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Why does the old design of my client's website appear broken for some visitors?

TL;DR
  • Clear browser cache or do a hard refresh to load updated assets, and ensure asset versioning is updated in Webflow.
  • Confirm full publication to the correct custom domain and that the custom domain is set as default.
  • Allow time for DNS propagation after domain or hosting changes and re-publish to update the CDN.
  • Check for staging vs. live site confusion, network-related caching (e.g. via VPNs), and errors from custom code or third-party scripts.

A broken or outdated version of your client's website may appear for some users due to caching, DNS propagation delays, or conflicting site versions. Here's how to identify and resolve the issue.

1. Browser or Device Caching

  • Browsers store assets (CSS, JS, images) to speed up loading. If recent changes were made, some visitors may see older files.
  • Fix: Ask users to do a hard refresh (on most browsers, press Cmd+Shift+R on Mac or Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows).
  • You can also update asset versioning in Webflow (e.g., re-publish or modify filenames) to ensure browsers fetch the latest files.

2. DNS Propagation Delays

  • If you've recently updated the site's domain or hosting settings, not all DNS servers may be updated yet.
  • This delay can result in some visitors being routed to an older version hosted elsewhere.
  • DNS changes can take up to 48 hours globally to propagate.

3. Viewing from Staging vs. Live Site

  • Visitors could be accessing the Webflow staging domain (e.g., yoursite.webflow.io) instead of the correct custom domain.
  • Confirm that your custom domain is set as the default domain in Webflow under Hosting > Custom Domains.

4. Unpublished or Partially Published Changes

  • Changes might be visible only in Webflow preview or staging if you haven’t fully published to the live domain.
  • Go to Webflow Designer > Publish and make sure you've selected both the custom domain and Webflow.io (if needed).

5. CDN Asset Issues

  • Webflow uses a global Content Delivery Network (CDN). Sometimes, new assets may not be fully purged across all CDN nodes.
  • Re-publishing the project ensures updated assets are pushed across the network.

6. Different Environments or Networks

  • Some businesses use VPNs, firewalls, or proxy servers that may cache or block certain website content.
  • Visitors behind these configurations might be seeing outdated or broken layouts.

7. Third-Party Script or Integration Errors

  • Custom code, outdated embed scripts, or connected APIs not loading correctly can cause pages to look broken.
  • Check the Console tab in Developer Tools for errors when the broken version appears.

Summary

If some visitors see a broken or outdated website design, it’s likely caused by caching, DNS delays, or unpublishing issues. Start by confirming the site is fully published to the correct domain, then clear cache or republish to the CDN if needed.

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