Locked Out of Your WordPress Website: Six Causes and the Way Back In for Each
Locked out of your WordPress website? The six usual causes, from a missing reset email to a lost 2FA phone, and the safe way back in for each one.
·18 min read
IO
Ian oversees Web60's hosting infrastructure and operations. Responsible for the uptime, security, and performance of every site on the platform, he writes about the operational reality of keeping Irish business websites fast, secure, and online around the clock.
Areas of Expertise
Hosting infrastructure and uptimeServer operations and monitoringSecurity, backups, and complianceWordPress platform managementIncident response and disaster recoveryGDPR and Irish data sovereignty
Background
- ✓Operations Director at Web60 / SmartHost
- ✓Specialist in managed WordPress infrastructure
- ✓Responsible for platform uptime and security
Articles by Ian O'Reilly
131 articles · Page 1 of 5
Website Headings: Your SEO Checker Is Grading the Wrong Thing
Website headings matter, but not the way SEO checkers claim. Google says count and order do not matter. Fix the headings customers actually read instead.
·13 min read
Old Website Still Online? The Forgotten Copy Hackers Find First
Old website still online after a rebuild? Forgotten copies on old hosts and agency servers get hacked, hold customer data and hurt your name. How to find them.
·15 min read
Old Date in Google Search Results? Changing the Date Is Not the Fix
Google showing an old date beside your page? Changing it in WordPress is not the fix. Why Google picks dates, and five steps to make the right one show.
·12 min read
Browser Extensions and Your WordPress Login: What They Can See
Malicious browser extensions have been caught stealing WordPress admin logins. What they can see, why 2FA misses it, and a five-step audit for your laptop.
·16 min read
Instagram Feed on Your Website: Why It Breaks and What to Show Instead
An Instagram feed on your website can freeze or vanish without warning. Why feeds break, what they cost in speed and privacy, and what to show instead.
·15 min read
Fake CAPTCHA on Your Website: The Hack Your Customers See and You Never Will
A customer says your website asked them to press Windows+R? That fake CAPTCHA hides from logged-in owners. How to verify it, contain it and warn customers.
·14 min read
WordPress Slow When Logged In? Your Customers Are Seeing a Different Website
WordPress slow when logged in? Your customers usually get a faster, cached site. How to verify what they really see, and how to fix a sluggish dashboard.
·15 min read
Critical PHP Security Update: Four Questions to Ask Your Web Host This Week
The critical PHP security update of 21 October 2026 will not show in WordPress. Four questions for your host, and what a good answer sounds like.
·15 min read
Your Website Search Box Is Doing More for Spammers Than Customers
Spam pages with your web address in Google may not be a hack. Spammers abuse website search boxes. How to verify yours is protected, and the fix to avoid.
·15 min read
Uploaded Files on Your Website Are Public. Even the Ones You Never Linked.
Uploaded files on your website are public, even on a private page. How PDFs end up in Google, how to find and remove yours, and when it counts as a breach.
·12 min read
Seasonal Pages on Your Website: Keep One Address and Reuse It Every Year
Deleting your Christmas or summer page each year throws away its Google history and links. Why seasonal pages should keep one address, and how to reuse them.
·13 min read
Website Suspended? Who Switched It Off and How to Get It Back
Website suspended? Find out whether your host, its abuse team or your registrar switched it off, what happens to your data and email, and how to recover.
·16 min read
WordPress Site Health Warnings: Which Ones Are Actually Your Job?
WordPress Site Health says your site should be improved? Some warnings are yours to fix, some are your host's, and the worst one is only marked recommended.
·12 min read
WordPress Admin Email: Who Gets the Message When Your Site Breaks?
Your WordPress admin email gets crash alerts, failed update notices and privacy requests. If it still points to whoever built your site, take it back today.
·12 min read
Website Hacked Again After Cleaning? Why the Malware Keeps Coming Back
Website hacked again after cleaning? Hidden backdoors, unpatched plugins and mistimed backups bring malware back. Five steps to a cleanup that sticks.
·12 min read
Fake Author Profiles on Your Website: Google Now Calls Them Deception
Google now calls fake author profiles, AI headshots and invented credentials a sign of a low-quality page. How to audit the bylines on your business website.
·15 min read
Events Page Not Showing on Google in Ireland? What Actually Works
Google's events panel is not offered in Ireland. How to build an events page that still gets found, from one page per event to Business Profile event posts.
·13 min read
Switching SEO Plugins Without Losing Your Titles, Descriptions and Redirects
Switching SEO plugins in WordPress? Deleting the old one first can wipe your page titles, meta descriptions and redirects. The safe order, step by step.
·13 min read
Accidentally Deleted a WordPress Page? Restore It Without Rolling Back Your Whole Site
Accidentally deleted a WordPress page? Restore it from the Trash or revisions first. A full backup restore can wipe today's orders and enquiries too.
·14 min read
WordPress Missed Schedule: Why Scheduled Posts and Sales Fail to Publish
Scheduled post not published? Why WordPress shows Missed schedule, what else stalls with it (WooCommerce sales, reminders) and how to verify and fix it.
·17 min read
WordPress Timezone Setting: Why Your Bookings Drift an Hour Twice a Year
Is your WordPress timezone set to UTC+0 or UTC+1? It will not adjust when the clocks go back on 25 October. How to fix it and protect your bookings.
·14 min read
Website Change Freeze: Finish the Work in October, Then Leave Your Site Alone for Christmas
A website change freeze stops risky plugin and design changes during your Christmas peak. What to freeze, what to keep updating, and why October is the time.
·13 min read
Website Hacked Extortion Email: How to Verify the Threat Before You Pay a Cent
Got an email saying your website was hacked and demanding Bitcoin? Most are bulk scams. How to verify the threat in five steps before you reply or pay a cent.
·13 min read
Country Blocking on Your Website: Who It Really Locks Out
Country blocking in your security plugin can lock out customers abroad, Googlebot and payment notifications. What it really blocks and a safer alternative.
·15 min read
Google Business Profile Bilingual Name Ban: What Irish-Named Businesses Should Change
Google now bans repeating your business name in two languages on your Business Profile, even if your sign shows both. What Irish-named businesses should change.
·13 min read
Website Not Loading for Customers but Works for You? That Is an Outage
Website not loading for customers but fine for you? Five causes behind partial outages, from mobile network bans to office firewalls, and how to verify each.
·15 min read
Google Is Crawling Your Shop Filter URLs Instead of Your Products
Shop filter URLs quietly multiply into thousands of addresses crawlers follow. How to see what Google is spending its crawl on, and when to block it.
·13 min read
WEEE Rules for Irish Online Sellers: The Notice Your Product Pages Must Carry
Sell anything with a plug, a battery or an LED from your own site and Irish WEEE rules apply. The exact notice wording, recycling lines and take-back duties.
·18 min read
WordPress Closed That Plugin. Your Dashboard Still Says It Is Fine.
WordPress can close a plugin without telling you. Updates stop, the code keeps running, and your admin screen shows nothing. How to check your own list.
·13 min read