Website caching; an annoying yet important web technology

Why is my school website not updating?

This is a question we get frequently from our clients. It can be rather frustrating making changes to your school’s website only to keep seeing old information shown. We can completely understand these frustrations as not everyone would be familiar what cache is or how to even clear it.

What is website cache?

Website caching is a technique used to improve the performance of a website by storing frequently accessed data in a temporary storage location, known as a cache. This allows the website to access the data more quickly and efficiently, reducing the time it takes for pages to load and improving the overall user experience.

There are several reasons why website caching is important:

1. Improved website performance: As mentioned above, one of the main benefits of caching is that it can significantly improve the performance of a website. By storing frequently accessed data in a cache, the website is able to access this data more quickly and efficiently, reducing the time it takes for pages to load and making the user experience more enjoyable.
2. Reduced server load: Caching can also help to reduce the load on a website’s server. When a user accesses a website, the server has to process the request and retrieve the appropriate data from its database. This can put a strain on the server, especially if the website receives a large amount of traffic. By storing frequently accessed data in a cache, the server can quickly retrieve the data from the cache instead of having to process the request and retrieve the data from the database, reducing the load on the server and improving its overall performance.
3. Enhanced user experience: A faster, more responsive website can provide a better user experience for visitors. If a website takes too long to load, users may become frustrated and leave the site before they have a chance to view its content. By implementing caching, a website can improve its performance and provide a smoother, more enjoyable experience for users.
4. Increased website uptime: Caching can also help to improve the uptime of a website. If a website receives a sudden surge in traffic, it can cause the server to crash or become unresponsive. By implementing caching, the website can handle the increased traffic more efficiently, reducing the likelihood of server crashes and ensuring that the website remains accessible to users.
5. Cost savings: In addition to the benefits mentioned above, caching can also help to save money. By reducing the load on the server and improving the performance of the website, caching can help to reduce the amount of resources that are required to run the website. This can result in cost savings for the website owner, as they will not have to invest in additional hardware or infrastructure to handle the increased traffic.

Overall, website caching is an important technique that can improve the performance of a website, enhance the user experience, and save money for the website owner. By implementing caching, a website can provide faster, more responsive pages to its users, which can help to improve its overall success and popularity.

How to clear my cache?

Every web browser has its own way in how cache is cleared. Nowadays, Google Chrome browser is used by most and the following steps should help:

1. Open Google Chrome on your computer.
2. Click on the three dots in the top-right corner of the screen to open the Chrome menu.
3. Select “More tools” from the menu, and then select “Clear browsing data” from the submenu.
4. In the Clear browsing data window, select the checkbox next to “Cached images and files” to select this option. You can also select other options, such as cookies and site data, if you wish to clear those as well.
5. Use the drop-down menu at the top of the window to specify the time range for which you want to clear the cache. For example, you can choose to clear the cache for the past hour, the past day, the past week, or the past month.
6. Click on the “Clear data” button to begin the process of clearing the cache.
7. Wait for the process to complete, which may take a few moments depending on the amount of data that needs to be cleared.
8. Once the cache has been cleared, you can close the Clear browsing data window and continue browsing as usual. The website cache will be emptied, and any new data that is accessed will be stored in the cache for future use.

Note that clearing the cache on Google Chrome will not affect any other browsers or devices that you may be using. Each browser has its own cache, so if you want to clear the cache on other browsers, you will need to repeat the above steps for each one. Additionally, clearing the cache will not delete any important data or files from your computer, so it is safe to do on a regular basis.

Helpful Resources

• How to clear cache on other web browsers e.g. Firefox, Safari, etc.