Numerous blogging platforms promise simplicity, efficiency, and a quick setup. However, when it comes to full control and flexibility, WordPress remains the undisputed king of blogging platforms. It is not only free and open-source, but also grants you full control and access for your website’s visibility, traffic, monetization, customization, and overall long-term blogging project goals.

Best Blogging Platform in 2026 – Why it Remains WordPress?

WordPress remains the best blogging platform for 2026, as it provides full ownership, unlimited customization, excellent SEO capabilities, affordable hosting, and great scaling that can turn your simple blog into a fully developed business.

WordPress is SEO-Friendly

What is the point of great content if nobody can find it? SEO is vital for every contemporary blog, and WordPress is designed in such a way that it helps your website get an optimal amount of organic traffic. The platform comes with a clean structure and semantic markup, so you get fundamental optimization right from the installation moment.

Furthermore, you can benefit from various SEO plugins – these tools integrate directly within the WordPress core and grant you insights and knowledge of how to optimize every detail on your website, so you achieve more in organic ranking. With such plugins, you can edit meta descriptions, create content pillars, check for keyword cannibalization, and even find internal linking opportunities.

Scaling From a Blogging Platform to a Full Business Suite

Your blogging initiative might start as a hobby, but what it takes off? Well, WordPress got you covered – it is designed to help you grow. Whether you get a thousand or one hundred thousand visitors a day, a properly hosted WordPress website can handle all this traffic without having to pay a premium or worry about any platform limit.

Furthermore, integrating your blog idea with your social media strategy is easy. You can share social media posts, embed feeds, track performance, add buttons, and much more. Because of the platform’s versatility, you can design it to be a central part of your multifaceted online presence.

Read Also: Content Marketing vs Social Media Marketing: Which is Better for Your Project?

With time, your blog can expand into:

• Affiliate marketing.
• E-commerce.
• Membership websites.
• Online courses.
• Multi-author blog space.
• Anything else.

Fully Customizable for Any Niche

By using WordPress, you can design your website just the way you wish it to be. You don’t have to deal with limitations, paywall access, and other boundaries. By using WordPress, you can modify:

• Theme design and features.
• Fonts, colors, branding.
• Website architecture.
• Headers, footers, navigation menus.
• Custom widgets and custom elements.
• Add HTML, CSS, and JavaScript snippets.
• Integrate with third-party software.
• Incorporate rich galleries and numerous media files.

Regardless of your niche, WordPress is quite versatile and can adapt to any niche – a food blog, a travel website, a tech publications space, or anything else.

Ownership and Full Control

One of the greatest WordPress advantages is that it provides you with full ownership and complete control over each aspect of your blog. When you build your blog on WordPress, everything belongs to you. This means the following:

• All your content belongs to you: Every article, image, and page is yours. The platform cannot delete, censor, or limit the use of a given media, because you surpassed limits, violated rules, or anything similar.
• Full control over website design: You can determine each detail of your website design – the theme you wish to use, layout, color schemes, and custom features. Unlike other platforms, WordPress gives you full creative freedom without locking you into pre-set templates.
• Full control over technicality: Along with design and media ownership, you have full control over databases, backups, user details, analytics, and exporting options. This is very important for each long-term project, should you decide to migrate or scale your blog at a given time in the future.
• Monetization: You can add ads, affiliate links, subscriptions, courses, online stores, and anything else with the freedom to decide pricing all by yourself. No third party will determine limits and commissions – since the website is yours, you will be the one to decide.
• No forced ads: Unlike other platforms, you won’t be forced to feature unwanted ads on your web pages.

Where is the Catch Then?

WordPress.org core is free. There’s no catch in that.

Many of the themes and plugins are free; some are paid.

The first catch: the “free hosting”  and cheap blogging platforms get you by hosting your blog and owning it, oftentimes paywalling site features, your growth, and monetization options.

The second catch: To launch a completely independent WordPress blog, you need a reliable hosting service. Only by using one such can you unfold the full potential of WordPress.

Use the Best Blogging Platform on a Reliable Foundation

The final step for launching a blog with WordPress is to host the platform within a service that is safe and remains powerful at any given time. To get the most out of your WordPress project, you need a hosting service that is fast, secure, and optimized especially for a WordPress website.s

Don’t experiment with your blog’s potential. AwardSpace can provide you with the ideal hosting solution for your WordPress website.

Check out our special WordPress hosting service and launch your blog today. We will handle all technicalities, while you focus on what you do best – create amazing content.

The post Best Blogging Platform in 2026: Why WordPress Remains King appeared first on AwardSpace.com.

