Critical Error after updating to 16.3

Hi @travellingfoodie

We’re sorry to hear you encountered this error when updating to the latest version of Yoast SEO v16.3.

Could you please check and confirm if you are using the latest version of WordPress 5.7.2, the latest version of your other plugins and themes, and are meeting the necessary plugin requirements – https://yoast.com/help/plugin-requirements/

Were you already able to access your website again and is the Yoast SEO plugin enabled and on v16.3 currently? If not, you can refer to this article for more assistance – https://yoast.com/help/white-screen-when-activating-or-updating-plugin/

Once you are able to access your website, does the error still appear visible in your dashboard or are there any other issues with Yoast SEO v16.3?

Sometimes, with plugin updates, errors happen when the plugin files are cached and some old files are still used after updating the plugin. On occasions, this causes temporary errors that resolve themselves once the cache has been cleared.

If the problem doesn’t resolve for you automatically, can you please try clearing the cache from your theme, plugin, server, and CDN (e.g. Cloudflare) before and after updating Yoast SEO for WordPress? If you are not sure how to clear the cache from a theme or plugin please speak to those authors. If you want to clear cache from the server, please speak to your host provider.

If you still have any issues, we would request that you perform a conflict check to rule out the possibility of a conflict with another plugin or theme on your site – https://yoast.com/help/how-to-check-for-plugin-conflicts/

Hi @mikes41720

Here:
– WordPress 5.7.2
– PHP version 7.3.28
– MySql 5.7.32-35
– My plugins are all updated. Right before updating Yoast to 16.3, I also updated one other plugin. The rest of my plugins were latest already before the day I updated these two.
– My Theme version is latest
– Yes, I was able to access my site again by restoring to previous version of my site. So right now, I am running my site Yoast 16.2, and do not want to risk updating to 16.3 until we discuss it here. After restoring my site, I updated the other plugin and my site is still fine.
– Please note, the error was not just on my dashboard (e.g. not just losing access to admin page). My entire site went down and cannot be accessed by visitors, so I lost site traffic when this happened.
– I haven’t added any new plugins. These sets of plugins are coexisting for a long time already.

Are you saying with 100% certainty that there’s nothing wrong with Yoast 16.3 plugin? That it’s an issue with caching or other plugins? I don’t know if you checked the stack trace I included. It’s referring to Twitter Image Helper not being found specifically in Yoast SEO Plugin.

I am just trying to avoid attempting to update again with the risk of my site going down again and losing traffic and access to visitors.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by travellingfoodie. Reason: Added more information

Hi,

Yoast SEO v16.3 was released on May 18, 2021. We haven’t seen any widespread reports for this specific error message.

These kinds of errors typically occur when either cache (browser, server, etc) was not cleared after updating or when an update runs partially and doesn’t complete. It usually self resolves when cache is cleared (typically within a day for most sites).

Since it looks like you are meeting all of the necessary requirements, would it be possible for you to try and update the plugin again to v16.3 manually via FTP? Preferably on a staging site first to ensure everything goes smoothly before attempting it again on your live site.

Before we discuss manually updating, let’s cover a few important things to be aware of beforehand. First, Yoast SEO stores SEO data and settings in the database, so manually updating is not expected to cause any data loss.

Second, we recommend creating regular backups of your site and database for your site’s health and safety. This is especially important before installing, updating, or removing plugins. It provides you with a safety net in case something were to go wrong. Learn more about the benefits of regular backups.

Thirdly, updating a plugin may cause unexpected issues. Thus, we highly recommend using a staging or testing site to reduce the impact on your live site. Some popular web hosts offer quick setups for a staging site, so please contact your web host for assistance. They will probably be able to help you out. If your web host does not offer staging sites, the WordPress plugin repository offers staging plugins or you can create your own staging site.

Now on to your options for updating the plugin manually.

We have found that using SFTP / FTP to update an outdated plugin manually is the preferred method. This method entails removing the old plugin files and uploading the new plugin files to the same folder path. How can I manually update my plugin?

However, we understand that not all users are comfortable with FTP. You may prefer to uninstall the old version in the WordPress admin plugin list, download the new version here, and install the latest version.

Hi,
Cache seems to be the culprit. I created a staging site and cleared cache and updated, and it was fine. Did the same on the live site, and it worked too.

Thanks for your help, Michael!