Need Advice about Damaged Website

Question

My WP website was originally hosted on GCP, which I found very difficult. I paid a Russian developer to install SSL, and after he installed SSL, my monthly cost increased 1000%. I fell on hard times and was not able to fix the damage he did. Recently, I changed to AWS, using Lightsail to host my site and installed SSL myself. However, I am concerned that the damage done earlier persists. For example: my WP SMTP plugin would regularly stop working or I would find myself locked out of my site.

In the last several months, I had to start using Google Analytics GA4 and now regularly receive emails about 49 pages that are not indexed with links to pages that seem to exist but which I cannot find (I have screenshots to show you).  I recently hired a developer to redesign the site and he wants to increase the **max_execution_time** and **max_input_time**.

I tried to find it on SSH but I could only find max_input_time. I talked to him about the problems but he wants to just finish the site before tackling the problems. I REALLY NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO AND I NEED INDEPENDENT ADVICE.

Varunprakash Shanmugam · Answer

The increase in cost after the SSL installation on GCP likely came from unintended usage like excessive egress traffic or misconfigured services running in the background.

Now that you're on Lightsail and have SSL set up yourself, it's a good step forward. However, past misconfigurations (like incorrect DNS records, SMTP errors, or bad redirection rules) can still affect your site if they've carried over during the migration or remain in your WordPress database or `.htaccess` file.

**Regarding `max_execution_time` and `max_input_time`**

In Lightsail, you can modify these PHP settings by creating or editing a custom `php.ini` file, typically at `/opt/bitnami/php/etc/php.ini` if you're using the Bitnami stack.

1. SSH into your instance.
2. Run:

```bash
   sudo nano /opt/bitnami/php/etc/php.ini
   ```
3. Search for `max_execution_time` and `max_input_time`, and increase their values, e.g.:

```ini
   max_execution_time = 300
   max_input_time = 300
   ```
4. Restart the PHP-FPM and web server:

```bash
   sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart
   ```

**GA4 & Non-Indexed Pages**

The links Google sends you could be:

* Legacy URLs from your old GCP setup
* URLs in your sitemap that no longer exist
* Auto-generated WordPress URLs (tags, search pages, etc.)

Check your sitemap, clear unused redirects, and use the Google Search Console "URL Inspection" tool to review what Google sees.

### SMTP & Login Lockouts

SMTP issues could stem from:

* Old plugin settings (e.g., pointing to GCP IPs)
* Missing or misconfigured SPF/DKIM/DMARC records
* IP reputation issues from your previous host

You might consider using a trusted SMTP provider like SendGrid, Mailgun, or Amazon SES to stabilize email delivery.

Need Advice about Damaged Website

SMTP & Login Lockouts

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