The Beginner's Guide to Choosing Fonts for Your Website

1. The Real Reason Why Your Website Fonts Matter

Everything depends on your fonts. They define whether individuals can read what you have to write properly and without straining their eyes. They create the tone of your whole brand. They even determine to what extent visitors place their trust in you to the level that they purchase something or subscribe to your newsletter.

Research indicates that proper web typography enhances comprehension of reading by 20 points. It is that by using the right fonts, people do listen and remember what you are talking about. On the other hand, bad fonts cause individuals to walk out of your site within a few seconds, regardless of how great your content is.

Learning the basics of fonts when you are making a site on a platform such as WePage can assist you in creating something that seems attractive without having to be designed.

2. The Knowledge of the Fundamental Fonts of Websites

You have to be aware of four primary font types. All of them possess different charities and their own mission.

• Serif fonts have small feet or ornaments at the end of the letters. Consider Times New Roman or Georgia. They are conservative, reliable, and official. They are utilized in newspapers and books since they are easy to read long paragraphs. Benefits law firms, financial advisors or anybody who needs to appear entrenched and reputable.
• Sans-serif fonts are clean and modern, and they do not have any decals. Examples of common ones are Arial, Helvetica, and Roboto. They are invigorating, easy-going, and simple. Sans-serif types of fonts are used in most websites as they are incredibly legible on screens. The best fit to tech companies, creative businesses, or anyone who wants to have a modern appearance.
• Script fonts resemble handwriting or handwriting. They are quite classy and intimate yet difficult to read when overused. Limitations: Use them sparingly as logos, headers, or short text with accents. Boutiques, great as wedding planners, or a luxury brand, but never as body text.
• Display fonts are ornamental and catchy. These are wild and are targeted at headlines. Writing normal texts with them is tantamount to screaming at your guests. They are engaged in innovative projects, event promotions, or any other place where a big personality is required in very small portions.

In the majority of websites, you will be very dependent on serif and sans-serif fonts. The remaining ones are not primary actors, but accents.

3. The Golden Rule of Font Pairing

This is the key to font combining that will make it much less difficult: Do not exceed two or three fonts on your whole site. One headline font, one body font, and perhaps even one accent font, just in case you absolutely must.

This is to avoid the appearance of a typography nightmare on your site. Excess fonts are visual clutter and look unprofessional. Use one basic mix, and you automatically get a more put-together site.

The most foolproof approach? Pair a serif with a sans-serif. Use one of them in the headings and the other one in the body.

This gives natural contrast and leaves things readable. As an example, use pair Georgia (serif) (and Open Sans (sans-serif) body text. Or play the converse with Montserrat (sans-serif) headlines and Merriweather (serif) body copy.

Both combinations are successful as they are not too different and similar in style to not be in conflict with each other.

4. The Question of Fonts to Use on Readable Websites

Style is no match for readability. It is no use having a beautiful font that people cannot read. The following is what makes onscreen fonts readable:

• Letter spacing matters. Too-tight and too spaced fonts strain the eyes. Search fonts with spacing between letters that are comfortable to read.
• X-height is crucial. That is the capitals of the lowercase letters, such as x or a. Fonts that have a higher x-height are more readable on screens since they look clearer when they are smaller.
• Weight and thickness count. Super thin fonts are classy but may vanish on the screens, particularly on phones. Extra fat fonts are intimidating. Strive to attain medium weights that are not too heavy.
• Use not too ornamental fonts. When you need to decipher what a letter is hence slow down; the font will not work. Particularly, your body text ought to be easily readable.
• Test on multiple devices. A typeface that impresses on your computer may be small and impossible to read on your cell phone. Always make sure that your fonts are viewed in various screen sizes.

To use in a body text, it is better to stick to such time-tested workhorses as Open Sans, Lato, Roboto, Merriweather, or Georgia. These fonts were tested on millions of websites, and they simply work.

