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Troubleshooting Page Builder by SiteOrigin: Common Issues and Solutions After a Site Migration

50 threads Sep 9, 2025 Plugin → Page builder by siteorigin

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Migrating a WordPress site to a new host can be a smooth process, but it sometimes introduces unexpected issues with plugins like Page Builder by SiteOrigin. A frequent problem reported by users is that the Page Builder interface fails to render correctly in the WordPress editor after moving to a new server. This guide will explain why this happens and provide step-by-step solutions to get your page editing back to normal.

Why Does This Happen After a Migration?

The root cause is often a mismatch between the site's URL settings in the database and its new location on the server. Page Builder by SiteOrigin, like many WordPress plugins, relies on these paths to load its JavaScript and CSS assets correctly. If the paths are incorrect, the editor can appear broken, unclickable, or fail to load its visual components.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide

1. Clear Your Caches

Before making any significant changes, start by clearing all caching layers. This includes your browser cache, any caching plugins you have active (like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache), and your server or host-level cache (e.g., Varnish, NGINX, or a host-provided caching system). Old cached files might be referencing the old server paths.

2. Verify and Update Site URL Settings

The most common fix for post-migration issues is to ensure your WordPress address and site address are correct.

  • Navigate to Settings > General in your WordPress dashboard.
  • Confirm that both the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) fields accurately reflect your site's new domain and path.
  • If they are incorrect, update them and save the changes.

3. Perform a Complete Search and Replace

Sometimes, the old site URL is hard-coded into the database serialized data, which makes a simple SQL query unsafe. You must use a specialized tool designed to handle serialized arrays.

  • Recommended Tool: Use the free Better Search Replace plugin.
  • Process: Install and activate the plugin. Go to Tools > Better Search Replace. In the "Search for" field, enter your old site URL (e.g., http://old-domain.com). In the "Replace with" field, enter your new site URL (e.g., https://new-domain.com). Select all database tables and run the search/replace as a dry run first. If the dry run looks correct, run the actual update.
  • Warning: Always create a full database backup before running a search and replace operation.

4. Check File and Folder Permissions

Incorrect file permissions on the new server can prevent WordPress from reading necessary plugin files.

  • Using your hosting file manager or an FTP client, navigate to the /wp-content/plugins/ folder.
  • The general recommendation for folder permissions is 755 and for files is 644.
  • Ensure the siteorigin-panels folder and its contents have the correct permissions.

5. Conduct a Conflict Test

While the issue likely stems from the migration, a plugin or theme conflict on the new host could be a contributing factor.

  • Temporarily deactivate all plugins except for Page Builder by SiteOrigin.
  • Switch your theme to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-One.
  • Check if the Page Builder editor now loads correctly. If it does, reactivate your plugins one by one to identify the culprit.

6. Reinstall Page Builder by SiteOrigin

A clean reinstall can fix issues caused by corrupted files during the transfer.

  • First, deactivate and delete the Page Builder by SiteOrigin plugin. Do not worry; this will not delete your page layouts. Your content is stored in the database, not the plugin files.
  • Go to Plugins > Add New, search for "Page Builder by SiteOrigin," and install it again.

When to Seek Further Help

If you have tried all the steps above and the problem persists, the issue might be more specific to your server environment. Common advanced checks include:

  • PHP Configuration: Ensure your new server meets the plugin's minimum requirements and that no PHP extensions are disabled that the plugin might need.
  • JavaScript Errors: Check your browser's console for errors (often by pressing F12) that might point to a specific failed resource.
  • .htaccess Rules: As seen in one user's solution, an error in the .htaccess file can break admin functionality. Verify that your .htaccess file contains the standard WordPress rules.

By methodically working through these steps, you can almost always resolve the Page Builder rendering issues that pop up after a site migration.

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