this reason, determining what image sizes you will use should be one of the first things you do.

Optimize Your Featured Image for SEO

Going through all the effort to resize your featured image is completely pointless if no one ever sees it. Thus, you need to optimize the image for SEO.

So, how do you do this?

Well, the most important aspect is Alt Text. This is the text you can add to the image which describes what is happening.

For example, imagine an article about video games that include a featured image of two people playing games on a couch. Well, you would want the image to contain an alt text saying,” Two gamers playing video games on a couch.”

This accurately describes the image, while also including the keyword video games.

These clear descriptions do not just help search engines, they can also help visitors. If the internet connection is weak, especially important for mobile users, the images won’t load. Instead, the Alt Text will appear.

This can be beneficial as the visitor will have an idea of what the image was supposed to be.

Of course, while the focus here is on featured images, all images should get this treatment. It can dramatically improve your search engine rankings.

TL;DR: Describe your image and include the keyword in your featured images.

Featured Image Size in WordPress FAQ

You might have a few lingering questions, so let’s go through a few:

Do I Need to Set the Featured Image in WordPress?

No.

Truthfully, it is not required. In reality, WordPress will detect the first image in a post or page and set that as the featured image. While this is effective, it is less optimal than manually setting one.

In many cases, the image may not be flashy enough to capture a visitor’s attention. Or, it could just not reflect the topic.

Obviously, setting it yourself is a better option that I recommend, however, it is not required.

Are Featured Images Naturally Responsive?

In most cases, yes.

This completely depends on your theme, but virtually all modern WordPress themes are built to be responsive nowadays. It would actually be harder to find a theme that doesn’t do this by default than to find one that does.

That said, it is always recommended to test your website on various devices to confirm. It’s better to find a problem yourself than to let a visitor find it. In some cases, you may be unaware the problem exists.

Visitors do not always let you know.

What Is the Ideal Featured Image Size in WordPress?

It is completely theme-dependent. That said, generally speaking, 1200×628 pixels is a good size to satisfy most WordPress themes.

To really figure out what the best fit for your website would be, read through the theme documentation. If you purchased a premium theme, you can contact support to ask them for a recommendation.

You can also utilize plugin forums or Reddit to ask what others are using. Many developers are willing to help others.

Change Your WordPress Featured Image Size Today

WordPress is one of the most beginner-friendly CMS out there, and as you can see, changing the size of a featured image is pretty straightforward. Not only is it easy, but it’s also important.

The featured image you choose will be the first thing a visitor sees when loading a page. It needs to capture their attention, reflect the topic, and be optimized for SEO. If not, there’s a good chance that the post won’t do very well.

With this in mind, a good amount of time should be spent on every featured image you make for WordPress.

How long do you spend creating featured images in WordPress? Are you happy with the image size that appears in a search?

The post How to Change Your Featured Image Size in WordPress appeared first on GreenGeeks.

It can also be inconvenient if you receive it on your MAMP installation, as these sites are frequently checked locally. This normally includes a web browser or your website’s SSL certificate.

Fortunately, it’s rather simple to fix. It might be as simple as clearing your browser’s cache.

What Does it Mean the Site Can’t Provide a Secure Connection?

What precisely is a “secure link?” is the first thing that comes to mind. It’s simply an HTTPS link to a website rather than an HTTP link.

Most browsers display these sites with a padlock icon in the address bar, indicating that the link is secure.

HTTPS provides major security advantages over HTTP, but it also comes with stringent compliance obligations. One of these is a genuine SSL certificate.

When a browser is unable to check a website’s SSL certificate, it will return a “connection not secure” error. SSL is a secure data encryption mechanism that ensures the privacy and security of transmitted data.

If a browser detects an issue with a site’s SSL certificate, it will refuse to load that site because it is potentially dangerous. While all of this may appear to be scary, nothing is likely to be wrong.

SSL stands for “Secure Sockets Layer,” and it is a sort of online security that safeguards websites. They are particularly critical for websites that contain sensitive data such as names, contact information, payment information, and so on.

A valid SSL Certificate establishes a secure connection between the visitor’s computer and the server. So, what does it mean when a website is deemed “unsecure”?

Visitors to your website will receive warning messages that say things like:

• “Your connection to this site is not secure”
• “Your connection is not private”
• “Your connection is not secure”
• “Site security certificate is not trusted” depending on the web browser being used. (Android phones and tablets)

The ‘This site can’t provide a secure connection error, SSL ERROR NO CYPHER OVERLAP, SSL Handshake Failed Error, and other SSL connection issues can all be caused by a fault with the SSL certificate.

To put it another way, the website claims to be HTTPS compliant yet does not provide a correct certificate or uses one that is incorrect.

If the certificate cannot be verified, the browser will not load the site and instead display an error message.

Various browsers give error messages differently. On Google Chrome, what you see is “this site can’t provide a secure connection,” “Warning potential security ahead” on Mozilla Firefox, and “Can’t connect securely to this page” on Microsoft Edge.

What Causes the Error “This Site can’t Provide a Secure Connection” to Occur?

The “Not Secure” notice indicates that the connection to that page is not secure. It’s warning you that data transmitted and received over that website is unsecured and that it might be stolen, read, or manipulated by attackers, hackers, and entities with access to internet infrastructure (such as ISPs and governments).

The “Not Secure” warning does not imply that malware has infected your computer or the website you’re viewing. Its sole purpose is to notify you that you are not connected to that page over a secure connection.

Website owners must safeguard their sites, and while site users cannot modify a “Not Secure” notice, they can ask for security measures to be implemented.

This article will explain why the “Not Secure” notice appears and what site owners and visitors may do to resolve the issue. To begin, keep in mind that the warning looks different in various browsers.

