3 Tips for Choosing the Best Font for Your Website
If you want your company to be taken seriously online, then your website needs to look professional.
What’s the difference between a professional and an amateur website? The attention to detail.
Amateur websites are usually easy to spot: Garish colors, a cluttered home page, and a poor design are just a few of the ways a website can look cheap. And believe it or not, a font can make all the difference in the world.
3 Typography Tips for Better Website Design
One of the easiest ways to ruin a website design is through a poor choice of fonts. Sometimes, the effects of poor font choice are more subliminal than conscious. Still, that unconscious judgment could cost you a sale. Here are just a few ways to avoid font problems on your website:
1. Make Your Website Easy to Read
If your potential customer can’t read your website, they are not very likely to purchase something. While this may seem obvious, far too many website owners choose fonts based on what they like as opposed to what works for customers.
“Accessibility” refers to sites being “accessible” to people with physical limitations or disabilities. Accessibility of websites is an important element of user experience – so much so, that more and more governments are creating laws requiring accessibility.
Accessible websites help more people than you might think. Many people over 40 need reading glasses. This means that super tiny fonts that might seem “hip” are not going to work for a large number of people.
Fonts should be legible. This includes the size of the font as well as the style. Overly cutesy, frilly fonts can be impossible to read. When in doubt, opt for a sans-serif font. This is a font that does not have the “curls” on the edges of the letters.
2. Don’t Engage in Font Spamming
You wouldn’t spam your customers with 20 different emails in an hour, so why do the same with fonts? Amateur website developers usually make the mistake of using too many different fonts in a website design.
A rule of thumb is to never use more than three different fonts in one design. This is actually generous. Excluding your logo, your website should probably stick to two fonts. These fonts can be changed by using effects such as bold, italic, and color, which is a much better way to provide interest.
Why do too many fonts ruin a design? They confuse a reader, and destroy the cohesiveness of the brand. They also bring way too much attention to the font itself, rather than the content. Why take attention away from your product or service? Unless you are selling fonts, keep your fonts to a minimum.
3. Use Up-To-Date, Standard Fonts
The fonts Arial, Helvetica, and Verdana are so “1999.” While they are still used on many websites, they are a bit out-of-date style-wise.
Back when websites first started, font choices were very limited. You now have a broad choice of sleek, attractive fonts that are modern and easy to read.
Today, with Google fonts and modern website technologies, incorporating a better font is relatively simple. Some of the best fonts for website text are the modern “sans” fonts. However, no matter how new and trendy, the font should still be legible across a wide variety of platforms. If you can’t read it on your smartphone, skip it.
Fonts Are the Backbone of Your Website Design
Without a font, no written text could be displayed. Your font is literally the delivery mechanism of your website content. This is why getting fonts right is critical to website success.
Our talented web designers will make sure your website looks professional and clean. We also have an expert eye for fonts. Contact us today for a quote.
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