Ever had a full-blown tech meltdown, only to realise the solution was one keystroke away? Yeah. Me too.
So here’s what happened: I was updating my blog — moving a few things around, trying to give it that soft, minimalist glow-up. But the changes I made weren’t showing on the front end. I refreshed. And refreshed again. I cleared the cache (or so I thought). I switched to my phone and boom — the updates were there. My website was fine. Just not on my laptop. Cue the internal screaming.
In a panic, I downloaded some random plugins because some guy on a WordPress forum said it worked for him. Turns out, all I had to do was press CTRL + F5.
I kid you not. My whole blog was fine. I just needed to hard refresh the browser.
Let’s talk about some other common blogging mistakes like this — silly, simple things that can cause big stress when you don’t know what’s going on. I’ve made a few (okay, a lot), so here’s a list to save you the tears.
1. Not Doing a Hard Refresh (CTRL + F5 Is Your New Best Friend)
Let’s start with the obvious one: changes not showing? Before you assume your website is broken or that WordPress hates you personally, do a hard refresh.
- Windows: CTRL + F5
- Mac: Command + Shift + R
Sometimes your browser is just being stubborn and holding onto the old version of your site. Pressing this combo forces it to grab the latest version.
2. Caching Plugins Playing Games
Sometimes it’s not your browser — it’s your caching plugin (hello, WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, etc.). These are great for speed, but when you’re making updates:
- Clear the plugin cache after every major change.
- If you’re using a CDN like Cloudflare, purge cache there too.
Speed is nice. But so is not crying into your keyboard because your changes won’t show up.
3. Using Too Many Plugins (Or the Wrong Ones)
I downloaded like three plugins during my CTRL+F5 crisis. Didn’t need any of them. And this is how bloated websites are born.
More plugins = more chance of bugs, security issues, and your website moving like a tortoise in molasses. Before you install anything, ask:
- Do I really need this?
- Is there a lighter way to do it?
- Is this plugin actively updated?
4. Forgetting to Check on Mobile
Just because it looks cute on your laptop doesn’t mean it looks good on your phone — and most of your readers are probably on mobile.
Always preview changes on your phone. Resize your browser window. And use tools like Responsinator to check mobile responsiveness without crying.
5. Making Changes Without Backing Up Your Site
I once changed a font, which broke my entire site layout. Couldn’t undo it because I didn’t back anything up.
Don’t be me.
Use plugins like UpdraftPlus to set automatic weekly backups. Trust me — that 3 minutes could save you from a week-long meltdown.
6. Not Clearing Your WordPress or Browser Cache
Clearing your browser cache helps with front-end issues. But sometimes WordPress itself is holding onto the old stuff.
- Clear cache from your theme or caching plugin.
- Clear server-side cache (via your hosting provider if needed).
- Clear browser history/cookies if you’re seeing weird login behaviour.
7. Copy-Pasting from Word Without Cleaning It Up
Formatting from Microsoft Word is like glitter — it sticks to everything. You paste something, and suddenly your text has weird fonts, line spacing, and rogue styles.
Either:
- Paste into a plain text editor first (like Notepad)
- Use the “Paste as Text” option in your editor
- Or retype (ugh, but worth it)
8. Not Checking Your Site Speed
You could have the prettiest blog in the world — but if it loads like a dial-up connection in 1999, people will bounce.
Use GTMetrix or PageSpeed Insights to test your blog. If it’s slow:
- Optimise images (use TinyPNG)
- Use caching plugins (yes, the ones we complained about earlier)
- Avoid unnecessary scripts and sliders
9. Forgetting to Update Your Themes and Plugins
Outdated plugins can break things or make your site vulnerable. Set a reminder every two weeks to:
- Update WordPress core
- Update your plugins and themes
- Check your site afterwards to make sure nothing broke
And no — clicking “Update All” without checking the changelogs is not soft life behaviour.
10. Panicking Instead of Googling
The best skill a blogger can have? Googling with precision. If something looks broken, search the exact error message or describe the issue clearly.
Better yet — ask yourself:
- Is it broken everywhere or just on one device?
- Did I change something right before this happened?
- Did I refresh… properly?
Sometimes, it’s as easy as CTRL + F5.
Moral of the Story?
Blogging doesn’t need to be stressful. But when you’re new or making changes, it’s so easy to spiral and think you’ve broken the whole thing. You haven’t. Chances are, it’s a browser cache issue, a rogue plugin, or you’re just not seeing updates because your browser is stuck in the past.
So breathe. Drink water. And when in doubt, refresh. Twice.
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