5. Finding the Right Fonts for Your Brand Personality

The fonts of your websites ought to be associated with your brand. A children's brand and a law firm should not be using the same typography, as it is playful. This is the alignment of your web typography and your brand:

• Traditional and reliable brands (banks, lawyers, healthcare) should be inclined towards a serif font or a conservative sans-serif. Consider Georgia, Times New Roman, or clean fonts such as Helvetica. History creates credibility, and these fonts have existed since time immemorial.
• High-tech brands (technological startups, design agencies) are compatible with the use of geometrical sans-serif fonts. Such fonts as Montserrat, Raleway, or Poppins are modern and progressive.
• Friendly and approachable brands (coaches, bloggers, small businesses) are good with rounded sans serifs. Such fonts as Nunito, Quicksand, or Comfortaa are friendly and inviting and yet not unprofessional.
• Luxury and high-end retail brands (spa, boutiques) can use elegant serifs or refined sans serifs with script accents. The combination of Playfair Display and Lato gives it that posh appearance.
• Creative and daring brands (artists, designers, and entertainment) are allowed to experiment with fonts used in headlines. All you need to do is make the body simple and readable.

Make a list of 5 words that describe your brand. Is it professional, playful, elegant, bold, or trustworthy? Your font choices should reinforce these qualities.

6. The Examples That Work in Good Font Pairing

Craving to know what fonts should be used together? The following are some combinations that apply to various types of sites:

Professional services:

• Playfair Display (headlines) and Source Sans Pro (body)
• Lora (headlines) + Open Sans (body)

Creative portfolios:

• Oswald (headlines) + Lato (body)
• Montserrat (title) + Crimson Text (copy)

Blogs and content sites:

• Merriweather (body) + Montserrat (headlines)
• PT Serif (body) + Raleway (headlines)

E-commerce stores:

• Consistency: Roboto (headlines and body)
• Poppins (headlines) + Roboto (body)

Personal brands and coaches:

• Nunito (headlines) + Open Sans (body)
• Quicksand (headlines) + Lato (body)

Notice the pattern? The most successful combinations are those that use one slightly decorative font in combination with one super clean, simple font. This is an interest without pandemonium.

All these fonts are available on Google Fonts, which is the one most website builders, including WePage, retrieve.

7. Mistakes in Using Fonts Common to Beginners

• ➔ Using too many fonts. A combination of more than three fonts creates an unprofessional and confusing appearance on your site. Choose your mix and keep it all over your site.
• ➔ The wrong fonts can be picked. When your body fonts and headline fonts are nearly the same fonts, there is no need to have two fonts. You require sufficient contrast that would produce a visual hierarchy.
• ➔ Choosing stylish fonts that will not grow old. The cool font used may be old-fashioned after two years. Use the trending fonts or classics that can last.
• ➔ Leaving out of line height and spacing. Great fonts too appear crowded and difficult to read when the lines are too each other. Provide some breathing space to your text by adding at least 1.5 lines between body text.
• ➔ Making texts light on light or dark on dark. Contrast is everything. Your text should be distinct in your background. When individuals are forced to make an eye strain to read something or fill it with light, they have lost.
• ➔ Making body text too small. Below 16px of body text is unreadable on a majority of the screens with ease. Do not force people to read what you have to say.
• ➔ Highlighting masses of text. Centering text only works well with headlines or small quotes, but centering a paragraph is considerably more difficult to read. Make text on the body to the left side.

8. How to Test Your Font Choices

Test fonts before committing to them on the entire site. Here's a simple process:

Write a complete paragraph in various font sizes that you have. Read it on your computer, on your phone. Are you comfortable reading, or are you making yourself sick? When you are making it difficult, change the font or make it bigger.

Prepare a mock-up of your headline font and body font. Are they complementary or attention-seeking? Present it to a person that fits the profile of your target market and inquire what impression the fonts produce on them.

Test your fonts on other browsers. In some cases, fonts slightly look different in Chrome compared to Safari compared to Firefox. The font you have so beautifully selected may appear blurry or odd in some browsers.

Compare and contrast with WebAIM in Contrast Checker. This tool informs you whether your text color and background color are different enough to allow everybody to read with ease, including those with eye issues.

A lot of these font combinations have been tested and optimized when you are using the templates of WePage. You can take them as they are or make alterations with the knowledge that you are beginning with something that works.

