"My changes aren't showing on the live site"

You fixed the typo. You saved. You refreshed the page, and the old text is still there. You refresh again, ask a colleague, and they see the old version too. Almost always, nothing is broken: the change is sitting at one step between your editor and your visitors. Work through the checks below in order. The first three solve most cases in a couple of minutes.

1. Is the change actually published?

• WordPress: "Update" on a published page makes it live, but "Save draft" or a scheduled date does not. Check the status box at the top right of the editor.
• Drupal: with content moderation, saving can create a new draft while the published revision stays live. Check that the latest revision's state is Published.
• Cascade: saving changes the content in Cascade, but visitors see it only after the page, and anything that lists it, is published to the live destination. Check the publish queue and your notifications for errors.

2. Are you looking at the right site?

Editors who work on a staging or test site sometimes check the live address, or the other way round. Check the address bar, and check which site you are signed in to. After a host move, your own computer may also still reach the old server for a while; if a colleague on another network sees the change and you do not, that is likely the cause.

3. Is it your browser?

Open the page in a private or incognito window, or on your phone using mobile data. If the change shows there, your browser kept an old copy. A hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac) usually clears it.

4. Is it the site's page cache?

Sites keep ready-made copies of pages so they load fast for everyone. Most CMS caches clear automatically when you update a page, but pages that only list or mention your change, such as the home page, news listings, or menus, may keep the old copy until their cache expires.

• WordPress: if your site has a cache plugin or a "purge cache" option in the admin bar, use it for the affected page.
• Drupal: an administrator can use Configuration, Performance, Clear all caches. On a busy site this briefly slows pages, so prefer a quiet moment, or ask support.

5. Is it the CDN?

A CDN keeps copies of your pages and files in locations around the world. When your site tells the CDN a page changed, it fetches the new version; when it does not, the old copy can stay until it expires. Images and PDFs replaced under the same file name are the classic case: the page changes, but the old image or document keeps appearing. Uploading the new file under a new name avoids the problem entirely.

Signs it is not a cache problem

• The change is missing even in the CMS preview: it was not saved, or someone else saved over it
• Only some visitors see the old version for hours: possibly DNS after a recent move
• A Cascade publish reports errors: the files never reached the server; see why a Publish All can fail

Avoid it next time

• Replace images and documents by uploading them under a new file name, then update the link
• For urgent changes such as closures, emergency notices, or deadline changes, check the live page on your phone using mobile data straight after publishing
• Update the pages that list or link to the change, such as the home page or a news listing, at the same time
• In Cascade, publish the page and the indexes or listings that include it together

How eWay handles caching

On sites eWay manages, the CDN and page caches are set up to clear automatically when content is published, including for Cascade publishes, so most changes appear within moments. For the cases automation does not cover, such as a replaced file under the same name, eWay can purge specific pages or files on request, and can review cache rules if the same problem keeps recurring. See CDN caching and cache invalidation for Cascade sites and page caching and CDN behavior for WordPress and Drupal.

What to include in a support ticket

• The exact URL, and what it shows versus what it should show
• When you published, and whether it shows in a private window or on mobile data
• For Cascade, any publish error messages
• The severity you would assign; a wrong deadline, fee, or emergency notice can justify P2

eWay customers can open a ticket in the support portal or email support@ewaycorp.com. Related reading: how Cascade publishing reaches your live website.