Why Font Face on WordPress is Not Working?
When you're building a website on WordPress, one of the common challenges you might face is getting the font-face CSS rule to work correctly. The font-face rule allows you to use custom fonts on your website, which can greatly enhance the overall design and user experience. However, sometimes, the font-face might not work as expected, leaving you with a frustrating and unprofessional-looking website.
In this article, we'll dive into the common reasons why the font-face might not be working on your WordPress website and provide you with solutions to fix the issue.
Reason 1: Incorrect Font File Path
One of the most common reasons why the font-face might not be working on your WordPress website is an incorrect font file path. The font-face rule requires you to specify the exact location of the font files, and if the path is incorrect, the browser won't be able to find and load the fonts.
For example, the following font-face rule might not work if the path is not correct:
@font-face {
font-family: 'Raleway';
src: url('/wp-content/themes/theme-name/fonts/Raleway-Regular.eot');
font-weight: normal;
font-style: normal;
}
To fix this issue, you need to ensure that the font file path is correct and points to the right location within your WordPress theme directory. The most common location for font files is the wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/fonts/
directory.
Here's an example of a correctly-formatted font-face rule:
@font-face {
font-family: 'Raleway';
src: url('wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/fonts/Raleway-Regular.eot');
font-weight: normal;
font-style: normal;
}
Remember that the path should be relative to the CSS file where the font-face rule is defined.
Reason 2: Incorrect Font File Format
Another common reason why the font-face might not be working is the use of an unsupported font file format. The font-face rule supports several font file formats, including:
.eot
(Embedded OpenType)
.woff
(Web Open Font Format)
.woff2
(Web Open Font Format 2)
.ttf
(TrueType Font)
.svg
(Scalable Vector Graphics)
If you're using a font file format that is not supported by the browser, the font-face rule won't work. To fix this issue, you need to ensure that you're using the correct font file format.
Here's an example of a font-face rule that supports multiple font file formats:
@font-face {
font-family: 'Raleway';
src: url('wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/fonts/Raleway-Regular.eot');
src: url('wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/fonts/Raleway-Regular.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
url('wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/fonts/Raleway-Regular.woff2') format('woff2'),
url('wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/fonts/Raleway-Regular.woff') format('woff'),
url('wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/fonts/Raleway-Regular.ttf') format('truetype'),
url('wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/fonts/Raleway-Regular.svg#Raleway') format('svg');
font-weight: normal;
font-style: normal;
}
This example includes multiple src
declarations, each with a different font file format. This ensures that the browser can find and load the font files, regardless of the user's browser capabilities.
Reason 3: Caching Issues
Caching can also be a reason why the font-face might not be working on your WordPress website. Browsers often cache font files to improve performance, but sometimes, the cached files can become outdated or corrupted, leading to issues with the font-face rule.
To fix this issue, you can try the following:
-
Clear your browser cache: Open your browser, navigate to the website, and clear the cache. This will force the browser to load the latest version of the font files.
-
Use a cache-busting technique: You can add a query string parameter to the font file URLs to prevent caching. For example, you can append a version number or a timestamp to the URL, like this:
@font-face {
font-family: 'Raleway';
src: url('wp-content/themes/your-theme-name/fonts/Raleway-Regular.eot?v=1.0');
/* Other src declarations */
}
This will ensure that the browser always loads the latest version of the font files.
-
Check your WordPress caching plugin: If you're using a caching plugin on your WordPress website, make sure that it's not interfering with the font files. Some caching plugins may need to be configured to exclude certain file types, such as font files.
Reason 4: Font File Permissions
Incorrect file permissions can also prevent the font-face rule from working correctly. The font files need to have the correct permissions set so that the browser can access and load them.
To check the file permissions, you can use an FTP client or a file manager in your WordPress hosting dashboard. The font files should have read and execute permissions (usually 755 or 644) for the web server to be able to serve them.
If the permissions are not correct, you can update them using an FTP client or the file manager in your WordPress hosting dashboard.
Reason 5: Conflicting CSS Rules
It's possible that there are other CSS rules in your WordPress theme or plugins that are interfering with the font-face rule. For example, if you have a CSS rule that targets the same font-family but uses a different font file, it can override the font-face rule.
To identify and resolve any conflicting CSS rules, you can use your browser's developer tools to inspect the CSS and look for any rules that might be overriding the font-face rule.
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Conclusion
In this article, we've covered the most common reasons why the font-face might not be working on your WordPress website and provided solutions to fix the issue. Remember, the key is to ensure that the font file path is correct, the font file format is supported, and there are no caching, permissions, or conflicting CSS issues.
By following these steps, you should be able to get the font-face working correctly on your WordPress website, enhancing the overall design and user experience.
If you're still having trouble with the font-face rule, you might want to consider using a WordPress plugin that simplifies the process of adding custom fonts to your website. Tools like Flowpoint.ai can help you identify and fix all the technical issues that are impacting your website's conversion rates, including problems with custom fonts