WordPress is the world‘s most popular content management system, powering over 43% of all websites on the internet. Its flexibility, ease-of-use, and extensive plugin ecosystem make it the go-to choice for millions of site owners.
However, WordPress isn‘t perfect. Even the most seasoned WordPress users encounter frustrations and annoyances from time to time. The good news is, virtually all of these obnoxious aspects have relatively simple fixes.
In this post, we‘ll dive into the 15 most common complaints about WordPress and show you exactly how to resolve them. Let‘s get started!
1. No Built-in Backup System
One of the biggest oversights in WordPress is the lack of an integrated backup solution. With the amount of time and effort you put into your site, you‘d think WordPress would provide an easy way to back it up with a few clicks. Unfortunately, that‘s not the case.
The solution is to use a reliable WordPress backup plugin. There are many great free and premium options, like UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, and VaultPress. Look for a plugin that supports both manual and automatic scheduled backups, and ideally one that lets you store your backups in a remote location like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Proper backups are essential to protect your site against hacks, server failures, and mistakes that could wipe out your content and data. Don‘t put this off – install a backup plugin on your site today.
2. Uncategorized Default Post Category
By default, WordPress lumps new posts into a catch-all "Uncategorized" category if you forget to assign a category. This looks sloppy and unprofessional, especially if a visitor browses your category archives.
You have two ways to banish the uncategorized category:
- Rename it to something else, like "Other" or "Miscellaneous"
- Change your default post category to a more meaningful option
To rename the category, simply go to Posts > Categories and click the "Edit" link under Uncategorized. Type in your preferred name and save the changes.
To assign a different default category, head to Settings > Writing and use the "Default Post Category" dropdown to select an alternative. Now any new post will be automatically assigned to that category if you don‘t specify one.
3. Can‘t Change Your Username
When you first install WordPress, you‘re asked to choose a username. But what if you later decide you want to change it to something else? Tough luck – WordPress doesn‘t have any built-in way to modify usernames after the fact.
The simplest solution is to create a new user account with your preferred username and the "Administrator" role. Then, log in with the new account and delete the original user.
If you‘ve published posts or pages under the old username, you‘ll need to go back and edit the author on those pieces of content to keep them associated with your new account. It‘s a bit tedious, but only takes a few minutes with the Bulk Edit feature.
4. Limited Formatting Options
Prior to WordPress 5.0 and the introduction of the Block Editor (aka Gutenberg), the classic WordPress editor was pretty bare-bones in terms of formatting. You only had basic options like bold, italic, lists, and alignment. Anything fancier required HTML and CSS knowledge.
While the Block Editor provides more flexibility, it can still be limiting compared to page builder plugins or traditional word processors. Sometimes you just want to make a certain word purple, and that‘s not always obvious how to do.
If you crave more visual customization for your content, consider installing the TinyMCE Advanced plugin. It beefs up the editor with more formatting buttons, including font family, font size, text and background color, tables, subscript, superscript, and more.
For even greater control, use a page builder plugin like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or Divi. These tools let you drag-and-drop elements to design stunning layouts without touching a line of code.
5. The Dreaded White Screen of Death
The White Screen of Death (WSoD) is the WordPress equivalent of the Blue Screen of Death on Windows. You try to load your site and you get nothing but a blank white screen, often with no error message.
This usually happens because of a PHP memory limit being exceeded, often due to a buggy plugin or theme. When the offending process runs out of memory, the script gets killed and you‘re left with the WSoD.
To fix this, you‘ll need to:
- Deactivate all plugins and switch to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-One. If this resolves the issue, reactivate plugins one-by-one until you find the culprit.
- Increase the PHP memory limit in your wp-config.php file or php.ini file if you have access.
- Reach out to your hosting provider for assistance if the issue persists.
The WSoD can be scary the first time it happens, but once you understand the common causes, it‘s not too difficult to troubleshoot.
6. Locked Out of the Admin Dashboard
It‘s a stomach-dropping feeling to type in your WordPress login URL and realize you can‘t remember your password. Or maybe you know the password but it‘s just not working for some reason. Now you‘re locked out of your own site!
First, try using the "Lost your password?" link to reset your password via email. If you never receive the reset email, your hosting account may have issues sending mail. Contact your host for help.
