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Start with what you can see, not with what you think caused it. Most WordPress problems have a dozen possible causes, so working from the symptom is faster.

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Quick index

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Before you do anything else

1

Check the obvious

Did you publish or save the change? Many “broken” pages are simply unsaved.
2

Clear your cache

Page caching and object caching are the single most common cause of a change appearing not to work.
3

Try a private window

Bypasses page cache and browser cache, and shows what a first-time visitor sees.
4

Check Site Health

Tools → Site Health → Status often names the problem outright.
5

Deactivate your plugins

Not permanently — just note what breaks. It isolates half the possible causes in one step.
If your site is completely blank, stop and fix that first. Nothing else can be diagnosed while the front end renders nothing. Go to Blank site or fatal error.

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The 60-second diagnostic

This resolves a surprising share of WordPress problems.
1

Open Site Health

Tools → Site Health → Status. Address anything Critical.
2

Update everything

WordPress core, the theme, and all plugins. Outdated versions cause an enormous share of failures.
3

Deactivate all plugins

Plugins → Deactivate on the bulk action. Load your homepage.
4

Reactivate in halves

Turn on half your plugins, check, then the other half. Repeat to isolate.
5

Clear caches again

Both the page cache and, if you can, the object cache.
See Plugin conflicts for the full procedure.

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Common causes, ranked

By how often they turn out to be the answer.

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Getting real help

If none of this works, gather this before asking anywhere: Then post on the WordPress.org support forum with a link to your site. A specific error message moves you to a solution immediately; “my site is broken” does not.
Do not post your admin URL or login details. Include a public page link and the console error.

FAQ

Common questions that are not really bugs.

Plugin compatibility

What to expect from third-party plugins.