WordPress Caching: How to Setup and Clear Your WordPress Cache
When your site gets a large number of simultaneous visitors, the site could occasionally appear down due to the overwhelming number of PHP processes running on the server.
One way to increase performance is to enable page caching. Through your Bluehost Account Manager and Bluehost plugin, we have a caching feature to help your site performance, which is automatically enabled for all WordPress installations.
Note: To understand how does page caching work, view this blog page to learn more: How Does WordPress Caching Work?
- How to Clear WordPress Cache
- Benefits of Setting Up WordPress Caching Features
- How to Enable Caching Feature in WordPress
- Summary
How to Clear WordPress Cache
1. Clear Plugin Cache
To clear the cache from your WordPress caching plugin, navigate to the settings page of the plugin you are using. For example, if you're using WP Super Cache, you would go to Settings, then WP Super Cache, and click on 'Delete Cache'.
Each caching plugin, like W3 Total Cache, WP Fastest Cache, or Cache Enabler, has a similar option in its settings where you can easily clear the cached data by clicking a button labeled 'empty all caches', 'Delete Cache and Minified CSS/JS', or 'Clear Cache', respectively.
2. Clear Browser Cache
Clearing your web browser's cache can also be necessary when updating your WordPress site.
In Chrome, this involves going to the three dots in the upper right corner, selecting More tools, then Clear browsing data, and choosing Cached images and files before clicking 'Clear data'. Firefox users can click on the menu button, go to Preferences, then Privacy & Security, and under Cookies and Site Data, click 'Clear Data' for 'Cached Web Content'. Safari users need to go to Safari, then Preferences, enable the 'Show Develop menu in menu bar' under Advanced, and select'Empty Caches' from the Develop menu.
3. Clear Web Hosting Cache
Some web hosting providers offer their own caching solutions. If your site is hosted on Bluehost, you can find a 'Performance' section in your hosting panel to clear cache.
4. Clear CDN Cache
If you're using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare to speed up your website, you'll need to clear its cache too. Log into your Cloudflare account, select your website, head over to the Caching tab, and click on 'Purge Everything'. This action ensures that the CDN serves the most recent version of your site to visitors.
5. Clear Cache Manually
For manual cache clearing or when other methods are not applicable, you can directly delete the cache files using FTP or the File Manager provided by your web hosting service. Navigate to the wp-content/cache directory of your WordPress installation and manually delete the contents of this folder.
Be careful to only remove cache files to avoid accidentally deleting important data.
Note: Head to our blog for more information on about how to clear your WordPress cache.
Benefits of Setting Up WordPress Caching Features
Setting up caching features on your WordPress site brings numerous benefits, enhancing both user experience and website performance. Here's a look at the key advantages:
1. Improved Site Speed
Caching can significantly speed up your WordPress site. By storing a static version of your content and serving it to visitors, caching reduces the need for repeated processing of PHP scripts and database queries. This leads to faster page load times, which is crucial for keeping visitors engaged.
2. Enhanced User Experience
A faster website provides a better user experience. Users are less likely to become frustrated with slow loading times, leading to increased time spent on the site, lower bounce rates, and improved interaction with your content. This positive experience can encourage visitors to return.
3. Higher Search Engine Rankings
Site speed is a ranking factor for search engines like Google. Faster websites are favored in search engine results pages (SERPs), making caching an effective tool for improving your site's visibility. This can lead to more organic traffic and greater online presence.
4. Reduced Server Load
Caching minimizes the number of requests to your server by not having to dynamically generate a page each time it's requested. This reduces server load, which is especially beneficial during traffic spikes. A lower server load means your site remains stable and responsive, even under heavy traffic.
5. Lowered Bandwidth Consumption
By serving cached copies of your web pages, your site consumes less bandwidth. This can be particularly beneficial if you're on a hosting plan with bandwidth limits or if you pay for bandwidth usage. Lower bandwidth consumption can also lead to cost savings, especially for high-traffic sites.
6. Improved Site Reliability
Caching can help your site handle more visitors at once and protect against site crashes during traffic surges. By reducing the number of direct requests to your server, caching ensures that your site remains online and accessible, even during peak times.
7. Scalability
As your WordPress site grows, caching helps it scale. You can serve more visitors without needing to upgrade to a significantly more powerful (and expensive) hosting solution right away. This scalability is crucial for websites that experience rapid growth or have fluctuating traffic patterns.
How to Enable Caching Feature in WordPress
This will show how to enable page caching.
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Select Bluehost from the left-side menu and select Settings.
- Scroll down to the bottom until you see Performance.
- Alongside Caching, toggle the switch button to On.
- Under Caching Level, enable Assets & Web Pages.
Note: You may also choose other options under Caching Level depending on the length of time you prefer your site to store cache (5 mins/6 hours/1 week).
Note: You may also clear the cache under Manage Cache by clicking the Clear Everything button. Clearing cache enables you to see the updates or changes that you made on the back end of your website onto the live site a lot faster compared to the regular propagation time.
Summary
To ensure your website runs as smoothly as possible with optimization, it is good to check WordPress caching settings and the WordPress caching plugin. When implemented with other measures such as the tips in this blog: What is my page speed and how do I improve it?, you can ensure your visitors have the best possible experience on your website.
If you need further assistance, feel free to contact us via Chat or Phone:
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You may also refer to our Knowledge Base articles to help answer common questions and guide you through various setup, configuration, and troubleshooting steps.