7 Ways to Fix Website Tech Issues Fast from 37 Years

** Updated June 2026 **

I’m not immune to technology snares.

Especially me because it’s my job to push the envelope a bit, try out new things, and then trim back to what works. Call it the pains of growth.

However, it’s quite embarrassing when my own website hiccups — being a website expert and all.

From coding computer games on the Commodore-64 in the 80s, to late nights at the pod in Binghamton University, to writing actuarial software at my old insurance company, TIAA-CREF, I’ve done battle with and slain many tech sea monsters.

Yes, it can get as ugly as Beowulf’s sea monster battle.

And here are my top tips for handling tech issues for you, the non-techie coach.

1. Reset Stuff

This should probably come before the others.

Often a quick reset of your computer, browser, wifi, or website login sets things in motion that resolve technical matters.

Try these first:

• Restart your browser.
• Restart your computer.
• Log out of your website and log back in.
• Try a different browser.
• Try your website on your phone.
• If it’s slowness, disconnect from wifi and reset your wifi box. Wait a solid minute as it triggers actions at the service provider as well.

This matters because browsers can get stuffed up, especially if they’ve been open for a long time with a ridiculous number of tabs. Chrome, in particular, can be a bit of a resource hog. If your computer has been running for days, your browser has 47 tabs open, and you’ve been bouncing between email, Canva, WordPress, Google Docs, YouTube, and who knows what else, things can start to get weird.

You may notice pages loading slowly, buttons not responding, website editors freezing, forms acting flaky, or your computer breathing heavily like it just climbed a hill.

Sometimes the problem is not your website. Sometimes your browser just needs a nap.

A lot of weird tech gremlins disappear after a good reset. Not always. But often enough to make it worth trying first.

2. Wait a minute

Another good move is to wait a bit, especially if you’ve tried some quick fixes already.

There are all kinds of checks, tests, and monitors from your computer screen to your website host and everywhere else in the world. These things often catch problems like overloaded servers, busy internet highways, and tech failures.

Wait a minute, try again. Wait 10 minutes, try again. Wait an hour, try again. Sometimes the problem isn’t you. Sometimes the internet is just having a little moment.

However, if your problem is big, like your website is down an hour before you do a webinar, then seek expert technical help fast. That is not the time to make tea and hope the website elves sort it out.

3. Make Sure Plugins and Software Are Updated

If you’re using WordPress, make sure your WordPress core, theme, and plugins are updated. Old software can slow your site down, break features, and create security holes.

This is especially important if your site has:

• Contact forms
• Booking tools
• Page builders
• Security plugins
• SEO plugins
• Anything that connects to another service

But do not click “update everything” blindly if your website is important to your business. Make sure your site is backed up first. Updates are usually good. Surprise explosions are less good.

If you’re not sure, ask your web person or hosting company before doing a big round of updates.

4. Do a Quick Search

You’d be surprised to find that no matter what your issue is, someone else has been there and found an answer.

Just search online using words related to your problem. Do your best to describe your challenge to Google. For example: “can’t log into WordPress on Macbook using Safari”

Often, you can just copy, word for word, any error message to find a quick answer. Error messages look scary, but they are often very searchable.

If your 20 minutes of searching is not finding an answer, you should try something else. There is a fine line between “I’m researching this” and “I have fallen into the tech swamp.” Know the line.

5. Ask AI

You’d be surprised at how much AI can help with tech issues.

Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini can help you understand error messages, brainstorm possible causes, write better search phrases, and figure out what to try next.

You can paste in an error message and ask:

• “What does this mean in plain English?”
• “What are the most likely causes of this WordPress problem?”
• “Give me 5 safe things to try before I contact support.”

AI is especially useful when you don’t even know what words to search for. It can help you turn “my website thingy is broken” into something more useful, like: “My WordPress contact form is not sending email after a plugin update.” That’s a much better starting point.