In this article, we share how to improve your Instagram content performance, which metrics matter, and some of the best Instagram analytics tools you can incorporate right away for better campaign performance.

Why Instagram Analytics Tools Matter

There are numerous reasons why you should incorporate Instagram analytics tools when working on your business and marketing campaign. In short, such platforms allow you to achieve your online goals faster and more effectively. Here’s why.

• Instagram analytics tools allow you to create data-driven content rather than relying on pure guesswork. When using such software, you can get detailed insight into what’s working and what is not. For example, analytics can help you find out which Instagram posts generate the highest engagement rate (likes/comments/shares) and publish similar ones in the future.
• Analytics give you insight into what type of content formats are most impactful. Your audience would likely prefer one type of format over another – videos instead of photos, carousels instead of stories. By using analytics tools, you can find out which precise formats work best with your audience and simply provide your online customers with more of what they want to see.
• Instagram analytics tools grant you the possibility to notice patterns and trends. With a good tool, you can identify top-performing posts, examine how the audience engages, and what themes and topics would engage them in the future. Such insights allow you to find out what type of post and format are most impactful, the perfect time for publication, new topics to discuss on Instagram, and numerous more.
• Analytics tools allow you to analyze and review your Instagram activity. The right platform allows you to compare how your performance stacks up against competitors, past campaigns, and industry standards. This is vital for any online activity, especially in a business context.

How to Choose an Instagram Analytics Tool

With so many tools that you can instantly adopt, choosing the right one can be difficult. However, we suggest you follow our tips, so you choose the one tool that works perfectly for your preferences and goals.

Scope of the Tool

Before purchasing or registering, first ask yourself, what exactly would you want the platform to do for you – do you need it to focus on publication insights, count reactions, publication and scheduling posts, give you basic feedback, or do you aim to adopt a platform that can help you manage your entire business and everything related to social media, not only Instagram.

Depth of Analytics

Do you need basic metrics counted, such as followers, likes, and comments, or do you need something more advanced – competitor benchmarking, hourly audience activity, competitor analysis, competitor activity, and others?

Extra Features

Do you need only core features, or do you want a suite of tools under a single platform? Do you need scheduling, bio link tracking, team collab, monitoring, and similar?

5 Best Instagram Analytics Tools to Help Your Brand Grow

There are numerous Instagram tools on the market, but the ones we suggest are highlighted by experts and professionals. Each has its own strengths, and depending on what you would want a tool to do, you can select the perfect one for your specific needs.

Social Status

Social Status is focused on Instagram analytics – all of its features are created to help you analyze the performance of your accounts and publications. Social Status can help you break down engagements by likes, comments, shares, impressions, follower growth, and more.

Key features include:

• Feed posts, stories, reels, and ads tracking.
• Presentation-ready PDF and PowerPoint exports (especially useful for client reporting).
• Competitor benchmarking.
• Campaign tracking.
• Breakdowns of social activities on Instagram.

Ideal if: you need a detailed insight report, so you can delve deeper into numbers, or use these in presentations.

Avoid if: you need a scheduling and publishing tool for your Instagram activity.

Iconosquare

Iconosquare is quite a versatile and multifaceted Instagram tool. It allows you to build dashboards, grants you analytics features, and makes it easy to focus on important metrics such as engagement, followers, and top-performing content.

Key features include:

• Hundreds of metrics covering Instagram content performance and audience data.
• Visual representation of data (great for internal and client reporting).
• Content scheduling.
• Feed preview.
• Competitor and hashtags tracking.

Ideal if: You need analytics and scheduling options from a single tool.

Avoid if: You are not into too complex dashboards that require understanding and setting up mechanics. Also, pricing is on the higher end.

Sendible

Sendible is a faceted tool that integrates analytics, scheduling, and client collaboration within a single platform. Also, the tool comes with a flexible reporting feature that allows you to create branded and detailed reports.

Key features include:

• Automated periodic reports.
• Branding capabilities
• Hundreds of widgets to customize the analytics dashboard.
• Team collaboration.

Ideal if: You work with numerous brands and Instagram accounts and need a polished reporting feature.

Avoid if: Sendible can be quite pricey for solo creators and small teams. Also, it is a complex tool and requires learning and understanding core functionalities. For some, it is overkill for single-brand accounts.

Metricool

Metricool is a platform that can grant you a lot for the price. It comes with analytics, competitor tracking, and content planning, and analytics. The tool is quite useful, especially for small teams, creators, and freelancers.

Key features include:

• Good analytics tool.
• Competitor comparison.
• Built-in Instagram scheduler with best-time-publication suggestions.
• Bio link tracking.

