Clearing Caches

The web site has cache software running to store page content in special ways to enable pages to be served to visitors as quickly as possible and so that pages load as quickly as possible. The downside to this is that when content is changed or new content entered, the cache have to be cleared to make sure that visitors see the new or updated content and not the cached copy.

There are caches at various levels, and each one has to be cleared individually and in a particular order:

1. Shortpixel Adaptive Images – this is a service that automatically creates smaller and faster loading versions of all pictures on the web site and serves them from a special content delivery network. The links to the image are stored in the css for the site, so when images are changed, it cache should be cleared. To do that, go to Settings, ShortPixel AI, and click the “Clear CSS Cache” button.
2. Web Site cache – this is a general page cache on the site that include page content and css and javascript files, including the css files built by ShortPixel. To clear that cache, click the “Clear Site Cache” link in the WordPress Admin toolbar at the top of your browser window.
3. Cloudflare – Cloudflare is a service that sites between the web server and the internet. It can cache copies of pages so that when a user visits the site and requests a page, Cloudflare can deliver it directly and very quickly without having to get it from the web server. To clear the Cloudflare cache, go to “Settings, Cloudflare“, scroll down, and click the purge cache button. It may take as much as 30 seconds for the purge to be complete.

It is a good idea to check a changed page in a new incognito window after the caches are cleared to confirm that the content changes you made are now showing the way you want.