How to Explain a WordPress Error to a Non-Technical Site Owner

A WordPress error message can mean a lot to a developer and very little to the person whose website has stopped working. “PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error” tells me where to look. To a site owner, it only says that something is badly wrong.

If you fix WordPress sites for clients, customers, or your own team, the way you explain the problem matters almost as much as the fix. A clear explanation helps the owner decide what to do next, trust the work, and test the right thing afterwards.

I shared a short version of this approach with Linguistics News, in their feature on making complex content clearer. This tutorial is the full version, with the structure I use in WordPress support handoffs and a template you can copy.

The Short Answer

Start with what the site owner needs to understand or do. Then give the technical detail that supports it. In practice, that means writing your explanation in this order:

The problem, in the owner’s words: what stopped working for them or their visitors.
The cause, in one or two plain sentences.
What you changed and what you checked afterwards.
What still needs checking, and who should check it.
The technical evidence: the exact error, log lines, and file names, kept at the end for anyone who needs them.

The evidence still matters. It is just easier to follow once the reader knows why it is there.

Why Error Messages Confuse Site Owners

WordPress error messages are written for the people who fix sites, not the people who own them. A message like “500 Internal Server Error” or “There has been a critical error on this website” says that something failed, but not what the owner should worry about or do.

When an explanation opens with that kind of message, the owner has to work through the hardest part first. Many people stop reading, or they pick out one alarming word, such as “fatal” or “database”, and assume the worst.

Leading with the problem fixes that. The owner gets the part they care about first, and the technical part becomes supporting detail instead of a barrier.

A Real Example: A Configuration File That Was Cut Off

In a recent support case, a site was showing a server error. My investigation found that a configuration file on the server contained an incomplete rule. The file had been cut off partway through, so the server could not read it and stopped loading the site.

Here is how the handoff could have started, and how I actually started it.

Starting with the evidence (harder to follow):

The server error log shows the configuration file failing to parse because of an incomplete directive near the end of the file. The request returns HTTP 500 before WordPress loads.

Starting with the problem (easier to follow):

Your site stopped loading because one of its server settings files had been cut off partway through. The server could not read it, so it showed an error instead of your website. The details from the error log are below in case your developer or host needs them.

Both versions contain the same facts. The second one tells the owner what happened to their site before asking them to read a log summary. I kept the exact log findings and investigation steps, but put them after that opening.

Step 1: Describe the Problem the Owner Saw

Open with the symptom in their words: “Your homepage was showing a white screen”, “Customers could not complete checkout”, or “You could not log in to the dashboard”. The owner can confirm that straight away, and it shows you understood what they reported.

Step 2: Explain the Cause Without Jargon

Translate the error into what it means for the site. A few common examples:

What the error says	What you can tell the owner
PHP Fatal error in a plugin file	One plugin has a problem that stops WordPress from finishing loading the page.
500 Internal Server Error	The server hit a problem before it could show your site. The cause still needs checking in the logs.
Allowed memory size exhausted	The site ran out of the working memory the server gives it for each page.
Error establishing a database connection	WordPress cannot reach the database where your posts and settings are stored.
Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance	An update did not finish, so WordPress is still showing its update notice.

Keep it to one or two sentences. If you need an analogy, use one that is accurate. A simple, correct sentence is better than a clever comparison that hides what actually happened.

Step 3: Say What You Changed and What You Checked

List the change you made, such as restoring the complete file from a backup, updating a plugin, or raising a limit. Then say how you tested it: “The homepage, shop page and login page now load without the error.”

If you made a backup before the change, mention it. Owners relax when they know the work can be undone.

Step 4: Be Clear About What You Have Not Confirmed

This is the step most explanations skip. In another case, a critical error stopped a website and its login page from loading. After the repair, the login page opened again without the error. That did not prove the customer could sign in and use everything they needed.

So I did not write “Everything is fixed.” I wrote that the login page was working again and asked the customer to sign in and check their access. I described that approach in more detail in Tech Magazine’s feature on keeping customer trust during software outages.

Simplifying the wording should never turn an uncertain finding into a confirmed one. “The likely cause is” and “I have checked” are both plain English, and they mean different things.

Step 5: Put the Technical Details Last

End with a section the owner can forward to a developer or hosting provider. Include the exact error message, the time it appeared, the relevant log lines, the file or plugin involved, and the steps you took. Do not paraphrase the error here. Copy it exactly so someone else can search for it or reproduce it.

A Template You Can Copy

What happened:
[The symptom the owner saw, in their words.]

Why it happened:
[One or two plain sentences about the cause.]

What I changed:
[The fix, and whether a backup was taken first.]

What I checked:
[The pages or actions you tested after the fix.]

What still needs checking:
[Anything you could not test, and who should test it.]

Technical details (for your developer or host):
[Exact error message, time, log lines, files or plugins involved.]

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Pasting the raw error first. It is the least useful line for the owner and the most likely to worry them.
Removing the error completely. Plain English should sit above the evidence, not replace it.
Saying “fixed” too early. Say what you checked, and ask the owner to test what only they can test.
Blaming without evidence. “A plugin update caused this” should only appear if the logs or testing show it.
Using acronyms without explaining them. PHP, DNS and SSL mean nothing to many site owners. Add a few words the first time you use one.

If You Are the Site Owner

You can use the same structure in reverse when you ask for help. Describe what you saw, when it started, and what changed just before it, such as a plugin update or a new theme. Then paste the exact error message or a screenshot. If your site shows the WordPress critical error message, our guide on how to fix “There has been a critical error on this website” walks through the first checks, and this guide covers the “Updating failed” error.

If you would rather have someone diagnose it for you, I offer WordPress repair and support services, with a written explanation of what I found and fixed in the format above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I include the exact error message when explaining a problem to a client?

Yes, but not at the start. Put it in a technical details section at the end, copied exactly, so a developer or host can use it later.

How much technical detail does a site owner need?

Enough to understand what happened, what changed, and what they need to check. Most owners need one or two plain sentences about the cause. The rest can stay in the technical section.

What if I am not sure what caused the error?

Say so. Explain what you have ruled out, what the evidence points to, and what you will check next. An honest “likely cause” is more useful than a confident guess that turns out to be wrong.

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