Ideal if: You want a versatile tool with a reliable analytics feature without paying enterprise-level product.

Avoid if: Although features are many features, some of them are limited in functionality and offer only basic functions.

Agorapulse

Agorapulse provides users with detailed engagement metrics and allows you to track how Instagram contributes to your website traffic, lead,s and revenue.

Key features include:

• Good ROI tracking: links Instagram actions to your website data and metrics.
• Competitor comparison and listening.
• Automated reporting.
• Team collaboration.

Ideal for: Marketing teams that need a lot of features under one roof.

Avoid if: You need only basic analytics. Furthermore, the tool is complex and pricey.

Conclusion

Whether you are a solo creator or a social media manager working with numerous accounts, adopting the right Instagram analytics tool can drastically help you with your online activity. Instagram analytics tools provide you with clear data on content performance and audience growth, and also provide you with tons of other features to help you analyze and improve your Instagram marketing strategy.

To get the most out of the analytics tool you choose, remember:

• Start with your goals.
• Pick a tool that grants you the metrics you need to use.
• Use the data to act, not only analyze.
• Review regularly and implement changes.
• Make sure analytics become a part of the workflow and not an exotic activity.

The post 5 Best Instagram Analytics Tools to Help Your Brand Grow appeared first on AwardSpace.com.

To use the FTP configuration files, you should first access them.

First, log in to the hosting panel.

Then, make sure to create an FTP account.

Read also: How to Change Password of an FTP account.

Now that you are in the AwardSpace hosting panel, head to the FTP Manager:

Now, while on the FTP Manager page, select an FTP account you wish to use. To do so, click the blue + icon next to each of your FTP accounts:

Once you click the + icon, a new section with buttons will appear. Click on FTP Configuration Files:

A list of available configuration files will appear. Each file is designed to fit different FTP management platforms such as FileZilla, CoffeeCup Free FTP, Cyberduck, and WinSCP:

Now, you can download the config file for each of your hosted websites. To do so, simply click on the Download Config File or Legacy FTP Config buttons, right below the icon of each FTP platform:

Now, you can use the file to transfer files via the platform you choose.

If you are not sure how to proceed, then check our articles on the topic:

• FTP Connection Settings
• What is an FTP Server
• What is an FTP Port

The post How to Use FTP Configuration Files appeared first on AwardSpace.com.

By using the File Manager, you can manage all aspects of your websites’ files – create a new one, edit your existing ones, edit their content, distribute them into folders, delete them, and upload new ones.

In this article, we share how to access the AwardSpace File Manager once you have registered for a hosting plan.

The process is straightforward and requires only a few clicks.

To access the File Manager, first log in to the AwardSpace hosting panel.

Once logged in, click on the File Manager icon, within the Website Manager box:

This will open a new page with a list of all your hosted websites on our servers. To manage the files of a specific website, simply double-click on its folder:

Once you double-click on a website’s directory, you can browse its root files and folders:

To open a file and edit its content, simply double-click on its icon. To open a folder and browse its contents, just do the same – double-click it.

You can also use the tools at the top of the page to make your file management easier – there are handy buttons to upload files, create new ones, rename files, move them, delete them, extract them, download, and much more:

Read more about how to use the file manager.

Now you know how to access the AwardSpace File Manager.

The post How to Access the File Manager appeared first on AwardSpace.com.

By using the Usage Reports, you can monitor changes and details regarding disc space, traffic, domains, subdomains, databases, and much more.

The process is straightforward and requires only a few clicks.

To access your website usage reports, first log in to the AwardSpace hosting panel.

Once logged in, click on the Usage Reports icon, within the Website Statistics box:

This will open a new page with a list of all your hosting features and their usage reports. The list is extensive, and you can monitor any detail of your website’s performance:

Now you know how to access your website usage report via the AwardSpace hosting panel.

Why Usage Report Matters

Usage reports provide you with a clear picture of how your hosting resources are being used.

For example:

• Disc Space: monitor how much disc space is used. Even if you are using an unlimited plan, it is helpful to know how much space your site is taking.
• Traffic: shows you how much data visitors have transferred from your website. Such a metric helps you understand your website’s popularity and whether it might slow down during peak hours.
• Subdomains and databases: IF you are planning to add more projects, these metrics can help you plan and distribute your resources adequately.

The post How to Access Your Website Usage Report appeared first on AwardSpace.com.

In the following paragraphs, we share what content pillars are and how to use them in crafting your website content, so you get the most out of your website.

What are Content Pillars

You have likely stared at your content calendar, unsure of what to write next. The majority of bloggers, digital marketers, and business owners have hit the wall, so you are not alone. In such situations, content pillars come in handy, as they serve as a backbone for your website’s content creation process.

