Why Does My Website Look Different After An Update

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: Why Does My Website Look Different After An Update. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

When you update your website but visitors continue to see the old version, caching is usually the cause. Caching stores copies of your web pages to improve loading speed, but it can also prevent new changes from appearing immediately. This guide explains how browser, server, and content delivery network (CDN) caches work, and what you can do to ensure your audience sees the most current version of your site.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Perform a hard refresh in your browser to bypass the local page cache.
2. Clear your browser cache completely if the hard refresh does not work.
3. Check your hosting control panel for a server-side cache purge option.
4. Purge your CDN cache if you use a service such as Cloudflare.
5. View your site in an incognito or private browsing window to confirm the changes are live.

Detailed Instructions

Understanding Why Updates Don't Appear

Caching exists to make websites load faster. When a visitor accesses your site, their browser may save images, stylesheets, and HTML files locally. Your web server may also store static versions of pages, and a CDN may keep copies across multiple data centres around Australia and the world. Until these cached copies expire or are manually cleared, visitors can be served outdated content even after you have published updates.

Performing a Hard Refresh

A hard refresh forces the browser to reload all assets from the server instead of using locally stored files.

• Windows (Chrome, Edge, Firefox): Press Ctrl + F5 or Ctrl + Shift + R
• Mac (Chrome, Firefox): Press Command + Shift + R
• Mac (Safari): Press Command + Option + E, then refresh the page

Clearing Browser Cache

1. Google Chrome: Open the Chrome menu (three dots), select Settings, go to Privacy and security, choose Clear browsing data, select Cached images and files, and click Clear data.
2. Microsoft Edge: Open the Settings and more menu, select Settings, go to Privacy, search, and services, choose Choose what to clear under Clear browsing data, select Cached images and files, and click Clear now.
3. Mozilla Firefox: Open the menu, select Settings, go to Privacy & Security, scroll to Cookies and Site Data, click Clear Data, ensure Cached Web Content is checked, and click Clear.
4. Safari (Mac): Open Safari, select Settings from the menu, go to Privacy, click Manage Website Data, select Remove All, and confirm.

Clearing Server-Side Cache

Many Australian hosting providers include built-in caching tools within their control panels. Log in to your hosting account and look for options labelled Cache Manager, Purge Cache, Flush Cache, or Varnish Cache. The exact location varies by provider, so check your hosting documentation if you cannot find it.

Clearing CDN Cache

If your website uses a Content Delivery Network (CDN), copies of your pages are stored on edge servers globally. Common steps include:

1. Log in to your CDN provider dashboard.
2. Select your website or domain.
3. Look for Caching, Purge Cache, or Purge Everything.
4. Choose to purge all files or specific URLs that were recently updated.
5. Confirm the purge and wait for the change to propagate.

Troubleshooting

Changes Visible to You but Not Visitors

If you can see your updates after a hard refresh but customers still report old content, the issue is likely server-side or CDN caching. Clear the cache at both levels and ask a few visitors to test again using a private browsing window.

Updates Still Not Appearing After Clearing Cache

• Confirm the changes were actually saved and published in your website editor or content management system.
• Check whether a staging or development environment is being edited instead of the live production site.
• Verify DNS is pointing to the correct hosting server, especially after a recent migration.
• Contact your hosting provider or CDN support if cache purge options are unavailable.

If you have tried these steps and your website still displays outdated content, If you host with us, you don't need to do this yourself — just Open a Ticket and our Brisbane team will get it sorted.

Remember — If you host with us, you don't need to do this yourself — just Open a Ticket and our Brisbane team will get it sorted.

Still Having Issues?