Google Font subsets are specific portions of a font family that include only selected characters or styles. Many times, you don’t need all the special characters, so limiting the subsets with Local Google Fonts will dramatically decrease the size of the CSS. In our tests, we saw an 80% decrease in the font CSS size when selecting one specific subset.
How to limit Google Fonts subsets
Follow the steps below to limit Google Fonts subsets. This assumes you have already enabled Local Google Fonts in Perfmatters.
Step 1
Click into the Perfmatters plugin settings.
Step 2
Click on the “Fonts” menu.
Step 3
Toggle on “Limit Subsets.”
Step 4
Choose the subset or language of your site. For most, “Latin” is what you will want to use if your site is in English. This is enabled by default.
If you’re running a non-English site, many times “Latin” and “Latin Extended” will be needed. But we suggest always starting with just “Latin,” as fewer are better for performance.
Note: If you don’t enable the Limit Subsets option in Perfmatters, all subsets are loaded.
Step 5
Scroll down and click “Save Changes.”