My New Website Isn't Showing Up
If you do not see your new website after it has launched, it's probably due to one of the following reasons:
- Your computer is caching or saving old website content.
- The changes have not yet propagated to your Internet Service Provider.
- Your local office server/firewall does not recognize the update.
In many cases, the simplest solution to these issues is to restart your computer and then pull up your website again. However, if you have tried this measure and you still do not see your new website, you may need to try one of the following.
Your Computer Is Caching or Saving the Old Website Content
You may not be able to see your new website if you have recently visited your old website. Your computer is trying to save time and bandwidth by showing you a previous version of your website that is stored during your past visits. This is known as a cached copy.
To see if this is the case, press the F5 button on your keyboard when you are on your home page. If the page refreshes and displays your new website, then your browser was simply caching your site’s older content. The new version of your site will now display from here on out.
Alternatively, you can read our article about clearing your browser cache and follow those directions to clear your browser cache completely.
The Changes Have Not Yet Propagated to the Internet Service Provider.
If you still do not see your new site even after you have cleared both your browser cache and your cached IP address, then the updates may have not yet propagated to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). During any website launch, there is always a propagation period before these changes will go into effect. In some cases, ISPs may take up to 24 hours to collect your website’s new information and distribute it across the Internet.
In these cases, the ISPs are completely in control. Over time, usually within a day, the new website records will spread to every ISP in the world. All you can do is wait and check back after 24 hours to see if the propagation process is complete.
Your Local Office Server/Firewall Does Not Recognize the Update
If you still cannot see your new website, there are rare cases where your IT department may need to make a change to your local server/firewall.
If your local office server is manually pointed to the old website IP address, it will need to be updated with the new zone file/forward lookup zones. In some cases, the server itself will also need to have its DNS cache flushed.
If you have tried all the steps listed above and your updated website still will not load, ask your IT department to run nslookup for your domain name and make sure that it points to the new website IP address.