In plain words, content pillars are a set of relevant themes for your website and business that serve as a foundation of your content strategy. Think of these pillars as large topical categories under which smaller content ideas take place. For example, a fitness studio might use these sample content pillars: Workout Routines, Nutrition Tips, Mental Wellness. Then, under each pillar, a more precise topic takes place. For example, under Workout Routines, the studio adds topics such as Routines for Weight Loss, Routines for Bulking, and Routines for Cardio. Then, within these sub-categories, you can add your focused articles and publications that revolve around the main topic. In the context of a fitness studio, within the Routines for Weight Loss category, which stays under the Workout Routines pillar, you can add an article such as this one – Why HIIT Workouts are so Popular and are they Effective for You?

A visual representation of the content pillar structure looks like this:

And when applied to the fitness studio example, it looks like this:

Such an approach towards your website content is effective for several reasons. First, it organizes your ideas and helps you come up with content ideas more easily. Second, it is very effective for SEO, as search engines love well-structured websites. Also, such a structure makes it very easy for your website visitors to quickly have a notion of what your content is all about and to search for a given article quickly and easily.

Types of Content Pillars

Your content pillars will always depend on your brand, audience, and business goals. This means that different types of formats can be effective for various niches and businesses, and although there is no one universal formula, we share some of the most common types of content pillars that can be applicable for your website and business niche:

Guides. These are comprehensive long-form articles that introduce your readers to a broad theme or topic. In this context, guides serve as a pillar article that you can update over time and link to some complementary posts on the same topic. For example, one such pillar article can be “What is SEO and How Does it Work“. It will serve as the central hub regarding everything about the topic of SEO, including explaining what keywords are, what backlinks are, and what internal links are. Also,it will connect other relevant publications within the same topic with links, like “What are Keywords” and “What is Keyword Stuffing“. Pillar guides are very effective for establishing topical authority and also help you with search visibility.

In a simple visual example, all this means that your pillar article is present, and you expand its content with focused short articles that remain under the main pillar category and link to it:

“What Is” type of articles. There are numerous occasions in which your target audience may want to get a quick and precise answer to a given question. For example, where to set the Google Analytics 4 Code. Such publications help you define various concepts in simple terms, give context, and link to your website’s other content pillars and deeper resources. Such articles might not be as extensive and detailed as the guide pillar articles, but they are important for your content pillar strategy, as they help visitors retain interest in your website’s content.

“How To” type of articles. These are instructional posts that help your readers solve a problem or complete a task. An example of such an article can be “How to Upload Your Content Calendar in Google Sheets” or “How to Access WordPress Admin Panel with Critical Error Warning.” Such articles can help you deliver practical value to people who search for solutions online and also enhance the content pillar model by linking these how-to articles in one big cluster under a big category.

When blended, these types of content create a well-structured system of content pieces that enhance user experience, send signals to Google that your website is well-built, and help with retaining visitors across your pages.

How to Create Content Pillars On Your Website

Although building a strong content pillar strategy won’t happen overnight, with enough planning, research, and consistent execution, you can build a pillar system quite quickly. We share our ideas on how to create content pillars, incorporate them into your website, and enhance your content creation process.

Step 1: Audit Your Website

Start by examining your already existing content pieces – blog posts, landing pages, videos, case studies, and others and examine which ones bring the most traffic to your pages. A quick way of analysing is by using an analytics tool. Search for:

• Patterns such as subjects you covered well.
• Gaps such as topics you haven’t covered, but your audience expects from you.
• Top performing pages – filter the publications that bring the most traffic and find what makes them so successful. The insights you gather can then be used for new content ideas that are also effective.

Step 2: Research Your Target Audience

Your content pillars should be aligned with your audience’s needs, expectations, and pain points. The more you know about them, the more effective your pillars will become. Alongside the classic age/gender/location details, you should also extrapolate data about their preferences, psychological and physical needs, how they find your product, and how they believe you can help them. Such insights can help you shape your products and services in a way that is more appealing to them, but also mold your content pillars in a way that is most useful to them.

To get the most out of audience research, use tools and sources like:

• Search data (by adopting tools such as Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush).
• Comments and reviews (what people think about your business, products, and services).
• CRM data (sales data and customer pain points).
• Community feedback (for example, insights from social media discussions via various social media tools).

Step 3: Define Content Pillars

Now that you know more about your audience and the type of content that generates traffic, it is time to start shaping your pillars. For starters, focus on outlining 3-5 pillars, as more can dilute the impact of your content strategy.

