If you’ve ever encountered a WordPress problem, you know how frustrating it can be.
But here’s the thing: in the open source world of WordPress, how you ask for help can have a huge impact. It can even mean the difference between getting a quick and helpful answer or getting no progress at all.
We’ve seen both sides of this situation. We’ve sought help ourselves, and we’ve fielded countless questions from readers. Through these experiences, we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t when it comes to seeking WordPress support.
We'll share those insights with you in this guide. You'll learn where to ask questions, what information to include, and how to word your requests to get the best help.
What You Should Know About WordPress Support
Before asking for WordPress support or help with a specific plugin or theme, it's important to understand that WordPress is an open source community project.
This means that WordPress is free, and many of the themes and plugins you use are also free. Developers can create their own WordPress plugins and themes and share them for free in the official WordPress code repository.
Many of these developers are not members of the WordPress core team, but are just loyal WordPress users. They don't sell their work, but are happy to help you solve some small problems.
Additionally, since many WordPress developers don’t get paid for sharing their work and offering their help, it’s important to be respectful and grateful when asking for their support.
For example, you might leave a positive review about their plugin, recommend their theme to a colleague, or thank them publicly on social media where other WordPress users can see.
We also recommend that you leave a review for any plugins or themes that you recommend on the SidelinePlay blog. This way, other readers of SidelinePlay can benefit from your review and learn which plugin or theme developers have been most helpful.
In this guide, we’ll cover all the different ways to get WordPress support for your WordPress site. We recommend that you start with the first option and then try each method step by step.
However, if you wish to jump directly to a specific step, you can use the following links:
- Option 1: Do your own research before asking for WordPress support
- Option 2: Try to fix the problem first
- Option 3: Contact the plugin/theme developer at WordPress.org
- Option 4: Ask the WordPress Community
- Option 5: Contact the premium plugin/theme’s support team directly
- Option 6: Seek WordPress Hosting Support
- Option 7: If All Else Fails, Seek Professional WordPress Help
Option 1: Do your own research before asking for WordPress support
When you have an issue with a theme or plugin, you might be tempted to contact the developer immediately for help.
Before taking this step, it’s a good idea to check if your question has already been answered. Since you’re already on SidelinePlay, you’ve already found your answer. SidelinePlay is the largest free WordPress resource site for beginners.
Just use the search bar at the top of the page and enter a few words that describe the problem you're experiencing.
If the problem is with a specific theme or plugin, then it’s best to enter the name of that theme or plugin and then some information about the problem.
If you receive a WordPress error, it’s always worth pasting the error message into the WPBeginner search bar.
For example, searching for "error establishing database connection" will display a complete guide to fixing database connection errors.
Another option is to use your favorite search engine and add “wpbeginner” to the search.
Some of the more popular themes and WordPress plugins also have their own websites, blogs, FAQs, and other types of online documentation.
These resources often contain information that can help you understand the problem or even solve the problem yourself.
By taking these simple steps, you can resolve the issue without even having to contact the developer.
Many plugins and themes are developed by developers in their spare time out of passion. Therefore, they may not respond to your questions immediately.
Option 2: Try to fix the problem first
Before you call for help, it's best to try some simple fixes on your own first.
You can try our beginner’s guide to learn how to fix the most common WordPress errors .
Even if you fail to resolve the issue, you will usually be able to learn more about what the problem is. You can share this information with the author of the theme or plugin. This will help them understand the problem better and hopefully resolve it faster.
At the very least, this shows that you tried to resolve the issue first. This will encourage the developers to take your support request seriously.
Option 3: Contact the plugin/theme developer at WordPress.org
If you’re still having issues, then your next step would be to contact the author of the plugin or theme.
The good news is that every plugin and theme in the official WordPress repository has its own support forum.
To find the forum for a specific plugin, go to that plugin’s page in the WordPress official repository . You can then click on the “Support” tab to view the support forum for that plugin.
Looking for help with free WordPress themes?
Then, simply go to the theme’s page in the WordPress theme repository . From here, you need to click on the ‘View Support Forum’ button.
Before you can post to the support forums, you will need to log in to your WordPress.org account.
If you are not currently logged in, click "Log in to create a topic." You will then be logged into your account.
Once you're done, you can start a new topic or reply to someone else's post.
When posting on the support forums, it is important to remember that you are asking an expert to answer your question for free.
With this in mind, always strive to be respectful, clear, and concise.
It can also be helpful to explain all the steps you've taken to try to solve the problem on your own. This shows that you don't expect others to do all the hard work for you.
It also convinces the plugin or theme author that this is a serious issue and not just user error. Developers want users to have a good experience with their plugin or theme. If they suspect you’ve found a serious bug or error, they’ll want it fixed immediately.
