My pages are updating/refreshing slowly

Knowledgebase

General | Updated 2026

If your website loads slowly or takes a long time to update after you make changes, there are several possible causes ranging from browser caching to server-side performance issues. Here is how to diagnose and fix it.

In This Guide

Browser and Proxy Caching
Server-Side Caching
Site Performance Issues
DNS Caching

Most Common Cause

Your browser is showing a cached version

Press Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) to do a hard refresh that bypasses the cache. If the updated content appears, caching was the issue. See Updated My Site But Still See Old Pages for more cache-busting techniques.

01. Browser and Proxy Caching

Hard refresh - Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R
Clear browser cache - Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data
Try incognito/private mode - Opens with a clean cache
Corporate proxy - If you are behind a corporate proxy, it may cache pages for hours. See Proxy Issues.

02. Server-Side Caching

If you use a caching plugin (WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache) or Cloudflare, your changes may not appear until the cache is purged:

WordPress caching plugin - Go to the plugin's settings and click "Purge All Cache" or "Clear Cache"
Cloudflare - Log into Cloudflare > Caching > Purge Everything. See Cloudflare Setup Guide.
OPcache - PHP's built-in opcode cache may serve old compiled PHP. In most cases, saving a PHP file triggers an automatic refresh.

03. Site Performance Issues

If the site is genuinely slow (not just cached), the problem is likely:

Resource limits - Check cPanel > Metrics > Resource Usage. See Resource Limit Reached.
Heavy plugins or themes - See Optimize WordPress Performance and How to Speed Up Your Website.
Large database queries - Slow database queries are a common cause. Check for bloated post revisions, transients, and spam comments.
Large images - Unoptimized images are the single biggest contributor to slow page loads

04. DNS Caching

If you recently changed DNS (nameservers, A records, etc.) and the site is not updating, your computer may be using cached DNS. See Clearing DNS Cache and DNS Changed But Site Not Showing.