---
title: "Installation & Activation"
description: "##### Plugin Activation Fails Error message when clicking 'Activate' **1. PHP Version Too Old** - **Error:** \"Parse error: syntax error, unexpected...\" - **Solution:** Upgrade PHP to 7.4 or higher (8.1+ recommended) - **Check Version:** PulseRank → Settings → System Health (after fixing) **2.…"
url: "https://pulserank.ai/docs/installation-activation/"
updated: "2026-01-09"
category: Troubleshooting
---

# Installation & Activation

##### Plugin Activation Fails

Error message when clicking 'Activate'

**1. PHP Version Too Old**

- **Error:** "Parse error: syntax error, unexpected..."
- **Solution:** Upgrade PHP to 7.4 or higher (8.1+ recommended)
- **Check Version:** PulseRank → Settings → System Health (after fixing)

**2. Memory Limit Too Low**

**Error:** "Allowed memory size exhausted"

**Solution:** Increase PHP memory_limit to at least 128MB. Add to wp-config.php before "That's all, stop editing!":

```
define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );
```

**3. File Permissions**

**Error:** "Could not create directory" or "Permission denied"

**Solution:** Set correct permissions:

```
chmod 755 /wp-content/plugins/pulserank
chmod 644 /wp-content/plugins/pulserank/*.php
```

**4. Conflicting Plugins**

**Issue:** Another plugin causing fatal error

**Solution:**

1. Deactivate all other plugins
2. Activate PulseRank
3. Reactivate plugins one by one to identify conflict

##### Database Tables Not Created

Settings → System Health shows 'Table does not exist'

**Diagnosis:**

1. Check WordPress error log (`/wp-content/debug.log`)
2. Look for database errors during activation

**Solutions:**

- **Manual Table Creation:** Deactivate PulseRank, delete plugin completely, reinstall and activate (triggers fresh table creation)
- **Database Permissions:** Ensure WordPress database user has `CREATE TABLE` privilege. Contact hosting provider if necessary.
- **MySQL Version:** PulseRank requires MySQL 5.6+. Check with host if running older version.

**Verification:**

```
-- Run in phpMyAdmin or MySQL client
SHOW TABLES LIKE 'wp_pulserank_%';
```

Should return 7 tables:

- `wp_pulserank_hits`
- `wp_pulserank_aggregates_daily`
- `wp_pulserank_aggregates_hourly`
- `wp_pulserank_conversions`
- `wp_pulserank_audits`
- `wp_pulserank_content_scores`
- `wp_pulserank_content_issues`

##### Plugin Causes White Screen (WSOD)

Site becomes inaccessible after activation

**Emergency Fix via FTP:**

1. Connect to your site via FTP/SFTP
2. Navigate to `/wp-content/plugins/`
3. Rename `pulserank` folder to `pulserank-disabled`
4. Site should recover immediately

**Permanent Fix:**

1. Enable WordPress debug mode (add to wp-config.php):

```
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
```

1. Rename folder back to `pulserank` to reactivate
2. Check `/wp-content/debug.log` for error details
3. Report issue to support@pulserank.ro