Let’s look at the most prevalent causes of this error notification:

• In your local environment, there is no SSL certificate. If you utilize a local environment like MAMP, you generally don’t have a certificate for your website. This should be the first step in addressing your problem because it is most likely the source of your issue.
• SSL caches in the browser are out of date. One of the most common causes of the mistake is this. SSL certificates, like other data, are cached by web browsers. It implies that they don’t have to validate the certificate every time they visit a site that speeds up surfing. However, if your SSL certificate changes and the browser still loads an older, cached version, that might be an issue.
• You have incorrectly set the time and date on your computer. If your computer is set to the wrong date and time, it might cause issues with SSL certificate authentication. Fortunately, there is a straightforward remedy.
• Browser add-ons are programs that extend the functionality of a browser. Authentication issues might be caused by a browser extension that is not properly set or is malfunctioning. This might be malicious, but it’s usually just a simple programming error.
• The SSL certificate is either invalid or about to expire. If your website’s SSL certificate expires or becomes invalid, you’ll get this notice. Certificates must be renewed regularly.

Effect of the Site Not Secure Warning on Your Website

When a website declares itself unsecure, it might have major ramifications, particularly if it is an eCommerce site. Websites that are not safe are subject to cyber threats such as malware and cyberattacks.

A cyberattack on your website can disrupt its operation, prohibit people from accessing it, or jeopardize your customers’ personal information.

Furthermore, a cyberattack might harm your company’s brand and result in the loss of clients. According to research, if your consumers’ personal information is hacked, 65% of them will abandon your site.

The loss of consumers is accompanied by a loss of revenue, which may be particularly damaging to small enterprises.

Fixing Error “This site can’t provide a secure connection” on MAMP Installation

Create an SSL Certificate for the Root Server

You must first create a root SSL certificate. You may now sign extra certificates for your domains using this method. To get started, open your computer’s Terminal program and type the following command: OpenSSL genrsa -des3 -out rootCA.key 2048

This command creates a rootCA.key file with an RSA-2048 key. This key will be used to produce the root certificate. You’ll be prompted to provide a password; remember it since you’ll need it to generate certificates using the key.

Then, to create the root SSL certificate, use the following command: OpenSSL req -x509 -new -nodes -key -sha256 -days rootCA.key rootCA.pem -out 1024

The rootCA.pem file will be used to save the certificate. The number “1024” denotes the number of days the certificate will be valid – you may alter it to anything you wish.

Clearing the Browsing History Including Cookies and Cache

Browser cache and cookies are frequently the sources of SSL certificate issues. To begin, clear your cache and cookies in your browser.

For this example, I’m using Google Chrome. The process is similar in other browsers but may have different steps. Check your browser’s documentation for clearing the cache, cookies, and history.

Step 1: Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (or go to chrome:/settings/clearBrowserData).

Step 2: Select the period (all times) and then press the Clear data option.

Verify Extensions in the Browser are Disabled

Third-party browser extensions, such as anonymizers, proxies, VPNs, antivirus extensions, and other similar add-ons that may interfere with traffic on the target website, are also requested to be removed (deleted).

Again, I’ll be using Chrome for this tutorial.

Step 1: From the top right corner, click the three vertical menu dots, then go to More tools, then Extensions.

Step 2: Go to chrome:/extensions/ to look at the list of installed Chrome extensions. Disable any extensions that you’re not sure about.

Check the Device’s Time and Date Settings

Secure HTTPS website connection difficulties might also be caused by the wrong time or date on your system, or the wrong time zone.

During authentication, your system verifies the time and date when the certificate is generated, when it expires, and when the certificate of the higher certificate authority expires.

Check that the time and time zone are correct.

For Windows computer systems:

Step 1: Go to the system’s bottom right corner and look at the date and time display.

Step 2: Select Change date and time settings and, if necessary, change the time zone.

Check if the QUIC Protocol has been Disabled

Make sure Chrome’s QUIC support is turned on (Quick UDP Internet Connections). QUIC allows you to establish a connection faster and negotiates all TLS (HTTPS) settings when you connect to a site.

SSL connections, on the other hand, might cause issues in particular situations.

Follow these instructions to deactivate QUIC in Chrome:

Step 1: Start typing chrome: On the Chrome search bar, type /flags/#enable-quic.

Step 2: Change the value of the Experimental QUIC protocol option from Default to Disabled.

Step 3: Restart Chrome to see the changes take effect.

Check if the SSL and TLS Protocols are Enabled

Finally, support for the TLS and SSL protocols may be enough to solve the problem. In most cases, this is the most effective. Activating these protocols has an unintended impact on your internet security, thus you should avoid it unless necessary.

When a user previously used an SSL/TLS version, the secure connection problem appears because the client/browser supports it.

Follow the steps below to activate existing versions of the SSL / TLS protocol (be aware that this is not secure):

Step 1: Go to the control panel and select Internet Options.

Step 2: Go to the advanced tab and activate TLS 1.2, TLS 1.1, and TLS 1.0, as well as SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0 if that isn’t enough.

Step 3: Restart your browser to see whether the problem has gone away.

If you’re using a Windows PC, try the following if neither of these approaches worked to fix the issue “This site cannot offer a secure connection”:

Step 1: Check to see whether there are any static entries in C:WindowsSystem32driversetchost.

Step 2: Go to the control panel, then internet choices, and make sure the security level for the Internet zone is medium or medium-high. If you previously set the priority to high, the browser may have been blocked from making many SSL connections.

Step 3: Relaunch the Chrome browser and put (chrome:/flags) into the address bar.

Step 4: Look for the TLS 1.3 option and make sure it’s enabled or default.

Conclusion

The message in MAMP that says “This site cannot provide a secure connection” not only prevents people from accessing your website but also raises security concerns.

Fortunately, it’s usually harmless and easy to rectify.

This error typically indicates an issue with your browser’s setup or a problem with your website’s SSL certificate (in most cases, it implies you don’t have one at all on localhost).

Following the above advice, you should be able to quickly correct this error and get back to work.

The post How to Fix “THIS SITE CAN’T PROVIDE A SECURE CONNECTION” appeared first on GreenGeeks.

The good news is that most errors in WordPress have a lot of resources to fix them. And in most cases, they are simple fixes. This issue is no different and can be resolved by following a few simple steps.