To help you make a good first impression, here is a template you can use when posting to the WordPress support forum:
Thank you for creating such a great XYZ plugin/theme. For some reason I can't use it and I would really appreciate it if you could help me.
I'm using WordPress version:
Plugin/Theme Version:
I did this:
I would like a plugin/theme to be able to do this:
Instead it did this: (include any error messages here)
I'm using this hosting provider:
I have tried the following solutions:
I tried to reproduce the problem in the following web browsers:
Thank you for taking the time to help. I really appreciate it.
This is where you provide the developer with information that can help them understand the problem and possibly even suggest a fix.
Sometimes the author might ask you for more details, like your domain name or a list of plugins or themes you have installed. However, by providing all of the above information, you’re already off to a good start.
After you create a support thread, you may want to contact the developer directly. For example, you can send them a tweet or email them. This may help you get a response faster, especially if the developer doesn't regularly check their support forums.
If you contact the developer directly, be sure to include a link to your support post. It's best to just send a single message.
If you tweet at the plugin's author, email them, and message them on Facebook, you'll only annoy them.
This will only hurt your chances of getting a useful response.
You should also keep in mind that plugin or theme authors may be busy and may be in a completely different time zone than you. Therefore, you may have to wait for a response.
Option 4: Ask the WordPress Community
There’s a chance that other WordPress users have experienced the same problem and found a solution. These people may be able to help you resolve the issue without you having to rely on any professional support.
The WPBeginner Engage Facebook group is the best place to get support from other WordPress users and experts. With over 97,000 members, WPBeginner Engage is the largest and fastest growing WordPress non-techie and beginner group on Facebook.
Our team of WordPress experts also actively participate in the group to ensure that all members' questions are answered.
Option 5: Contact the premium plugin/theme’s support team directly
If you purchase a premium plugin or theme, then you can usually get professional support from the people who created the product.
Most companies have a dedicated support area or support channel, such as help desk software and live chat.
For example, WPForms , MonsterInsights , and AIOSEO all have special support areas.
Each company has its own rules for gaining support.
When you have a question, be sure to post it in the right place. For example, if a company requires you to contact them using a specific email address, don't message them on Twitter.
If you don't follow the rules, your issue may not be visible to the support team and you won't get the help you need.
If you’re not sure how to find help, try visiting the plugin or theme’s website. Here, look for any links that say “Support,” “Help Center,” “Contact Us,” or something similar.
Many websites and blogs include support links in their footers.
You can also find these links in the header of the website.
In the image below, you can see that All in One SEO has a “Help Center” link at the very top of the page.
After clicking this link, you may be asked to enter your username and password.
This is usually the information you provided when you purchased the theme or plugin.
If you download a commercial plugin or theme from an unofficial third party, then you will not be able to get professional support.
With this in mind, you should always purchase commercial themes and plugins from official sources.
You should still follow the guidelines we mentioned above when communicating with the professional support team. Just because you paid for the product doesn't mean you can be rude.
It’s also a good idea to provide as much information as possible. You can even take a screenshot of the problem. This information will help the support team understand your issue and resolve it as quickly as possible.
Option 6: Seek WordPress Hosting Support
Maybe your problem isn’t with a plugin or theme, but with your website itself. If you’ve tried to fix the problem but haven’t been able to, you might want to consult your WordPress hosting provider to find out exactly what’s going on.
One thing you can do is to check out your hosting provider’s documentation. They answer many common questions about hosting, domain names, SSL, etc. here.
If you use Bluehost, then you can simply visit their knowledge base and enter a topic related to your question. The page will display the most relevant results.
If that doesn’t work, WordPress hosting companies usually have 24/7 live chat services that you can contact. They’ll be happy to answer any questions you have and get to know what’s going on with your hosting and your website.
If you use Bluehost , you can simply log in to your hosting account and click the "Live Chat" button in the bottom right corner of the page to send a message to customer service. In our experience, they usually respond within 5 minutes.
Option 7: If All Else Fails, Seek Professional WordPress Help
Sometimes, problems on your WordPress site can be too thorny for you to fix on your own. If the problem isn’t fixed, your site could be at risk for security. For online business owners, this can mean loss of revenue and customers.
If the methods we discussed previously don’t help, it might be worth considering seeking professional help.
There are many professional WordPress developers and agencies that are happy to provide you with advanced assistance. They have extensive technical knowledge and will be better able to solve your problem.
Not sure who to contact? Leave a message on SidelinePlay and maybe we can help you!
We hope this article helped you understand how to properly ask for and receive WordPress support.
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