But don’t blindly follow every technical instruction it gives you. AI can be very helpful. It can also be confidently wrong. So use it to understand the problem, organize your thinking, and find better next steps.

If it tells you to edit code, change DNS settings, delete files, or do anything that sounds scary, stop and get expert help. Ask AI. Just don’t let it drive the bulldozer unsupervised.

6. Ask Facebook / Groups / Friends

Yep. Ask.

Ask your friends. Ask Facebook. Ask LinkedIn. Ask a group where the right tech people hang out.

If you know a tech-savvy friend in particular, ask him or her directly. But simply posting the issue as a status update can also work. If your friend doesn’t know, they probably know someone who does.

A simple post like this can work:

“My WordPress contact form stopped sending emails. Anyone know a quick fix or a good person to ask?”

You can also find groups on the topic. For example, WordPress, Joomla, PHP, website design, email marketing, and so on. There are groups out there for all kinds of technology. For WordPress, two groups that come to mind are WordPress Web Designers and WordPress Experts.

There are also Facebook Groups and others on the web where you can search for savvy people. StackOverflow.com is another haven for techies — lots of smart people there.

Just remember to ask a clear question. Include what you were trying to do, what happened, what you already tried, and any error message you saw. The clearer your question, the better your answer.

7. Find a Workaround

Sometimes we don’t have time to resolve an issue now or the resources to do so are beyond what we’re willing to invest. Time. Money. Energy. Patience. Hair.

Finding a plan B is certainly an option.

For example, you’re about to fly off on vacation, and your website form for getting in touch with you isn’t working. You can just take it down and add your phone and/or email address as the method for which people should reach you.

A few quick workarounds:

• If your booking calendar is broken, ask people to email you.
• If your fancy page is glitchy, send people to a simpler page.
• If your payment link is not working, invoice manually for the moment.
• If your contact form is down, put your email address on the page.

It may not be elegant. But working beats elegant-and-broken.

8. Better Call Kenn

Do NOT waste hours of your own time on technical stuff if you can get an answer quickly from someone else.

If you have a web designer, call or send an email if it isn’t urgent. Contact a software company such as your hosting company. If it’s a theme provider, booking tool, email service, payment service, or plugin company, contact them.

And if your coaching website is slow, broken, confusing, outdated, or acting like it has joined a small rebellion… Better Call Kenn.

It’s easy to spend hours of your own time on tech issues. I’ve done it plenty. In the 12+ years of building websites online, getting things done quickly is the name of the game. Finding an answer in 15 minutes surely beats hours of frustration.

Your time is better spent coaching, selling, writing, and serving clients — not wrestling with a plugin that has decided to become a sea monster.

After Attempted Fixes, Don’t Forget to TEST, TEST, TEST!!!

After you fix something, test it thoroughly.

When things break, they can have a domino effect on other areas of your website. So, be sure to test out the fix and ensure things are running smoothly.

Test these:

• Your contact form
• Your booking link
• Your main buttons
• Your site on your phone
• The page in a different browser
• The thing that was broken, plus the things around it

Not testing is novice mistake #1. They fix something, ignore testing, and find out days to weeks later it didn’t actually work. Bad!

A broken contact form can quietly cost you leads for weeks. You may think people are not reaching out because they’re not interested. But maybe they tried. And your website dropped the ball.

A Quick Monthly Website Check

If you want to avoid a lot of tech drama, do a quick website check once a month. Nothing fancy. Just enough to keep the sea monsters from nesting.

Check these:

• Your homepage on mobile
• Your contact form
• Your booking button
• WordPress, theme, and plugin updates
• Plugins you don’t use
• Your main pages for speed
• Broken links or missing images
• Your site backup

That little bit of care can prevent a lot of pain later.

Stuck on a tech issue? Spending hours? Pulling hair?

Better Call Kenn.

Or, if you found another great way to solve tech issues quickly, I’d love to hear your stories. Just post a comment.