The only problem here is that a lot of things can cause this error. As a result, troubleshooting the issue can be downright frustrating if it is your first time. But don’t worry, this guide will show you everything you need to know.

Today, I will cover multiple methods that will resolve the “WordPress Keeps Logging Me Out” issue.

What Is the “WordPress Keeps Logging Me Out” Issue?

Unlike most of the common WordPress errors you will encounter, when WordPress keeps logging out, it doesn’t produce an error message. Instead, your account is constantly logged out of WordPress after a random amount of time has passed.

As you can imagine, or have experienced yourself, this is incredibly annoying and inconvenient to deal with.

For example, imagine you are working on a new blog post, and every time you log in and begin typing, you are logged out. The worst part, the website gives you no indication of why you have been logged out or how to fix it.

It’s frustrating and can easily interfere with your ability to manage a website. So, the next question is, what can cause it?

Well, a lot of things. The primary cause of such an error is usually your web browser. This can be the cache or cookies you have stored within or even the settings.

Luckily, these are all really easy things to fix, but problems could also be on your WordPress site itself. It could have to do with the site address not matching within WordPress, or it could be the result of a plugin.

With that said, I will cover the most common causes of the issue with WordPress logging you out, so it should work for most websites.

Fix the WordPress Keeps Logging Me Out Error

Before you begin troubleshooting this error, it is important to make sure you have a backup in place. While we will not be doing anything difficult, it is a good rule of thumb to always create a backup before troubleshooting a problem.

Failing to do so can leave you worse off if you create a new problem while trying to fix an existing one. Luckily, there are a lot of great backup plugins you can use to accomplish this, and many of them are even free to use.

With that said, let’s start with the easiest fixes using your web browser.

Note: To save time, try opening up a different web browser (Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) and see if the issue persists. If it does, then the web browser is not the problem (skip to method 4), but if it is, the first three methods are likely the solution.

Method 1: Clear Your Web Browser’s Cookies

The first main cause of this error is an expired cookie your web browser is storing. This works because the session you logged into is trying to authenticate itself, but it is using expired cookie data.

As a result, the authentication fails, which ends the session you are in. Or in other words, you get logged out of WordPress. You can directly locate and delete that expired cookie or clear the cookies all at once.

Let’s focus on clearing all of the cookies as that is the easiest way to fix it.

Note: This method depends on your web browser. In the below example, I am demonstrating the process using Google Chrome. Thus, if you are using a different browser, the process will be different. Please refer to that browser’s documentation for more assistance.

On the top right of your Chrome browser, click on the three vertical dots. Hover over History and click on the History option that appears. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+ H.

Once there, you will see a full list of your website’s browsing history. More importantly, on the left-hand side, click on the Clear Browsing Data option.

This will open up a new tab and a pop-up window. Check the box to clear the Cookies and other site data. Then click on the “Clear data” button.

Once the process is finished, go back to your website and try logging in. If you stay logged in without issue, congratulations, the error has been fixed. To avoid this in the future, check out method 3 to change the browser settings.

If not, let’s try removing the browser cache next.

Method 2: Clear the Browser Cache

While expired cookies are more likely to cause the problem, it could also be outdated data that your web browser has cached. This can result in you being logged out of WordPress.

To fix this, you just need to clear the cache of your web browser.

The process is identical to the last method, but instead of checking the box for cookies, you just need to check the Cached images and files box and click on the “Clear data” button.

Check your website by logging in and seeing if you have any problems. If not, then you’ve solved the issue.

Note: Clearing your cookies and cache will remove your saved passwords. This can make it harder to log into your favorite websites. That said, if you stored passwords in your web browser directly, like using Google Chrome, those passwords will still be stored. You’ll just need to set up the autofill options again. Just be sure to write down any important passwords before they are lost. A better practice is to use a password manager to protect that login information.

Method 3: Change Your Cookie Settings

This is more of a way to prevent the issue from occurring than to actually fix it. You see, there are settings in your web browser that can force cookies to expire after a certain amount of time has passed.

If this is set too low, well, you can run into this problem pretty often. Now, this shouldn’t be changed from the default value unless you specifically downloaded an extension to do so. Thus, you’ll need to use that extension to correct it.

Alternatively, you can reset the browser to default settings to correct the problem.

Another thing you should adjust is that your website has the proper permissions. Again, most sites will have this by default, but there is a chance your web browser has blocked your website’s cookies, which may have caused the error.

This is specific to your web browsing application. You will need to use instructions for your own browser. This tutorial is just for Google Chrome.

At the top-right of your Chrome browser, click on the three dots. Then click on the Settings option.

On the left-hand side, click on the Privacy and security option.

Once here, click on the Cookies and other site data option.

The first way to ensure you won’t have any issues is to allow your web browser to accept all cookies. This is not on by default to protect yourself from harmful cookies. Honestly, I would not recommend this approach, but it exists.

Instead, you just want to make sure your website is on the list of websites to always accept cookies from. To do so, click on the “Add” button and enter your website’s URL.

By taking these steps, you can help ensure that your browser will be less likely to ever cause you to be logged out of WordPress by mistake. It’s quick and easy, so be sure to do it ASAP.

Method 4: Clear Your Website’s Cache

Similar to how your web browser may be storing out-of-date information, the same can be happening on your website itself. Thus, you should clear your website’s cache.

There are multiple ways to go about this, but overall, it’s quite easy to do.

It really depends on how your website handles caching, which makes creating a tutorial for it to be challenging, thus, I will just provide a quick overview depending on how you handle things.

For most sites, you probably have a caching plugin installed. If you don’t, well take the time to add one now, because they are a great asset to every website and can seriously boost performance.

These plugins all have a built-in method to clear the website cache. Just refer to the plugin documentation to clear it.

Of course, you can also clear the cache from your website’s cPanel. And also again, this is different depending on how your website handles caching.

For instance, with GreenGeeks, you’ll have LiteSpeed Cache installed and active by default.

Just go to the Advanced options in cPanel and click on the LiteSpeed Web Cache Manager option.

From here, just click on the “Flush All” button.

