How to Clear Cache in WordPress for Better Speed & Performance?

A slow or outdated WordPress website can drive visitors away. When anything changes on your website and those changes do not appear for a while, or if a page takes longer to open, cached files may be the culprit. WordPress stores temporary data to boost speed. Over time, this cache can cause problems. It may show outdated content or broken layouts.

Ignoring cache clearing affects user experience and impacts WordPress SEO rankings and conversions. Visitors expect fast browsing with the updated content and cache is the blocker that makes users see older data.

Clearing the cache in WordPress can effectively solve these problems with relative ease. This blog post will help you understand why cache clearing is important in WordPress. We will learn how to clear WordPress cache via plugins and how professional WordPress development service providers clear cache through CDN.

What is WordPress Cache?

The WordPress cache is short-term storage for static data about the website, allowing an increase in speed and performance. Rather than dynamically generating a web page each time a user visits it, caching allows WordPress to save a previously loaded version of the page. Caching reduces the time needed to load and also optimizes WordPress website performance.

Types of Cache in WordPress

• Browser Cache: A place where static files like images, CSS, and JavaScript are stored in the browser of the visitor, so the next time he/she visits the same site, it loads fast.
• Page Cache: Saves fully generated HTML pages and serves them without running PHP scripts or database queries.
• Object Cache: Stores repeated database query results to speed up dynamic content loading.
• Opcode Cache: Saves compiled PHP code to reduce the need for repeated script execution.
• Server Cache: Caching mechanisms put in place by web hosting providers to boost a website’s performance.
• CDN Cache: CDNs keep cached versions of a website throughout the distributed global servers to deliver content faster.

Your WordPress site can be improved for better performance, SEO rankings, and user experience, and you can accomplish it by configuring caching in your WordPress site. However, there are sometimes issues that arise from not staying current with older cache contents, which then require periodic cache clearance.

Why to Clear WordPress Website Cache?

Clearing your cache in WordPress is very important, as it keeps your website healthy and ensures display of recent modifications. Here are some reasons why to clear WordPress cache on regular basis:

To Display Updated Content

When posts, pages, or design changes are updated, cached versions may still show older content. Clearing the cache makes certain that visitors always see the latest updates, be it text changes, introduction of new images, or tweaking of the theme.

To Fix Website Errors

Cached files get either old or corrupted as a result of which the layout may get broken and images may go missing. JavaScript can also conflict with such types of cache. In case the site you run is not visualized as it should, deleting the cache will force browsers and servers to probably get new data into them, solving several reoccurs of visual and functionality errors.

To Improve Website Performance

Caching makes a website faster and helps with performance, but too much cached data can sometimes slow a website down. Cleaning up old cache files maintains the equally important speed and efficiency of the web server in providing an optimal user experience without unduly loading the server.

To Troubleshoot Plugin or Theme Issues

Once you install or update a plugin or theme, changes may not be reflected instantaneously because of the presence of cached files. Cache cleanup will warrant loading the latest updates of plugins and themes onto your WordPress site so that compatibility issues may be prevented, thus enhancing website functionality.

To Enhance Security

Cached files contain older security configurations or even sensitive information responsible for harboring vulnerabilities. Continuous cache cleaning is helpful to ensure that the latest updates for WordPress security have been applied immediately and risks reduced, thus keeping your WordPress site safe.

To Prevent 404 and Redirection Issues

Cache URLs which are old can thus create “Page Not Found” or redirect loop problems, whereby visitors cannot reach the page they want to locate. Clearing cache eliminates such outdated information with respect to redirection so that users can only ever visit the new and correct content. 

Here are some compelling reasons why you should clear the cache of your WordPress site. It involves a good deal of effort in building a high performance, infinitely scalable website. If you are having trouble achieving this goal, feel free to get in touch with our WordPress development company. However, the question here is how to clear cache in WordPress? So, let’s find it out!

How to Clear Cache in WordPress?

Cache clearing is essential in WordPress to allow the site to carry the latest content and solve performance-related issues in various instances. You could clear the cache files through some caching plugins or a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to give a new lease on life to your site. Below are the best ways to clear WordPress cache using popular plugins and CDN services.

1. Using WP Super Cache Plugin

WP Super Cache is one of the most popular caching plugins created by Automattic. It generates static HTML files so that a website can perform faster and reduce loading time on the server.

Step 1: Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard and go to Plugins > Add New.

Step 2: Search for WP Super Cache, install the plugin and activate it.

Step 3: Navigate to Settings > WP Super Cache from the WordPress menu.

Step 4: Under the Easy tab, enable caching by selecting Caching On and click Update Status.

Step 5: Go to the Content tab and click Delete Cache to clear all cached files.

Step 6: Optionally, enable preloading under the Preload tab to regenerate cache periodically.

Step 7: To configure automatic cache clearing, go to the Advanced tab and enable Clear all cache files when a post or page is published or updated.

Ideal For: Beginners who need a simple and effective caching solution.

