Why Do I Get WordPress Blank Pages When Using Mod_Pagespeed? Make it Rain Paper

Experiencing blank pages on your WordPress site while using mod_pagespeed can be frustrating. This guide aims to help both beginners and experienced users troubleshoot and resolve the issue effectively.

Understanding the Issue

The problem often arises due to conflicts between mod_pagespeed other compression settings in your WordPress plugins. Here are steps to diagnose and fix the issue:

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

1. Disable Compression in WordPress Plugins

   • Disable any compression settings in your WordPress plugins. This allows mod_pagespeed the processing of uncompressed HTML, which is crucial for proper functionality.

2. Deactivate PageSpeed

   • If the issue persists, append ?ModPagespeed=off to your site's URL. This action deactivates mod_pagespeed for the page.
   • Example:

     https://yourdomain.com/?ModPagespeed=off
     

3. Check for Other Issues

   • If the site remains broken after deactivating mod_pagespeed, the issue is likely not related to HTML parsing or rewrites.

4. Test PageSpeed with No Filters

   • To reactivate mod_pagespeed without any filters, append ?ModPagespeed=on&ModPagespeedFilters= to your URL.
   • Example:

     https://yourdomain.com/?ModPagespeed=on&ModPagespeedFilters=
     

5. Identify HTML Parsing Problems

   • If the site breaks at this stage, you've identified an HTML parsing issue.

6. Experiment with Individual Filters

   • If your site still works, you can gradually test various filters by appending them to the URL:

Examples:

 https://yourdomain.com/?ModPagespeed=on&ModPagespeedFilters=extend_cache
 https://yourdomain.com/?ModPagespeed=on&ModPagespeedFilters=combine_css
 https://yourdomain.com/?ModPagespeed=on&ModPagespeedFilters=inline_css
 https://yourdomain.com/?ModPagespeed=on&ModPagespeedFilters=inline_javascript
 https://yourdomain.com/?ModPagespeed=on&ModPagespeedFilters=insert_image_dimensions
 https://yourdomain.com/?ModPagespeed=on&ModPagespeedFilters=rewrite_images
 https://yourdomain.com/?ModPagespeed=on&ModPagespeedFilters=rewrite_css
 https://yourdomain.com/?ModPagespeed=on&ModPagespeedFilters=rewrite_javascript

7. Reload the Page

   • You may need to reload the page several times to allow sub-resources to load into the cache and be rewritten correctly.

8. Identify the Problematic Filter

   • If one of these filters causes your site to break, you've pinpointed the filter responsible for the issue.

By following these steps, you can effectively diagnose and resolve the issue of blank pages in WordPress when using mod_pagespeed. If problems persist, further investigation into your theme or other plugins may be necessary.