This will be different from web host to web host. There are also other caching solutions like Redis that have their own way to clear the cache.

In any case, check to see if you have trouble staying logged in. If you’re still having problems, there are other methods to help fix WordPress from logging you out.

Method 5: Make Sure Your URL Matches the Site Address

I mentioned how cookies are usually the main culprit, and it’s time to check them from the source: your website. You see, the cookies your site generates could actually just not be correct, which forces you to be logged out.

This can occur when your URL does not match your site address in WordPress. This can happen in a variety of situations, but the most common one is if you install an SSL incorrectly, which could make you have one of these start with “HTTP” and the other “HTTPS.”

Luckily, this is incredibly easy to fix and takes less than a minute to verify.

On the left-hand admin panel, click on Settings and select the General option.

The third and fourth fields on this page should be WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL). These values need to match. As I said earlier, the most common reason why these would be different is the “HTTP” or “HTTPS” prefix not matching.

You could also have one of these containing a “www” and the other not having it. Just make sure they match and save the changes if they do not.

This should fix any bad cookies your website is producing, but you will need to clear out your web browser’s cookies again. This is because the bad cookies could still be in place on your web browser.

Refer to Method 1 if you need help.

Method 6: See If A Plugin Is To Blame

The best part of WordPress is the huge library of plugins you can use, but sometimes they can be a double-edged sword. You see, plugins add a lot of extra features, but they are also can result in breaking your website for a myriad of reasons.

It is entirely possible that installing a new plugin or updating an existing one could result in WordPress continually logging you out.

First, take a minute and review your plugins. Did the problem occur after installing any plugins recently? Check your plugin update log, did the issue begin after a plugin was updated?

This can help you quickly zero in on which plugin is to blame. However, if you can’t remember which one it may have been, don’t worry. There’s a simple way to see if the problem stems from a plugin.

Log into the cPanel and click on the File Manager option.

Enter the public_html directory and click on the wp-content folder. Inside this, there should be a folder named plugins. Right-click on that folder and select the Rename option.

Rename the folder “testing” and click on the “Rename File” button.

WordPress will only recognize the folder name of plugins, thus, you have essentially deleted all of your plugins as far as WordPress is concerned.

To get those plugins back, you just need to rename that folder back to plugins to restore them.

More importantly, go back to your website and log in. If the problem is no longer occurring, then a plugin is to blame. If this is the case, rename the folder back to plugins to restore your plugins.

You’ll now need to disable each one and see if the error goes away. If it does, you have your culprit.

Note: Disabling your plugins should not mess up any settings. Most plugins store settings and information in the WordPress database. However, some may need initial setup, especially if they connect to a third party, such as when using Jetpack.

Method 7: Restore Your Website With A Backup

If all of these troubleshooting steps have failed, you have a really tricky issue on your hands. At this point, the quickest and easiest way to resolve the issue is to consider restoring your website before the error began.

This method is only viable if you kept a backup of your website. Most competent backup plugins and tools will keep several backups of your website, which help give you a lot of options.

Locate a backup from before the issue began and restore your website. This should resolve the issue. Just keep in mind that this is not an ideal outcome as you may lose changes you have made to your website such as new blog content.

A way to avoid this is to clone your existing website to a dummy website before restoring it from a backup. This will allow you to quickly copy any content that was lost as a result of restoring the website.

Still Logging Out of WordPress? Contact Your Web Host

If none of these troubleshooting steps fixed the issue of WordPress logging you out, you probably need some help to solve the problem, and your web host is the best place to get it.

Web hosts offer their customers excellent support that can help you troubleshoot problems on your website. Most web hosts provide support through a variety of channels such as phone support, email support, or even live chats.

If you are having trouble contacting your web host or you are not happy with the support, consider switching to a better web host.

Which method worked for you? How long has this error been present on your website?

The post How to Fix the “WordPress Keeps Logging Me Out” Issue appeared first on GreenGeeks.

If the domain is difficult to remember, hard to spell, too long, or just doesn’t reflect the kind of website you run, well, you’re going to have a hard time growing. That’s why many websites end up having to switch their domain name.

Of course, you could just be rebranding your website. But whatever the case, switching a domain name is actually more complicated than most web developers realize. And if you do it wrong, you could cripple your website.

There are really two ways to go about it. The first is to manually edit your database and replace the domain name throughout the tables, which isn’t feasible for most.

The second is to use a plugin that does this for you.

We will show you how to use the Go Live Updates Urls plugin to do just this and the other steps you need to take.

When Should I Change My Domain Name?

As you may have guessed, changing your domain name is a huge undertaking. It is also extremely risky as doing so can damage your website’s SEO if handled incorrectly. So, what situations call for such drastic action?

Well, the first one is if your domain name does not reflect your business or its values. And this happens to be the most common reason a domain name is changed.

For instance, imagine you started an online blog that covered several topics.

After several months, you notice that blogs focusing on green energy perform really well. Naturally, you choose to focus your efforts on those. Eventually, that’s all your website is producing.

Your initial blog name doesn’t reflect what you focus on, thus, it needs to be changed to match the new focal point.

A much simpler example is if you started off as a .net website and want to switch to a .com.

That’s just two examples. You could merge with another business or blog, switch your business style (i.e going from a blog to an eCommerce platform), or do something else entirely. Of course, sometimes you really did just pick a bad domain name.

A bad domain name that is difficult to type and remember can tank you fast, even if you create great content with it. However, most websites fail before they ever take a look at the domain name, thus, you need to stay vigilant.

In any event, the decision to change your domain name should not be taken lightly.

How to Change A Domain Name in WordPress

There are several steps you must carry out to change your domain name. It is a massive undertaking, but with the right prep work and know-how, you can get through it without much trouble.

Without further ado, let’s begin.

Important Note: To ensure a smooth transition between domain names, you are going to need to keep your old domain name active to set up redirects (see step 5). Thus, be sure to not cancel your web hosting account for the old one.

Step 0: Create A Backup

As you might imagine, switching from one domain to another involves a good amount of work. It’s not hard, but there are a lot of little things to look out for.