To define a pillar, blend the insights you got from audience and content analysis, and add your business goals and your expertise. Now look for recurring insights, ideas, and topics that can be combined into one big category. Once you come up with an idea, boom! You’ve got your first pillar category created. Repeat to process until you have 3-5 pillar categories. For now, these are more than enough.

After you come up with a list of pillars, it is time to think of a post that encompasses everything about this general category. For example, if one of your pillars is “Workout Routines”, then you should create a guide or a large article explaining everything about this topic – cover ideas such as what a workout is, why people should work out, how a workout changes our body, how workout contributes to better well-being, and so on. Once you finish this vast article, you have created your first pillar. Congratulations!

Step 4: Define Your Cluster Map

Now, the next step is to create numerous smaller articles that revolve around the topic of the pillar article and expand it even further. For example, you create snorter articles such as HIIT for Beginners, What are Tabata Workouts, and How to Stretch after a Workout, and link these articles to your main one. This approach helps you build a well-structured system of content that is relevant, categorized, and useful for your potential audience. For example, you can add such types of publications:

• FAQ Posts
• WHAT IS  articles.
• HOW TO articles.
• Comparisons of concepts, ideas, products, and services.
• Case studies.

Don’t forget to link these to your main pillars for optimal SEO impact.

In the example of Workout Routines, smaller articles can include topics such as:

• Workout Routines for Weight Loss
• 10-Minute Routines
• HIIT for Beginners
• What Supplements to Take after a Workout

Step 5: Plan Your Revised Content Calendar

After you have created a pillar article, subarticles, and linked them within the system of your website, it is now time to organize these publications into a structured content calendar. Such a calendar not only acts as a reminder of what to publish and on which days. A well-structured content calendar can also help you balance the content themes, assign responsibilities, and align your content strategy with your overall business strategy.

Although there is no single tried-and-tested method, you can do the following:

• Publish different pillar articles and different smaller publications every week, so you keep your website visitors engaged with diverse content. Also, don’t forget to include these publications in your social media marketing strategy for an even stronger impact.
• Or, for example, you can try to dedicate an entire month to a single topic and therefore publish content only from one pillar. With this approach, you can solidify your topical authority – a great approach to boost your SEO score.

Whichever method you choose, you should remember that consistency is key. Periodic publications in your content creation process can help you keep your team aligned and ensure that your audience remains satisfied with new content often.

Step 6: Include Pillars Within Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

Don’t limit to publications only on your website’s blog. Your posts can bring more traffic and convert more customers if they are included in your social media marketing campaign. To benefit from such an approach, make sure to include your pillars and related articles within your social media publications, so you reach a wider audience. For example, you can do the following:

• Break your large How-To guides into simple step-by-step Instagram carousels, or short TikTok videos that urge users to open the full article within your website.
• Share informative case studies on your LinkedIn thread, so you can highlight a challenge and a solution you provided, so B2B and B2C audiences know that you are an expert in a given field.
• Take key ideas from your pillar articles and share them on X and Facebook, so you cover different topics constantly and again prompt the audience to open the full article on your website.

The idea is to align a format with a theme, so it fits a given audience. For example, visual-heavy tutorials can have an impact on Instagram, while in-depth insights and analyses can convert better on LinkedIn. Always remember to link to the post on your website, so the social media publications become a gateway that drives the audience to the next step in the customer journey of becoming a paying client.

Conclusion

Creating an online blog is way more than publishing posts. It is about creating a structured system that supports your business’s long-term goals. This is where content pillars come in handy. By defining main topics and categories, then breaking them into subcategories, and then creating topic-related and relevant articles, you have the chance to enhance your site visitors’ browsing experience and greatly enhance your SEO score.

Content pillars are not just a shallow content tactic, but a long-term investment that can help your brand grow. In fact, each successful blog and reputable website on the web invests in such an approach, because time has shown that content pillars are directly connected to more visits, engagement, and better conversion rate.

Start working on your first content pillars today, and watch how much easier and more consistent your content creation process becomes – try out our free web hosting plan and launch your project today.

The post What Are Content Pillars and Why Are They Vital for Your Blog appeared first on AwardSpace.com.

In this article, we show you how to add dynamic fields and layouts in Vtiger.

How to Add Dynamic Fields and Layouts in Vtiger

The process is quite straightforward and requires only a few steps and a few minutes of your time. Here’s how to proceed.

First, log in to Vtiger.

Once within the hosting panel, click the sandwich menu icon at the top left of the screen:

Then, from the menu option that would appear, head to Settings -> CRM Settings:

A new page should open. Once you see it, via the left sidebar, click on Module Management and select Module Layout & Fields:

Yet a new page should open. This is the place where you can add layouts and modules, as well as manage all settings related to them.