If you‘re still locked out, you can manually reset your password via phpMyAdmin:
- Log into your hosting control panel and open phpMyAdmin
- Select your WordPress database from the left sidebar
- Click the "wp_users" table and find your username
- Click "Edit" and change the "user_pass" field to the MD5 hash of your desired password
- Log in with the new password
As a last resort, you can add a new admin user to your database with a plugin like Add Admin User or via SQL query. Then delete the original admin account.
7. Deactivating Plugins Without Admin Access
In the event you‘re locked out of wp-admin, you won‘t be able to manage your plugins and themes through the regular interfaces. That‘s a problem if you suspect a plugin conflict is preventing you from logging in.
You can manually deactivate plugins via FTP:
- Use an FTP program like FileZilla to connect to your WordPress site
- Navigate to the /wp-content/ folder
- Rename the /plugins/ subfolder to something like /plugins.old/
This will deactivate all of your plugins at once. You can then rename individual plugin folders back one at a time to find the troublemaker.
If you have cPanel access, you can also deactivate plugins through phpMyAdmin:
- Select your WordPress database
- Open the wp_options table
- Find the active_plugins row and empty the option_value field
Remember to reactivate your plugins after you regain access to the dashboard!
8. Frequent Errors and Warnings
For a platform as popular as WordPress, you‘d think it would be relatively bug-free. But the reality is that WordPress site owners encounter errors and warnings on a regular basis.
Some of the most common WordPress errors include:
- "Error Establishing Database Connection"
- The White Screen of Death
- 404 errors on pages that should exist
- "Sidebar Below Content" or other layout issues
- "The Site Ahead Contains Malware"
- The Stuck Welcome Panel
- Failed Auto-Updates
While some errors have one-click fixes, others are more complex and require troubleshooting. Follow our ultimate guide to fixing the most common WordPress errors to get your site back in working order ASAP.
9. No Automatic Plugin Updates
WordPress doesn‘t update plugins for you automatically by default. You have to remember to check for updates and install them manually, which is annoying and time-consuming.
As of WordPress 5.5, you can enable auto-updates on a per-plugin basis:
- Go to the Plugins page in your dashboard
- Click the "Enable auto-updates" link below each plugin you want to update automatically
There are also plugins, like Easy Updates Manager, that give you more control over updates and let you set up auto-updates in bulk.
Keeping your plugins up-to-date is critical for security and stability. Don‘t let it slip!
10. Barebones Gallery Options
The native WordPress gallery feature leaves a lot to be desired in terms of styling and customization. If you want your galleries to stand out and impress visitors, you‘ll need something more powerful.
Envira Gallery is our top pick for beautiful, responsive WordPress galleries. Some of its key features include:
- Drag-and-drop builder
- Pre-built gallery templates
- Lightbox view with navigation controls
- Social sharing buttons
- Password protection and access control
- Watermarking
- WooCommerce integration to sell photos
With Envira‘s intuitive interface, you can create eye-catching galleries in minutes – no coding required. It‘s infinitely better than the default gallery.
11. Plugin Conflicts Galore
Plugins are essential for extending the functionality of WordPress. But they‘re also one of the biggest sources of site issues, especially when they start conflicting with each other.
Incompatible plugins can cause all kinds of weird behavior, from breaking certain features to taking down your entire site (the dreaded WSoD). It‘s incredibly frustrating trying to track down which of your 20+ active plugins is the troublemaker.
Prevention is the best approach here:
- Only install plugins from reputable sources, ideally the official WordPress.org repository
- Check the plugin‘s support forums for threads about known conflicts
- Have as few plugins as possible and delete any that you don‘t absolutely need
- Use a staging site to test new plugins before activating them on your live site
If you do run into a plugin conflict, methodically deactivate your plugins one-by-one until you find the culprit(s). Then reach out to the plugin author for help or find an alternative plugin.
12. Customizing Excerpts
By default, WordPress displays an excerpt of your posts on the homepage, category/tag archives, and search results. This is good for SEO and user experience, but the automated excerpts are often awkwardly cut off.
You can manually add a custom excerpt in the "Excerpt" field of the post editor. But if you forget, you‘re stuck with the less-than-ideal default.