2. Using LiteSpeed Plugin

LiteSpeed Cache is regarded as one of the more powerful plugins for caching, as it complements LiteSpeed servers. It includes page optimization, image compression, and database reduction features by design.

Step 1: Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.

Step 2: Search for LiteSpeed Cache, then click Install Now and Activate.

Step 3: Navigate to LiteSpeed Cache > Toolbox from the WordPress admin panel.

Step 4: Click the Purge All button to clear all cached data.

Step 5: To enable automatic cache clearing, go to LiteSpeed Cache > Cache and configure settings under Purge Settings.

Ideal For: Websites hosted on LiteSpeed servers or those needing advanced caching options.

3. Using WP Fastest Cache

WP Fastest Cache is an easy-to-use caching plugin with a user-friendly interface. It offers automatic cache clearing and minification of CSS/JavaScript files.

Step 1: In the WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.

Step 2: Search for WP Fastest Cache, then click Install Now and Activate.

Step 3: Open WP Fastest Cache settings from the admin sidebar.

Step 4: Click the Clear Cache tab.

Step 5: Press Clear All Cache and Minified CSS/JS to clear all stored files.

Step 6: Enable Auto Cache Clearing under the Settings tab to prevent old files from accumulating.

Ideal For: Users who want a simple and effective caching plugin with minimal setup.

4. Using W3 Total Cache Plugin

W3 Total Cache is a completely equipped plugin, implements object caching, database caching, and features a CDN to facilitate the most efficient performance of your website.

Step 1: Go to Plugins > Add New in WordPress and search for W3 Total Cache.

Step 2: Click Install Now and then Activate the plugin.

Step 3: Navigate to Performance > Dashboard in the WordPress admin panel.

Step 4: Click Empty All Caches to clear stored cache files.

Step 5: To automate cache clearing, go to Performance > Page Cache and enable Automatically purge the cache when content updates.

Ideal For: Advanced users who need full control over caching configurations.

5. Using Cloudflare CDN

Cloudflare is a worldwide Content Delivery Network (CDN) that provides speed enhancement to websites by caching static content on different servers in its worldwide network.

Step 1: Sign up for a free Cloudflare account and add your website.

Step 2: Change your DNS nameservers to Cloudflare’s provided nameservers.

Step 3: Log in to your Cloudflare Dashboard and navigate to the Caching tab.

Step 4: Click Purge Everything to clear all cached files on Cloudflare’s network.

Step 5: Enable Automatic Cache Purge for dynamic content updates without manual intervention.

Ideal For: Websites using a CDN for faster loading times and global performance.

Each of the plugin and CDN makes it simple for you to clear cache in WordPress. Depending on your preferences, you can use caching plugins like WP Super Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, or a CDN like Cloudflare.

Clearing Cache in Browsers

Browsers keep cached files to make opening sites quick, but such outdated caches can occasionally disrupt display or even prevent updates from showing up. Clearing the cache in your browser means being sure to see the newest version of a website. Steps to clear the cache from Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari are given below.

1. Google Chrome

Google Chrome is one of the most widely used web browsers. It is popular because of its speed, simplicity, and extensive support for a wide range of extensions.

Step 1: Open Google Chrome.

Step 2: Click on the three-dot (⋮) menu in the top-right corner.

Step 3: Select Settings from the dropdown.

Step 4: Navigate to Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data.

Step 5: Choose Cached images and files, select the time range, and click Clear data.

2. Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is an open-source browser that primarily serves private users, ensuring their users’ safety with a stack of strong security features, along with its customizable add-ons.

Step 1: Open Mozilla Firefox.

Step 2: Click the three-line (☰) menu in the top-right corner.

Step 3: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.

Step 4: Under Cookies and Site Data, click Clear Data.

Step 5: Select Cached Web Content and click Clear.

3. Safari

Apple’s Safari is, without a doubt, the best web browser for macOS and iOS users. It consumes less energy and delivers faster performance.

Step 1: Open Safari on your Mac.

Step 2: Click on Safari in the top menu bar.

Step 3: Select Preferences > Advanced.

Step 4: Enable Show Develop menu in the menu bar.

Step 5: Click on Develop in the menu bar.

Step 6: Select Empty Caches to clear stored cache files.

Regularly clearing the cache in the browsers ensures that the functionality of the browser is up to the mark in addition to resolving the loading issues resulting from some outdated files. Each browser has simple ways to clear the cache, which means that by following some steps, your browsing experience is kept optimized.

FAQs About Clearing Cache in WordPress

Wrapping Up

Clear cache in WordPress to keep your website fast, up to date, and running smoothly. While cached files help in performance, an outdated cache may create issues such as a broken layout or outdated display of content. Clearing the cache at regular intervals guarantees that visitors see the most recent version of the site without glitches.

Plugins such as WP Super Cache or LiteSpeed can clear cache, or you can use a CDN such as Cloudflare. The method would depend on the setup of the website and your own preference. Cleaning the browser cache can resolve several localization caching issues that might prevent you from coming across local changes.

If you are interested in developing a WordPress website which is both beautifully designed and optimized for performance, get in touch with us today!