“Unlock the Secret to Lightning-Fast WordPress Websites with this Simple Font Preloading Trick!”
The Mysterious World of Font Preloading
As a savvy WordPress developer, you’ve probably spent countless hours perfecting your website’s design, carefully selecting fonts that perfectly capture your brand’s unique personality, or set the right tone for your content. However, all that hard work might go to waste if your visitors are forced to wait for fonts to load, making your site sluggish and frustrating for users
Unveiling the Secret of Font Preloading
Fortunately, there’s a mystical solution to this problem: font preloading!
In a nutshell, font preloading is the process of intentionally loading a font before it’s actually used on a web page. By doing so, you can ensure that your fonts are ready to go as soon as your visitors land on your site, enhancing your user experience and reducing page load times.
For all those perplexed developers out there, preloading fonts might sound like a minor optimization, but it plays a vital role in improving your website’s performance. According to Google, a reduced page rendering time is critical for optimizing user experience, increasing conversion rates, and improving search rankings.
Cracking the Code: Preloading Fonts in WordPress
Now that you’re intrigued by the wonders of font preloading, let’s find out how to implement it in WordPress:
Use a Plug-in
The easiest way to preload font files in WordPress is by using a plugin. One such plugin is “Preload Fonts.” It adds a “Fonts” settings panel in the WordPress customizer, allowing you to choose the fonts you want to preload and the pages or post types where you want them preloaded.
Do it Manually
For those who like to do things the old-fashioned way, you can preload fonts manually by adding a small amount of code to your site’s header section. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Find the Font URL
First, locate the URLs for your fonts. You can typically find these in your theme’s style.css file or in the font activation code provided by your font provider.
Step 2: Defer the Loading of Fonts
To defer the loading of fonts, add the following code to your site’s functions.php file:
function wp_ahk_defer_font($url) {
if (strpos($url, 'fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=') === false) return $url;
return str_replace('}', '&subset=all\');', $url) . '
';
}
add_filter('style_loader_tag', 'wp_ahk_defer_font');
This code defers the loading of all fonts added via Google Fonts. If you’re using other web fonts, you’ll need to modify this code to fit your needs.
Step 3: Preload Fonts
Next, to preload your fonts, add the following code to your site’s header.php file:
This code preloads the Roboto font from Google Fonts. If you're using a different font, replace "Roboto" with the name of the font you want to preload and update the URL accordingly. You can repeat this code for each font you want to preload.
Step 4: Verify that Preloading is Working
To check if preloading is working correctly, you can use your browser's developer tools and inspect your site's network tab. If everything is working correctly, your font files should show up in the network tab as "Preload."
Unlocking the Magic of Font Preloading
By preloading your fonts using the methods mentioned above, you can significantly improve your website's performance and create a seamless experience for your users. Whether you choose a plugin or manually code your site, font preloading is a quick and effortless trick that you can implement today to ensure your fonts are always available when your users need them.