If something does go wrong when you change the domain name in WordPress, you will want a backup of your website.

This ensures if something goes wrong, you can restore your website to the way it was before. It’s an added layer of security.

There are several ways to create backups in WordPress. The first would be through your cPanel. You can also try one of the many amazing backup plugins WordPress has to offer.

I do not recommend going through this process without a backup.

Step 1: Purchase A New Domain Name for WordPress

Obviously, if you are changing your domain name, that means you are going to actually need to purchase another one. It is not as simple as just picking a new name. There are multiple ways to go about this.

However, the easiest method is to just go directly through your web host. Assuming that the desired name is not taken, you should have no problem purchasing a new domain name.

If it is taken, you either need to brainstorm it again, or try to purchase that domain name from whoever owns it, which can be quite costly.

Now, depending on where you acquired your domain name, you need to add it to your web hosting account. If you bought it from your web host, it is probably already added to your account, but that varies by web host.

If not, you will have to tell the web host what the domain name is so they can add it.

Simply follow the directions your web host provides, and soon enough, you’ll have a new domain added to your web hosting account. For additional support, don’t hesitate to contact support to provide assistance.

Step 2: Transfer Your Website to the New Domain Name

So, now that you have a new domain name and it has been added to your web hosting account, you need to take a few minutes and transfer your existing website to it. The main advantage of this is that your website will still be intact on the old domain.

This gives you some security in case something goes wrong. Think of it like having a backup for your website. Luckily, it’s actually pretty easy to copy a website from one domain to another.

Now, there are quite a few ways to go about this that include:

• Using A Backup to Restore Your Site On the New Domain
• Copying Your Website Files and Pasting Them In the New Domain
• Using A Plugin to Migrate Your Website From One Domain To Another

My personal recommendation would be to use a plugin like All-in-One WP Migration. It’s a really simple plugin that has over 5 million active installs. This tool makes it very easy to migrate your website from one location to another.

This could be from one web host to another, or in our case, from one domain to another.

Step 3: Install Go Live Update URLs

At this point, you should have a new domain ready for use with your website copied from the old domain to the new one. However, since it is a copy, that means all of the information it contains is for the old domain name.

Essentially, we need to replace every URL with the updated domain. And if we were to do this manually, could take a very long time, which is why we are opting for the Go Live Update Urls plugin.

Using it is simple, so begin by installing it on the new domain.

In the left column navigation, mouse over the “Plugins” link and click the “Add New” link.

In the available search box, enter Go Live Update Urls. This will pull up additional plugins that you may find useful.

Locate the Go Live Update Urls plugin. Once you have located the plugin, click the “Install Now” button.

Once the installation process is finished, click the “Activate” button.

Step 4: Change the URLs to the New Domain in WordPress

Using the plugin itself is actually pretty straightforward. The purpose is to change your WordPress site URL, thus you need to tell it the old one and enter the new one. After that, the plugin will update your database accordingly.

Note: You should still have your website intact on your old domain. This will act as a backup as making changes to the database is risky. If something does go wrong, you can copy the website from the old domain to the new one again.

On the left-hand admin bar, click on Tools and select the Go Live option.

You’ll see a warning, “Like any other database updating tool, you should always perform a backup before running.” Luckily, we already have the website stored on the old domain, thus, we already have a backup in place.

Alternatively, you can make a database backup using cPanel, or a standalone tool like MySQL Workbench.

With all of this said, the odds that this plugin fails are extremely low but better safe than sorry.

There’s not much to the configuration in the free version of the plugin. All of the “WordPress Core Tables” should be pre-selected. What this means is that all database tables can be written by the plugin.

Scroll down and you will see two text boxes. One is to enter your Old URL and the other is for the New URL.

And just to be clear, only enter the full domain name itself into each box. You don’t need to enter anything beyond that.

Once that is taken care of, click the “Update URLs” button.

And that’s it. Congratulations, your URL has been changed throughout your new domain. Go through the pages and links on your website to ensure that everything is working as intended.

Step 5: Set Up A Redirect From the Old Domain to the New One

While you have accomplished your goal to change the domain name in WordPress, you are not done. You see, there are probably links outside of your website that lead to posts and pages from the old domain.

You need to set up a 301 redirect from the old domain to the new domain. And just to be extra clear, that redirect should be set up on your old domain, which means you should keep that account open for several months.

This will give users and search engines ample time to update links and backlinks.

The good news, there are a lot of excellent redirection plugins you can choose from. Feel free to use one of them, but I would recommend just using the .htaccess file from the cPanel.

All this entails is just opening the file and adding two lines of code that swap the old URL with the new one.

When you open the .htaccess file, just add the following lines to the top of the file and swap out the “http://domainname.com” with your new domain name:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://domainname.com/$1 [R=301,L]

And that’s it. Any time your old domain is accessed, it will be redirected to your new domain. Again, you’ll need to keep your old domain active for some time, but it’s necessary to ensure a smooth transition.

FAQ

What Else Can I Do to Ensure A Smooth Transition?

One of the first things you should do is submit an XML sitemap to Google.

From the eyes of a search engine, your new domain is a clean slate. If you want it to get ranked quickly, you need to ensure that Google has your sitemap to help map your new domain in WordPress for search bots to crawl.

Failure to do so can make the process take longer than normal. Clearly, this is not optimal, thus presenting the sitemap directly to Google is the best course of action you can take once your new domain goes live.

Just make sure that the old domain has the 301 redirects set up first. Otherwise, your new domain could appear as duplicate content.

It’s also worth pointing out that you should take a few minutes to review any automatic processes you had set up. For example, if you have WordPress set up to update automatically, you may have to set that up again.

Can I Use A Subdomain As An Alternative?

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

If your goal is to rebrand your website, then no. A subdomain will still contain the original domain name, thus it doesn’t work well. For example, if your domain name was http://domain.com, then the subdomain would be http://subdomain.domain.com.

The point of the subdomain is to create a separate website using that same domain name. For instance, if you had a blog called http://booktime.com, you could create a subdomain that focused on manga that would be http://manga.booktime.com.

