WordPress service · Emergency help
WordPress Emergency: Site Hacked, Down or Locked Out?
We help on clear terms: secure first, then repair, then the root cause in writing. No contract needed, no fine print – but also no 24/7 promise we couldn’t keep.
Service hours Mon–Fri 8 am–6 pm. Outside them: just call – we can almost always be reached for emergencies, we just don’t promise it.
When you are in the right place
The six most common emergencies – each with our guide, in case you want to try yourself first.
White screen of death
The site shows nothing but white – usually a PHP error from a plugin, theme or update.
Self-help guideHacked: spam, redirects, unknown admins
Google warns, visitors land on foreign pages, accounts you don’t know appear in the backend.
Self-help guideLocked out of wp-admin
Password gone, 2FA device lost, login page broken – you can’t get back in.
Self-help guide“There has been a critical error”
After an update the site breaks and at best WordPress sends a recovery email.
Self-help guideError establishing a database connection
Server reachable, database not – credentials, host or a full disk.
Self-help guideStuck in maintenance mode
“Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance” – and it stays that way.
Self-help guideHow an emergency call-out works
- 1
Report
Via form or phone – with URL, symptom and since when. We only need access in the second step.
- 2
First assessment
We look from the outside and tell you honestly what we see, what it will probably cost and whether we’re the right fit. We can’t always name an exact duration – and if so, we say that too.
- 3
Secure the current state
Before we touch anything: back up files and database – including the broken state. Nothing gets lost, everything stays traceable.
- 4
Restore and clean up
Fix the error, find backdoors, reinstall core and extensions from clean sources, rotate access credentials.
- 5
Handover with root cause
You get a short written summary: what happened, what we did, what you should change.
What it costs
Without a maintenance contract
250 € starting fee
plus 120 € net per hour within service hours, 150 € outside. First assessment and backup are included in the starting fee. We estimate the effort beforehand as well as we can – with an unclear cause that is an estimate, not a commitment.
From our call-outs in 2026: a typical cleanup takes 4–6 hours. Including the starting fee, that is usually 730–970 € net within service hours. That is an empirical value, not a fixed price. More widespread infections or cases without a backup can be above that.
With Pro or Premium maintenance
included
Hack cleanup is part of the plan, plus the emergency line outside service hours (then 150 €/h). See plans →
What we don’t promise
No guaranteed 24/7 service – outside service hours we can usually be reached, but not always –, no fixed response deadline without a contract, no guarantee of data recovery without a backup, and no legal advice – whether a hack is reportable is for your data protection officer. Everything else we tell you openly after the first assessment: what works, what doesn’t, what it costs.
So it doesn’t happen again
Most emergencies are avoidable: tested backups, updates with staging tests, monitoring. That is exactly what our maintenance plans contain – and an audit shows where your site stands beforehand.
Frequently asked questions
What does a WordPress emergency call-out cost?
Without a maintenance contract: 250 € starting fee plus 120 € net per hour within our service hours (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm). The starting fee covers the first assessment and securing the current state. Before we start we try to estimate the effort – with hacks and unknown causes, though, it is not always possible to say exactly how long it will take. We tell you openly what we know and what we don’t, and get back to you as soon as the picture changes. Empirical value from 2026: a typical cleanup takes 4–6 hours, so with the starting fee usually 730–970 € net – not a fixed price; more widespread infections or cases without a backup can be above that. With a Pro or Premium maintenance plan, hack cleanup is included.
How fast can you help?
Within service hours we get back to you as fast as we can – there is no fixed response deadline without a contract, because as a four-person team we don’t promise what we can’t keep. You are welcome to try in the evening or at the weekend anyway: for real emergencies we can almost always be reached, we just can’t guarantee it. Outside service hours the higher hourly rate applies; a firmly committed emergency line is part of the Pro and Premium maintenance plans.
What if there is no backup?
Then we work with what exists: the current state on the server, host backups if available, and Google’s cache for content. A lot can be saved, some can’t – we tell you openly after the first assessment. Nobody can seriously guarantee data recovery without a backup.
Do I need a maintenance contract afterwards?
No. After the call-out you get a recommendation on what the cause was and how to avoid it in future – whether you implement that yourself or with us is your decision. In our experience, most emergencies wouldn’t have happened with tested backups and timely updates; that’s exactly what maintenance covers.