Now, to add a field, click on the + Add Custom Field button right above the Fields section:

Once you click the button, a dialogue box should appear. Within this box, add the details about the field you are about to create, and then click on Save:

Now you have managed to create a field.

To manage any of your fields, simply hover your mouse button over one and click on the pencil icon that appears:

A box with options should appear. From there, you can change all field settings. Once you are ready with your changes, click on Save:

Conclusion

Adding fields to Vtiger is a simple process, but a handy one. It helps you align the CRM settings to fit all your business processes. By adopting such customizations, Vtiger can become quite a handy companion for all your business endeavors.

The post How to Add Dynamic Fields in Vtiger appeared first on AwardSpace.com.

How to Install Vtiger on the AwardSpace Hosting Panel

When you register for any of the AwardSpace hosting plans, you get access to numerous free CMS platforms you can use right away, even with our free hosting plan. As a part of this free pack, you also get Vtiger. Follow the steps below to install the platform.

The first step in the process is to log in to the AwardSpace hosting panel.

The next step is to register a domain name that you would use with Vtiger.

After you have logged in via the hosting panel, head to Zacky App Installer, located inside the Website Manager box:

Once Zacky App Installer is open, click on the green Browse and Install Apps:

You will see a list of instantly available CMS platforms for installation – WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and many more. Before heading to installation, however, it is first important to select a domain name that would be associated with your Vtiger project. For this, from the top of the page, from Hostname, select a domain name you would use with the installation:

After you select a domain name, click the Vtiger icon from the list of available CMS platforms and proceed to step 2 of the process:

Now, you should select a title for your website, an admin username, password. and email for your project:

N.B! Make sure to remember the credentials you select on this page, as they are required to log in to Vtiger and start working on your project.

After you have selected credentials, click on Install Application, so the installation process begins. A box with the installation process should appear:

Once the process is complete, a confirmation message will appear:

You will also receive an email with important information.

N.B! This email contains important information about your installation – read it thoroughly and keep it safe for future reference!

Now you have managed to install Vtiger. The next step in the process is to log in to the platform to start working on your project.

The post How to Install Vtiger appeared first on AwardSpace.com.

What is a Critical Error Warning in WordPress

Critical Error in WordPress is an error message that appears on your website when WordPress can’t load scripts that are important for the proper functionality of your website. There can be various causes for this error, such as a malfunctioning plugin, theme, code snippet, or scripts. These malfunctions result in either a dysfunctional file or a code that doesn’t work properly, both prompting a Critical Error message.

Now, let’s see how to access the WordPress admin panel with a critical error warning.

Read also:

• How to Fix “Patterns are Not Uploading” Error to WordPress Theme
• WordPress 404 Not Found
• How to Fix Error 503 Service Unavailable in WordPress

How to Access WordPress Admin Panel With a Critical Error Warning

First, you need to locate where the issue comes from and then fix it. In the following paragraphs, we share how to fix the problem, should it derive from the most common Fatal Error prompts – faulty plugins and themes.

Method 1: Check for Malfunctioning Plugins

Although numerous WordPress plugins work just fine, some can still cause technical issues, such as the Critical Error. To see whether an active plugin on your website is causing the trouble, continue reading. The process is simple and comprises only a few steps: deactivate all plugins, check whether the error message is still present, and if it is, find the plugin that causes the trouble. Here’s how to proceed:

Since Critical Error prevents you from accessing your WordPress dashboard, you should use the AwardSpace hosting panel instead. Once you log in, click on File Manager:

Then, from the list of directories, open one of the problematic WordPress websites:

After that, locate the wp-content/ folder and open it:

Once you are in, locate a folder called plugins/. Once you see it, right-click on it and select Rename:

Now choose a name for the folder, for example, Plugins_changed_name or anything else different from Plugins.

The idea behind the renaming is simple – WordPress automatically searches for a folder named exactly plugins to browse and incorporate your installed plugins, and when this folder is renamed to something different, the CMS simply can’t find what it searches for and decides there are no installed plugins, so every plugin within the renamed folder is deactivated.

Now, while all plugins are deactivated, try to open your website. If it loads without the Critical Error message, then the issue derives from one of the deactivated plugins. To locate which one is corrupted, you should download all of them on your device, and upload them again one by one and checking whether the error message appears after each upload. Once you see an issue right after an upload is completed, this is the malfunctioning plugin.

