WordPress Support & Maintenance: Where to Find the Best Help

When you’re running a website or trying, especially for a business, you need it to run smoothly. However, it’s a fact of life: sites will have issues, even when built professionally. You’ll run into bugs, strange lines of code messing up your site, and any number of trouble. At one point or another, you’ll find yourself in need of some WordPress support – and you’ll need to know where to get it.

WordPress is the most used content management system on the Internet, which is a blessing and a curse when looking for problem-solving. It’s terrific because WordPress support is readily available, but it’s also tough to find reputable sources. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of our favorite places to seek WordPress help.

Whether you’re a WordPress newcomer or you’ve been working with it for long, eventually you’ll face walls. WordPress support forums are widely available, and there are a few official channels, too. There’s something for every level of expertise. However, before you dive into the boards, it’s essential to know where you’re standing!

What to Do When Facing WordPress Issues or Maintenance Problems

Before heading to forums and everything that comes with them, you should first check what kind of problem you’re having. The most common issues can fall into three different categories:

• Recent updates. A new version of WordPress may have come with a problem, or perhaps it didn’t load correctly.
• Wonky code. You may have added a new item that’s missing part of the original code, or its syntax has problems.
• Plugin incompatibility. The plugins or themes on your site may be interacting poorly with each other, leading to errors.

Knowing where you’re standing can make it easier for you to communicate what you need when searching for WordPress support. A good practice before asking for help is deactivating anything that may have led to issues, such as themes or plugins. Return to a default theme from the WordPress database and try to navigate the site. If problems persist, it’s time to reach out to experts.

Keep In Mind When Getting WordPress Support and Maintenance Advice

Etiquette is a big part of online forums, and that also includes those covering WordPress support. A few considerations you should take:

• Look at older posts to see whether someone has faced the same issue. Your current problem may be relatively common and covered to death on the forum! It’s quicker for you and less tiring for other webmasters if you check before asking a question. It may have an easy solution that’s readily available.
• Be polite! Boards are communities of people, and nobody likes dealing with unpleasant strangers. They’re there to help, so why not be kind to them?
• When asking a question, be clear. Specify what you need from the get-go by saying your issue on the thread title.
• Be as thorough as you possibly can. Explain what’s going on, add screenshots and links, and anything that gets your point across. If you add a lot of detail, board members will be able to localize your problem faster.

Where Should You Get WordPress Support or Maintenance Help?

With so many resources available, what are the best places for WordPress support? It can be tricky to find that balance, so we’ve created three main categories: official support platforms, Facebook groups, Slack and outside sites.

1. Official WordPress Support Platforms

WordPress.org

Perhaps the most obvious of all sources of WordPress support: the actual site. WordPress.org is wide and varied, offering things like:

• WP.org has a forum that is full of experts and real WordPress workers, where you can get answers straight from the developers. There are millions of posts already up on the forum, so with a little patience, you may be able to find answers to your issue.
• Guides and walkthroughs on how to begin your experience on the platform.
• Detailed information on different subjects and areas of WordPress. There are a lot of specialized sub-forums on the official WP site, where you’ll find lots of data.

WordPress Codex

Although technically Codex is part of the WordPress forums, it’s the hub of information on the site. It should be the first place you visit when you have technical issues. Codex is an essential part of the WordPress experience as a whole because it’s the library of its core code. Remember that this is an open-source platform, which means anyone should be able to access it. You’ll find:

• Guides
• Information on how to install and run WordPress.
• How to solve issues with WordPress themes.
• Report bugs so developers will fix them in upcoming versions.

WordPress TV

Less famous than the other official channels, WordPress TV offers a lot of helpful video tutorials.

2. Facebook Groups for WordPress Support & Maintenance Help

There are plenty of WordPress support communities on Facebook for varying levels of expertise. It’s important to research ahead on each group, as they usually require an invite or approval.

Some of the best groups for users taking their first steps in WordPress:

• WordPress Help for Beginners
• WordPress Help
• WordPress, SEO & Internet Questions
• WordPress. For those who are self-hosting, this is a great place to get guidance.
• WordPress Freelancers. If you’re an independent worker who is planning on doing business through WordPress, you’ll find a lot of like-minded individuals here. The Fearless Freelancer is a similar platform, only broader.

Here are a few Facebook groups for more experienced WordPress users that can help with support and maintenance:

• Intermediate WordPress
• Help and Share
• Advanced WordPress. By far, the most popular source of WordPress support on Facebook. This group has over 30,000 members, a broad community dedicated to WordPress knowledge and help. It’s a great place to find out about what’s happening on the platform and share thoughts and tips with like-minded people. For sure, you can find some answers here!
• WordPress Security. Explicitly dedicated to discussing and problem-solving for security issues in the platform.

As the most-used content management platform in the world, you’ll find Facebook WordPress groups of all types, even specializing on specific plugins.

3. Slack

Slack has turned into one of the essential collaboration tools for online workers, so it’s popular among WordPress users. As such, the Making WordPress Slack channel has turned into a significant rendezvous for experts. A few things you should know about this source of WordPress support:

• You’ll need to sign in to WordPress to enter.
• It is a private channel, so you’ll have to request access.
• It’s specifically for WordPress professionals, not at people starting on the CMS.
• You can enter through your browser or Slack apps, but navigation is more comfortable on the apps.
• Making WordPress has three channels: Announcements, Core, and Slackhelp. On Announcements, you’ll find what’s going on in the platform; Core is where you find out how things have changed in the most recent updates; Slackhelp is the actual discussion + Q&A channel.

4. Other Sites & Forums

If you’ve already tried the options above, a few sites offer excellent WordPress support. Our biggest recommendations are:

• Stack Exchange. A forum directed at admins and developers, it’s an excellent choice for those looking for detailed insight. It’s a little technical, so less experienced users might find themselves more confused than when they entered.
• Popular Q&A sites like Reddit and Quora. These platforms are open to everyone, which is both a blessing and a curse. There’s always someone available to help, but it’s tougher to differentiate which sources are more trustworthy than the others. However, these are both excellent places to get your questions answered quickly.

5. Get on a WordPress Maintenance Plan

One of the best ways to get support is teaming up with a certified WordPress Agency that can take care of all the upkeep and point you in the right direction for the best tools and apps to use on your website. You’re in luck because we offer the best WordPress Maintenance plan around that has many extra perks. Not only do we offer WordPress core and plugin updates. We also provide customization, On-page SEO, plugins licensing for the top tools, and more. All worth thousands of dollars if you purchased them directly. Please check out our WordPress Maintenance Plan here.

Get another 11 sources for WooCommerce Support help here: 11 Sources to Get the Best WooCommerce Support Everywhere in the Web

Bright Vessel has years of experience in the WordPress arena and as a WordPress Support Agency. Skip the hassle of always being on the lookout for WordPress support by hiring an agency with time for your business. At Bright Vessel, we strive to create the best custom solutions for companies of all industries. If you’re looking to build an online presence, or want to expand the one you already have, contact us!