Hey there! I totally get how frustrating it is when your site works perfectly locally but breaks after uploading to a server. Let's walk through the most common fixes for your specific issues, since you already checked the basics like case sensitivity:

1. Fix Relative Paths with Root-relative URLs #

This is the #1 culprit for these kinds of problems. When your pages are in different directories (like an /about/ folder vs. the root homepage), relative paths (e.g., css/style.css) will look for the CSS file in the wrong place on the server.

• For all your CSS links and background image references, start the path with a forward slash / to make it root-relative.
  • Instead of <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/style.css">, use <link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/style.css">
  • For background images in CSS, change background-image: url('images/bg.jpg') to background-image: url('/images/bg.jpg')

This tells the server to always look for the file starting from the root directory of your site, no matter which page you're on.

2. Verify File Upload Modes in FileZilla #

Sometimes incorrect transfer modes can corrupt CSS files or images:

• In FileZilla, go to Transfer > Transfer Type
• Set CSS files to ASCII (text-based files like CSS/HTML need this to avoid formatting issues)
• Set image files to Binary (media files can get messed up if transferred via ASCII mode)
• Alternatively, select "Auto" to let FileZilla detect the right mode automatically. Re-upload any problematic files if you think this was an issue.

3. Clear Browser Cache #

Browsers love to cache old versions of files, which can make it look like your fixes aren't working. Force a full refresh to bypass cache:

• Windows/Linux: Press Ctrl + Shift + R
• Mac: Press Cmd + Shift + R

4. Check File & Folder Permissions #

HostGator requires specific permissions for files to be accessible to visitors:

• In FileZilla, right-click your css/ or images/ folder (or individual files)
• Select File Permissions
• Set folders to 755 and files to 644 (this is the standard permission setup for most web hosts)
• Click "OK" to apply the changes.

5. Use Browser DevTools to Diagnose Exact Issues #

This is a super handy tool for debugging what's going wrong:

1. Press F12 in your browser to open DevTools
2. Go to the Network tab
3. Refresh the page and look for your CSS files/background images:
   • If you see a 404 status: The path is incorrect (head back to step 1!)
   • If you see a 200 status but styles aren't showing: Check the "Response" tab to make sure the CSS code is intact (sometimes files get corrupted during upload)

Since you already confirmed case sensitivity isn't the issue and images are accessible via direct URL, these steps should cover the most likely fixes. Don't worry—these are super common hurdles when deploying your first site, you're doing great!

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Al Pal