Here’s how to proceed:

Step 1: Download all Your Plugins to Your Device

The first thing to do is to download all your plugins to your device before deleting them from WordPress from the hosting panel. To download them, via the AwardSpace hosting panel, head to File Manager ->  Your Website’s directory -> wp-content/ -> the renamed Plugins folder. 

Once inside, select all plugins within the folder and download them via the Download button at the top menu:

Step 2: Delete All Plugins from WordPress

Now that your plugins are downloaded on your computer, it is time to delete them from WordPress. Don’t worry about losing any that are important for your website, as in a moment, we will be uploading them again.

While in the plugins directory, select all plugins and click the Delete button located at the top of the page:

Step 3: Rename The Plugins Directory Again

Now that you have your plugins safely downloaded and deleted from WordPress, it is time to revert to the original folder name, so WordPress can access it and engage with the plugins you are about to re-upload. For this, head to File Manager -> Your Website Directory -> wp-admin and right-click on the renamed plugins folder, select Rename, and type in the original folder name – plugins/

N.B! Keep in mind that WordPress expects the folder to be named exactly plugins (with lower case!), otherwise it will remain unrecognisable. 

Step 3: Re-Upload Plugins One By One

The next step in the process is to re-upload each of your plugins one by one and check whether the Critical Error message appears after each single upload. The logic behind such an approach is simple – once a faulty plugin is uploaded, it will prevent WordPress from functioning properly, and therefore, the error message will occur. Once you see this issue, you can then be sure that the last plugin you uploaded is the malfunctioning one. Here’s how to proceed:

Log in to the AwardSpace hosting panel and again head to File Manager -> Your Website’s Directory -> wp-admin -> plugins. Once there, click the Upload button at the top of the page and select one of the downloaded earlier plugins and upload it again to WordPress. Keep in mind that you should compress the plugin folder before uploading it. Also, make sure to upload a single plugin at a time:

Once the zipped plugin is uploaded to your server, unzip it by right-clicking on its folder and then selecting Extract Here:

Now, reload your website. If you don’t see the Critical Error message, then this plugin functions just fine. If this is the case, then repeat the process outlined in this step until you upload a plugin that prompts the Critical Error message. Once you locate it, you can delete it and install a plugin by another developer, or contact customer support for further help.

However, if shutting down your plugins folder doesn’t fix the issue, then the problem is rooted elsewhere – your plugins function just fine. Should this be the case, proceed with the next method.

Method 2: Check for Malfunctioning WordPress Themes

A theme you use for your WordPress website may prompt the Critical Error message. These are rare occasions, but the chances of stumbling upon a faulty WordPress theme are never zero. To check whether your installed WordPress theme is causing trouble, install a default WordPress theme, check whether it causes trouble, and if not, then the previously active theme is prompting the issue. Here’s how to proceed.

Step 1: Download All Installed Themes on Your Device

Similar to the plugins process, you should first download all installed WordPress themes on your device. To do so, via the AwardSpace hosting panel, head to File Manager:

Then, open the directory of your problematic WordPress website and head to the wp-content/ folder:

Then, open the themes/ folder:

Once you open the folder, download all your installed themes. To do so, select all of them and click on Download at the top of the page. This will download a ZIP containing all your themes on your device:

Step 2: Delete All Themes from WordPress

The next step in the process is to delete all themes you have stored on your server. Don’t worry, you will have them back once the issue is fixed. To delete your themes, while in the themes/ folder, select all of them and click on Delete at the top of the page:

Step 3: Upload a Default WordPress Theme

Now, it is time to test whether your active theme was causing the trouble. To do so, you need to upload a default WordPress theme and see if your website can work with it without displaying any error messages. However, before you upload a theme, you should first download it from the official WordPress site. Simply head to the official WordPress themes library and download any of the default themes, such as Twenty Twenty-Five, on your device.

Once you have downloaded the default theme, it is time to upload it to your server. For this, via the AwardSpace hosting panel, head to File Manager -> Your Website Domain -> wp-content-> themes/ 

While there, click on the Upload button:

Now, search for the default theme and upload the zip file to your server. Once it is uploaded, right-click on the ZIP file and select Extract Here:

Now that the theme is being extracted, open your website.

Should it load properly and you don’t see a sign from the Critical Error message, then the issue lies within your first active theme you downloaded on your device before deleting it from the server. You can either change it to another one or contact the developers for further assistance.

Should you still see the Critical Error message on your website, even with a default theme, then the problem is not coming from a malfunctioning theme, but is rooted elsewhere. Proceed with he next step.

Method 3: Reinstall WordPress Core Files

A corrupt WordPress core might prompt the Critical Error message. To check whether the problem derives from a malfunctioning core, you should reinstall WordPress; however, from the AwardSpace hosting panel.  The process is simple and requires only a few clicks here and there. Here’s how to proceed.