Think of a subdomain as simply an extension of the niche for your primary website.

The subdomain has its uses but if your goal is rebranding, it is not a good option.

Should I Update Links Outside of WordPress?

Absolutely!

Odds are you probably have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or another social media account for your website. You should go through these accounts and update any URLs pointing to your old domain name.

While the redirect will ensure they end up on the new domain name, you are essentially promoting the old domain name. Thus, this should be one of the first things you do when the new domain is up and running.

Of course, you may also have links on other sites from collaborations, affiliate deals, and whatnot. Try to ask if these sites can update the links for your website accordingly. You want people to associate your website with the new domain name.

That means you want to eliminate all of the traces and paths to the old one.

Does Everything Transfer Without Issue?

While I would like to say yes, the truth is that some things don’t transfer perfectly.

While all of your posts, pages, image URLs, excerpts, post metadata, custom post types, widgets and widget data, and site settings will work, the free version of the plugin doesn’t update database tables created by plugins or update serialized data.

What that means is that some plugins may not be working correctly because the database tables did not transfer or could not be altered by the plugin. In these cases, you simply need to uninstall the plugin and reinstall it on the new domain.

The good news is that this shouldn’t impact most plugins, but more complex ones will need to be reset. And remember that you can use the old domain as a reference to get everything back in order.

What If Something Goes Wrong?

As you can see from the above steps, there’s actually quite a lot to do if you want to change the domain name in WordPress.

As such, it’s very possible something could go wrong. If this happens you should use a backup of your website to restore everything to the way it was, but be sure to take a moment and see what went wrong and attempt to troubleshoot first.

Sometimes it can be something very simple such as a checkbox getting unchecked or needing to reset a plugin, or re-enter an API key. If you have no idea what went wrong, I strongly suggest reaching out to your web host.

Their support team should be more than capable of helping you solve any problems that arise. If not, consider switching to a better web host.

This is a prime example of the importance of backups as well as keeping your old domain active until the new one is working correctly.

Don’t Change Your WordPress Domain Name Lightly

As you can see from this guide, it’s not that hard to change your domain name in WordPress, but you should not do so lightly. It will have a severe effect on your SEO and could take months before you are back to normal.

And that’s if you do everything right. If you mess things up like forgetting to set up 301 redirects, well, you’re going to have a real problem. Thus, you should only change your domain name after a lot of consideration has gone into it.

Try to exhaust all other avenues before switching the domain name. It really should be a last resort.

Why did you want to change the domain name your WordPress website uses? Did switching your domain name have a positive impact on your website?

The post How to Easily Change the Domain Name in WordPress appeared first on GreenGeeks.

Before delving into the 302 status code properly, let’s talk a bit about HTTP protocol in general.

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) Status Codes

The internet is made of 2 core themes, web clients and servers.

Web clients are your browser, which could be platforms like Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. The point is that you usually access the internet using any of these clients.

Usually, whenever you request a website, you are accessing data from a web server. You make your request and the server responds. This is what happens every single time you view any content online.

You make this request using the HTTP protocol. Protocols are languages that everyone on the internet agrees to use for simplicity. A client requests the server, and status codes let us know whether the request was a success, a failure, or something in between.

HTTP codes are of various forms:

• 1xx: informational requests
• 2xx: successful requests
• 3xx: redirects/ redirection
• 4xx: client errors
• 5xx: server errors

The 3xx are for redirects. This is when an address was requested, but you were sent somewhere else.

For example, let’s say you want to visit https://www.someoneswebsite.com and you wind up viewing https://www.adifferentwebsite.com. This is usually the result of a redirect.

This happens a lot when web developers change the slugs or URLs of posts and pages. Though, usually, these are 301 redirects, which tells search engines the move is permanent.

301 vs 302 redirects

A 301 is a permanent redirect. An example of this is if you apply a 301 redirect to a site “abc.com” to redirect to “xyz.com” permanently. Thus every time someone visits abc.com, they are redirected to xyz.com.

Also, a 301 redirect helps tell Google that you have changed URLs.

All existing ranking moves from the old URL to the new site. This is a permanent move, more like changing addresses and having your mail forwarded to your new address. It might take some time for everyone to catch up, but eventually, they do.

A 302 redirect, as said before, is temporary. This means you plan on moving back to the old site in the near future.

Also, 301 redirects pass “link juice,” whereas 302 redirects do not.

Why is this so important?

Link juice is a search engine ranking factor based on the theory that particular links convey value and authority from one page to the next. It’s a method to see how people are talking about your content, website, and brand.

It is a fantastic method to raise brand awareness, build your reputation, and promote yourself as a reference in your field.

Search engine optimization can suffer as a result of 302 not passing this link juice.

What About Meta Refresh?

Meta refresh is another form of redirect often compared to 301 and 302.

A Meta refresh redirect is a client-side redirect. Unlike 301 and 302 redirects that happen on the web server, it informs the web browser to navigate to a different web page after a certain amount of time has passed.

A five-second countdown with the text “If you are not redirected in five seconds click here” is most usually linked with meta-refresh redirection.

In many circumstances, utilizing a meta refresh redirect can result in confusing your users, they are more vulnerable to spammers, and they also do not pass any link juice. This is bad for many reasons.

What is HTTP 302 status code?

A 302 Found message is an HTTP response status code that indicates that the requested resource has been relocated to a new URL temporarily.

The web server is frequently the cause of it, unlike client error replies found in the 4xx codes, such as the 404 Not Found Error. This can be caused by either a client-side or server-side issue and the user experience is unaffected because the redirect occurs automatically.

Although a browser redirects to this page, search engines do not update their links to the resource (the “link-juice” is not transmitted to the new URL in “SEO-speak”).

A client that receives a 302 Found response code should continue to utilize the original URL for subsequent queries because the location or current redirection directive may be altered.

For instance, what if you’re visiting a clothing website in the United States while you are located in Germany? A 302 redirect would send you to the German version of the site to ensure that currency and other contents are displayed according to your location.

