WordPress changes may not appear immediately because a browser, caching plugin, host, or content delivery network can serve an older page. After changing a menu, privacy page, redirect, or article, open the public URL in a private window. If the old version remains, clear the relevant page or site cache and check again. Avoid clearing every cache first if a targeted purge is available; a broad purge can temporarily affect site speed.
Check the layers involved: browser cache; WordPress cache plugin; host-level cache; CDN cache. The exact controls depend on your host and plugins. If a cache plugin offers “purge this URL,” use it for a single page; if you edited the global header, purge the pages affected by that shared template. Then test on another device or network if the content still looks stale.
Example: You add a Privacy link to the footer, but a logged-in administrator sees it while a logged-out visitor does not. This may reflect cached HTML or role-specific menu settings. Compare logged-in and private-window views, purge the affected cache, and ensure the menu is assigned to the public theme location.
Google’s page-readiness guidance emphasizes clear navigation and visitor experience. A change is not complete until the public path works. Use SiteReadyScore after the public page updates to refresh observable checks, then manually verify the exact fix.
Verification record: Changed URL or template; cache layer purged; time; logged-in/logged-out status; device; result. If the page remains stale, check host documentation before disabling caching globally.