Step 1: Download a Fresh WordPress Copy

First, download the latest WordPress version. This is an important step, as you will work with the latest bug-free version of the CMS. After it is downloaded on your device, unzip the file.

Step 2: Navigate to the Root Folder of Your Website

The next thing to do is to open the currently functioning WordPress core files on your server. To do so, via the AwardSpace hosting panel, head to File Manager -> Your WordPress Website.

Now, download your plugins/  and themes/ folder, as shown above, so you retain all the files you are using.

After that, click the Upload button  at the top of the screen:

Then, select all the WordPress files you unzipped on your computer and upload them. You will be asked whether you would like to overwrite them. Click Yes and let the process complete:

Then, re-upload your plugins and themes as shown in Method 1, Step 3, and Method 2, Step 3 of this article.

After that, reload your website and check whether the issue is still persistent. If it is not, then some corrupt core files were causing the Critical Error message, and now that you work with a fresh copy of WordPress, the problem is fixed.

Should the error message still be present, then the issue lies elsewhere.

Method 4: Contact Tech Support Team

Should the suggested methods not fix the Critical Error problem, then you can reach out to our customer support team, which is 24/7 available. All our web hosting plans come with such feature, even our free hosting plan.

Conclusion – How to Access WordPress Admin Panel With a Critical Error Warning

Error messages are often annoying and can stunt your work on your WordPress website for hours. Luckily, there are methods that you can quickly use to get your website up and going in no time. For example, there are various approaches you can quickly apply to learn how to access the WordPress admin panel with a critical error warning. Simply follow our step-by-step guide and fix the problem in no time.

The post How to Access WordPress Admin Panel With a Critical Error Warning appeared first on AwardSpace.com.

1. Install Zen Cart

The first step is to install Zen Cart. The platform is free to use with all AwardSpace hosting plans, and it is easy to install.

2. Log in to Zen Cart

Once you install Zen Cart, you should log in to the admin panel to start configuring your online store.

3. Configure the Basic Store Settings

You can start the process by setting up your store information, language, and currency preferences.

To set your store information, via the admin panel, head to Configuration->My Store:

From there, you can add key details such as:

• Store Name
• Email for official correspondence.
• Country and zip code.
• Store address
• Phone numbers
• You can also make a full Zen Cart homepage setup.

To set your currency preferences via the admin panel, head to Localization->Currencies:

To set your language preferences, head to Localization->Languages:

4. Add Product Categories and Products

Now that your basic details are filled, you can start adding products and distributing them into various categories.

To add a new product category, head to Catalog->Products/Categories:

You can add a new individual product by opening each category and clicking the blue New Product button.

Check our comprehensive guide on how to add products to Zen Cart.

5. Configure Payment Options

Zen Cart supports various payment methods. To configure them, via the admin panel, go to Modules -> Payment:

Once there, you can enable and configure settings such as:

• PayPal
• Stripe
• Authorize.Net
• Bank Transfer
• Cash on Delivery

6. Set Up Shipping Options

Zen Cart allows you to tweak various shipping options. To access these, head to Modules->Shipping:

Once there, you can access and enable/disable settings such as:

• Flat Rate
• Table Rate
• Free Shipping
• Carrier Integrations

From this page, you can also define shipping zones, rates, and rules based on region and order value.

7. Configure Tax Settings

There are several configurations that you can set up right away. To access them, head to:

• Location/Taxes -> Zones to define geographical tax zones.
• Location/Taxes -> Tax Classes to categorize your taxable products.
• Locations/Taxes -> Tax Rates to assign rates to specific zones and classes.

8. Customize Store Design

Zen Cart allows you to customize your online store via various design options. To access them, head to:

• Tools -> Template Selection to choose your layout theme
• Tools-> Layout Boxes Controller to manage your sidebar and box content:

9. Improve Store Security

To keep your store safe, do the following:

• Rename your admin directory to something other than Admin to reduce the risk of brute-force attacks.
• Enable SSL and  HTTPS on your domain.
• Install CATCHA and configure login attempt limits.

10. Manage the Main Menu

You can customize your Zen Cart main menu in numerous ways. A well-structured menu helps with better navigation, user engagement, and more purchases:

How to Manage the Main Menu in Zen Cart

Conclusion – How to Configure Your Online Store in Zen Cart

Now you know how to configure your online store in Zen Cart – the platform offers numerous customization options, and its versatility makes it an excellent choice for merchants looking for control and security for their online store.

The post How to Configure Your Online Store in Zen Cart appeared first on AwardSpace.com.