To force manual excerpts, add this code to your theme‘s functions.php file or a functionality plugin:
function wpb_disable_excerpt( $excerpt ) {
return ‘‘;
}
add_filter( ‘the_excerpt‘, ‘wpb_disable_excerpt‘ );This will hide the excerpt field entirely if you don‘t fill it out. No more truncated excerpts!
If you want to change the length of the default excerpts, use this code instead:
function wpb_custom_excerpt_length( $length ) {
return 30;
}
add_filter( ‘excerpt_length‘, ‘wpb_custom_excerpt_length‘ );Adjust the number to your preferred word count. You can also use a plugin like Advanced Excerpt to customize your excerpt settings without code.
13. Full Post Content in RSS Feeds
WordPress displays the full text of your posts in your RSS feed as well as excerpts. That means people can read your entire article in their feed reader without ever visiting your actual site.
To switch your feed to excerpt-only, go to Settings > Reading in your dashboard. Under "For each post in a feed, include" select "Summary." Now only a short snippet of each post will show in your feed, encouraging readers to click through for the full content.
You can customize the length and appearance of your RSS excerpts with a plugin like WP RSS Aggregator or the code snippets in the previous section.
Remember, your RSS feed is also how your email subscribers receive your content if you have a newsletter or email list. Make sure you strike a balance between providing value and enticing clicks.
14. Spam, Spam Everywhere
Open up your WordPress comments and you‘ll likely see dozens, if not hundreds, of spam comments waiting to be dealt with. While WordPress does have some built-in spam filtering, it‘s not very effective against determined bots and manual spammers.
The best solution is to use a dedicated anti-spam plugin like Akismet. Akismet checks your comments and contact form submissions against a global database of known spam and automatically flags or deletes suspicious entries.
You can also enable comment moderation for an extra layer of protection:
- Go to Settings > Discussion and check the box for "Comment must be manually approved"
- Uncheck the box for "Comment author must have a previously approved comment"
Now you‘ll be notified of new comments and can approve them before they go live. It‘s more work on your end but keeps your site squeaky clean.
Other useful anti-spam measures include:
- Requiring commenters to log in or provide a name and email
- Using CAPTCHAs or honeypot fields on your comment and contact forms
- Disallowing links in comments
- Blocking comments with certain blacklisted words
- Closing comments on older posts
Don‘t let spam overrun your site – take action today!
15. Weak Default Search
The search function that comes with WordPress out-of-the-box is pretty lackluster. It only searches post and page titles and content, not custom fields, metadata, or other important data.
If your site has a lot of content, or if search is a crucial feature for your visitors, you‘ll want to beef up WordPress search with a plugin.
Relevanssi is our recommended WordPress search plugin. It improves the quality and relevance of the built-in search with:
- Fuzzy matching for misspellings and partial matches
- Search result highlighting
- Search across comments, tags, categories, and custom fields
- Related posts
- Searching across multiple sites (multisite)
Relevanssi has a free version with basic functionality and a premium version with advanced features and support. It‘s a must-have for any WordPress site serious about search.
Bonus: Slow Page Load Speeds
We couldn‘t end this list without mentioning the most common complaint about WordPress: slow loading times. With all the scripts, stylesheets, images, and plugins the average WP site accumulates, it‘s no wonder so many of them are sluggish.
Some quick wins for speeding up WordPress:
- Use a lightweight, well-coded theme
- Compress your images before uploading (or use a plugin)
- Minify your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files
- Enable Gzip compression
- Leverage browser caching
- Use a content delivery network (CDN)
- Upgrade to premium managed WordPress hosting
There‘s a lot more that goes into WordPress optimization, but those basics will get you started.
You can also install a caching plugin like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache to instantly improve performance with page caching, database optimization, lazy loading, and more. When in doubt, run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to see where you can improve.
WordPress Annoyances: Fixed!
We‘ve covered a lot of ground in this post, but hopefully you‘re feeling more equipped to handle the everyday frustrations of running a WordPress website. It may be the most popular CMS in the world, but it‘s far from perfect.
By taking advantage of the plugins, code snippets, and troubleshooting tips outlined here, you can make your WordPress experience much smoother and less stressful. Implement these fixes and get back to what matters: creating amazing content for your audience.
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