When can you use the 302 status code?

Mostly, rather than being an error, an HTTP 302 response is intended for redirection. Some of the most typical reasons for using a 302 redirect include:

• Redesigning a page — While the other page is being built, you can redirect users to a temporary location.
• Performing A/B testing or site maintenance – Want to put a new page to the test and get feedback on how it performs? You can do this without harming your ranking by using a 302 redirect.
• Promoting a product – You can use a temporary redirect for a page that ordinarily contains other information to drive users to a specific offer.
• A product is sold out — If a product is sold out or temporarily unavailable, consumers can be redirected to a comparable page until it is restocked.
• If the content is broken and you would like traffic redirected to another page
• When you want to collect some data

How to use 302 on your WordPress website

First, log in to your hosting account and open cPanel. Navigate to the domains and select redirect.

On the redirect settings, you select the redirect type with a dropdown box. In this case, it is temporary (302). Select the domain in question, enter the address you wish to redirect to, and then select add.

With this, your redirect has been added.

To remove this redirect, go to the link of redirects, click on delete and then click on remove redirect.

You can also redirect within a website. For instance, you can redirect people from the about us page to the contact us page.

The steps are similar to the above with some changes. After selecting the domain in the box just below, which you left empty previously, enter you’re about us page name as your directory. For the redirection address, select the contact us page name. Add, and then your redirection has been added.

Doing the redirect yourself doesn’t come highly recommended unless you are a highly technical individual. You can make mistakes with your redirects.

One significant implication of this is that you lose traffic to your site. When corrections are made, if you’re lucky, you may get up to 90% of where you were, and even this would take some time.

Why does error 302 occur?

The 302 codes are not usually error messages and don’t usually require fixing. It is only an error if your website is responding with 302 codes that it shouldn’t, and when it responds with a redirect loop, such as ERR TOO MANY REDIRECTS.

Though, 302 codes may be issued inadvertently if something on your website is configured incorrectly. If this occurs, you may encounter issues like when a page on your website unintentionally sends visitors somewhere else.

From Google Chrome, the ERR TOO MANY REDIRECTS error appears like this:

This issue can be the result of a configuration error, a plugin conflict, wrong URL settings, or a misconfigured .htaccess file.

How to fix the HTTP 302 error on your WordPress website

The very first thing you need to do is make sure to perform a complete backup of your website. That way, if anything goes wrong, you can always revert to the previous version.

A WordPress backup plugin comes in handy here. BlogVault WordPress backup, UpdraftPlus, JetPack backups, and WP Time capsule are a few of the best you can use.

To fix HTTP 302 error:

1. Check to see if the redirects are valid

Double-check to see which URLs are causing the 302 error and assess whether the redirect is necessary. To do so, go to the pages on your website that you believe are causing the 302 error and examine if they are functioning as expected.

It is correctly configured if a temporarily unavailable page redirects to the correct resource.

If, on the other hand, a website sends you to the incorrect resource or your browser detects a redirect loop by displaying an ERR TOO MANY REDIRECTS error page, it is a sign that one (or more) of your redirects isn’t configured correctly.

2. Clear browser cookies and cache

Cookies on your web browser are also a common cause of the problem. Using a different web browser, such as Firefox, Safari, Opera, Microsoft Edge, or others, try browsing your website.

If you can visit your website normally using a different browser, you’ll need to erase your regular browser’s cookies and cache.

If changing the browser does not resolve the problem, proceed to the following step.

3. Deactivate all WordPress plugins

A plugin issue is the most prevalent cause of WordPress redirect loops or “Too many redirects.” This error is caused by a plugin attempting to set up a redirect in a way that clashes with basic WordPress redirects.

You must disable all WordPress plugins on your website to remedy this. Normally, you may deactivate plugins by going to the Plugins » All Plugins page in the WordPress admin area.

However, let’s assume that you are unable to enter the WordPress admin area.

In that case, you’ll need to use an FTP client or the File Manager tool in your WordPress hosting control panel to deactivate WordPress plugins.

Simply use an FTP client to connect to your website and navigate to the /wp-content/ folder.

You’ll find the plugins folder there, which you’ll need to rename to “plugins.deactivate” to disable the WordPress plugins.

To load the plugin files, WordPress looks for a folder called plugins. When it can’t find the folder, it disables the database’s active plugins automatically.

You can now go to your WordPress website and look around. If you can now log into your WordPress admin area, one of the plugins was likely the source of the problem.

Switch back to the FTP client or File Manager program and rename your plugins to figure out which one was the cause.

Rename the folder to “plugins” and disable it.

After that, go to the Plugins > All Plugins page in the WordPress admin area of your website. You can then activate your plugins one by one and visit your website to see whether the error can be reproduced.

Once you’ve identified the plugin that’s causing the issue, you can either find a replacement or file a bug report.

4. Fix WordPress URLs

The URLs in the WordPress Address and Site Address fields must be the same for most websites. Some users, however, may use www in one URL and non-www in the other.

These two must be the same.

Because you may not have access to the WordPress admin area, you may need to use an FTP client or the File Manager app to correct the WordPress Address and Site Address within the wp-config.php file.

5. Reset the WordPress .htaccess file

The .htaccess file is a unique file that website servers use to control redirection and other server settings. This file is also used by WordPress to create SEO-friendly URLs and other redirects.

A misconfiguration in the WordPress URL settings is another main cause of this problem. Normally, these choices can be found on the Settings » General page.

WordPress plugins might sometimes make changes to your website’s .htaccess file, resulting in this error. It’s also possible that deactivating a plugin will leave such modifications in your .htaccess file.

You’ll need to manually reset your WordPress .htaccess file in that instance. You can use the FTP client or the File Manager software in your hosting dashboard.

6. Speak to your web host

If the above suggestions don’t fix the problem, you’ll need to contact your WordPress hosting company to make sure it’s not a server problem.

If there is nothing wrong with the server, perhaps the tech support of your web host can help you troubleshoot a bit further.

Conclusion

The status 302 code redirects your site to another address temporarily. It is not always an error message. But in general, using a 302 redirect is not a good idea.

The very few situations where you would want to use a 302 redirect may not be worth the disadvantages. You may want to implement the 301 redirects instead.

The post What is a 302 Redirect and How to Use It Properly appeared first on GreenGeeks.

The good news is that no matter what kind of website you are trying to build, the actual process to do it is pretty similar. The type of content you produce will be different, but there is not a huge difference between making a baby website and a taco recipe website.

Today, I will share an overview of how to build a website for babies from scratch using WordPress.

So, What Does A Baby Website Entail?

Anything to do with babies.

You could create a website based on taking care of babies and recommending products for first-time parents. You could sell your own baby products including things like clothes, food, toys, and more.

It’s even possible to create a website for showing off baby pictures, although social media has this covered.

Of course, babies don’t actually need to be the sole focus of the website. For instance, wouldn’t a website for expecting mothers also have a baby as a focus? Perhaps it would be more about the mom, but you are not a mom without a baby.

Basically, if you can find a way to add babies as the focus of your website, you can call it a baby website.

How to Build A Website for Baby Content

Step 1: Find A Niche For A Babies Website

The first step of building any website is all about the planning aspect. You need to find something that will separate your website from the hundreds or thousands of other websites that focus on a similar topic.

To be honest, this actually gets harder every year as more and more websites come online.

You need to identify the topic and direction of your website and how to make it unique. If your website can’t stand out in a sea of clones, it has no chance of success.

So, you need to research similar websites to what you are planning to build and identify how yours can be different.

To be clear, this doesn’t just mean from a visual standpoint. Consider a website that focuses on baby food. A website that focuses on just baby food would be quite different from another that focuses on organic baby food.

It’s the same topic, baby food, but the focus is completely different from one another. Don’t bother building a website if you cannot figure out a unique direction.

Step 2: Choose A Platform to Build On

The first real decision you need to make is what platform you are going to build your website on. Now, any quick Google search will tell you there are hundreds of platforms you can consider using, but let me save you some time.

WordPress is the best platform to build any kind of website on.

WordPress offers developers a low-code environment to create websites. And while you can use code, you won’t need to write a single line of it if you do not want to. This is thanks to its huge collection of plugins and themes.

A plugin is like an app for your smartphone. It adds a specific feature to your WordPress website and you can customize it to meet your needs. Whereas a theme is what dictates the appearance of your website.

Between the two of them, you can create a great website without ever writing a line of code. In terms of possibilities, they are endless.

With WordPress, you can create any type of website from a blog to a full eCommerce platform or even a social network. This accessibility and versatility make WordPress the ideal choice to build any type of website.

Step 3: Choose a Webhost For Your Babies Website

The next major decision you need to make is to pick a web hosting company. A web host is a company that rents you out a web server and maintains it while ensuring your website stays online 24/7.

Every website needs a web host. You see, every time a user connects to your website, they are actually connecting to the web server itself as it contains all of the information that makes up your website.

As you can imagine, the quality of your web server and web host plays a huge role in the performance of your website.

As such, you need to pick a great web hosting service that can meet all of your needs, and at GreenGeeks, that is exactly the kind of service we provide.

We provide lightning-fast speed with our SSD-powered web servers, unmatched customer support that is ready to help you every step of the way, and a commitment to the environment that ensures we are part of the solution and not part of the problem.

For every customer that signs up, we plant a tree and carefully calculate the amount of energy their web server will use. We then purchase three times that amount in clean energy, so every website we host is helping the environment.

All of this can be yours for less than a cup of coffee each month.

Step 4: Install A Theme And Select Plugins

At this point, you should have WordPress installed on your new web server. It’s now time to install a theme.

There are thousands of themes to choose and it really comes down to personal preference. You can choose between free or premium options. The main difference is the level of support you can expect to receive.

If you are just starting out, paying for a premium theme may be the best course of action because you will get much better support options that can help you troubleshoot any problems you may run into.

Once you have a theme in place, you’ll also need to select some plugins. Now, what plugins you choose depends on the type of website you are building. For instance, the plugins a blog would choose are quite different from an online shop.

For example, if you were building an online store for baby products, you would definitely want to install the WooCommerce plugin. It converts your website into a ready-to-use store, which you just need to add products to.

Alternatively, if you were constructing an image gallery, you would want to find a gallery plugin that has a great selection of templates to show off babies and kids. Basically, think of a feature you want to add to your website and search for the plugin.

There is a plugin for just about everything in WordPress.

Step 5: Create Content And Market Your Babies Website

At this point, it’s time to fill your website with content.

Launching a website requires a good amount of content. You need to have enough for visitors to look around the website and feel like they want to come back to see the latest updates. If you just release a single post, well, not many people will come back.

Of course, if your website is focused on selling products, you just need to make sure your website is ready for use and supports popular payment gateways. Having a great selection of products is sure to help.

The bad news is that even if you do everything right and release terrific content, there’s a very high chance no one will know.

To fix that, you are going to need to do a ton of marketing.

Now, large corporations spend millions on advertising. Obviously, that is not an option for a brand-new website. Instead, you need to get more creative and search for effective marketing strategies in your area.

For example, if you did make a website focused on showing off baby pictures, a great place to advertise your website would be on a platform like Instagram or Facebook.

These platforms already have a huge following for baby pics, so advertising a website that focuses on them is a no-brainer.

You need to get the word out that your website exists and it offers great content or products. If you don’t, all of the work you did was futile.

Create A Website For Your Baby Today

As you can see, creating a website for babies is pretty easy. At least on paper. The truth is when you get to it, there’s a lot of work that goes into building a popular site. Even if you do everything right, there’s no guarantee you’ll be successful.

That’s why it’s important to go in with realistic expectations and a good work ethic. And most importantly, be passionate about the content you are producing. That way, you can create content that comes from the heart.

If you do, it won’t feel like a wasted effort even if it doesn’t catch on.

The post How to Quickly Set Up a Website Focused on Babies appeared first on GreenGeeks.