9. Learning Web Typography Hierarchy

Typography hierarchy implies that certain text must stand out compared to other text. This is what takes the reader through what you have to say in the proper sequence. The way to develop a good hierarchy is as follows:

• Headlines should be the largest and boldest text. This is what individuals will notice first, and it informs them of what the section is all about. Main headlines should be 32-48px or bigger.
• Subheadings are small compared to headlines but not so small as the body text. They split information and assist scanners to locate what they require. Use 24-28px for subheadings.
• Body text is your natural reading type size. This must be read easily in long paragraphs. Use 16-18px minimum for body text.
• Little text and captions can be smaller, however, not less than 14px. These should be used in capturing images, footnotes, or additional information.
• Calls-to-action and buttons must be conspicuous and need not be enormous. Make them conspicuous or make them your accent color.

There are three ways you establish hierarchy: size, weight (bold vs. regular), and color. You do not have to employ all three simultaneously. In many instances, it is merely necessary to make something bigger or bolder.

10. The Font Trendier with WePage

With WePage, it is not about creating a web page with fonts that do not match each other. The platform consists of custom-crafted templates featuring font pairs installed in them.

All the templates have established web typography combinations, which are easy to read as well as attractive in combination with each other. You can either take them as they are or tailor them according to your brand. The fonts have been grouped logically, making you not confused with the 900 fonts that you do not necessarily need.

The customization tools allow you to modify fonts throughout your entire site in a matter of clicks. Select a headline font, select a body font, and the system uses the fonts throughout. There is no coding, no perplexity as to what is to be placed where.

This method eliminates speculation in creators and bloggers who prefer to write and make fewer design choices. Your site appears to be professional, as it has already been determined by someone who knows about typography to make the difficult decisions.

11. Essential Font Advice to Bloggers and Creators

As a blogger or content producer, all you need is to make people read what you write. Herein lies the contribution of font choices to or detriment of that purpose:

• Use big body text than you can imagine. The readers tend to skim on phones when multitasking. Text with 18 point is more readable in comparison to 16 point, although 18 point and 16 point are technically acceptable.
• Increase your line spacing. Too many close lines will make long articles thick and heavy going. But at least 1.5 or 1.6 body text line height. This one variation makes it much easier to read.
• Limit line length. Texts in lines that are stretched across a wide screen are difficult to read. Keep the width of your content less than 60-80 characters per line. It is the reason why the majority of blogs consist of text in the middle with blank space on the sides.
• Be careful when using bold and italics. The bold type attracts attention and assists scanners in locating important areas. Italics can be used to emphasize or quote. But when all things are daring, then nothing is notable.
• Separate passages of text with subheadings. Giant paragraphs are not attractive even with perfect fonts. Insert subheadings after every 200-300 words to provide a rest to the eyes of the readers.
• Make links obvious. Do not merely make them different; underline them, as well. Individuals must be aware of what is clickable and not have to go searching.

12. Using Fonts to Match Your General Design

The fonts in your sites do not live in vacuums. They must force their colors, pictures, and design. Here is the way to make everything coherent:

In case your site has high usage of images and other visual effects, make your fonts plain and clear. Allow the graphics to shine and typography to play second fiddle. Big bold photographs on the site are usually better accompanied by reduced fonts of the silvery serif type.

When your site is more text-based, such as the content of a blog or a news site, then you can choose some more unique fonts, as fonts are your primary design feature. It is at this point that one gets to combine a serif with a clean sans-serif that is of interest.

Make your fonts match your colors. The elegant fonts are matched with and in contrast to black, white, and muted tones. Playful fonts deal with bright and vivid colors. Strong and saturated colors are paired with heavy and bold fonts.

Think about your industry standards. In a conservative industry where all people use basic fonts, being too trendy will make you seem less serious. However, when you are in a creative industry, and everyone tries something, you may end up being too safe so that no one will remember you.

The key is consistency.

When you have decided on your fonts, colors, and style, everywhere you go. Your web, your social media illustrations, your newsletters. Regular web typography creates brand recognition over time.

13. Free Font Resources In the Present Day

There is no need to pay money on fonts. Thousands of free alternatives are of good quality:

• ★ Google Fonts is the standard of web fonts. It is free, simple to operate, and compatible with virtually all the website builders, such as WePage. The fonts are screen-optimized and are fast to load.
• ★ Adobe Fonts is the best place to use when you are subscribing to Adobe Creative Cloud, since it provides high-quality fonts. It is very high, and it is more than what most small business websites require.
• ★ Font Squirrel is a free, commercial license-based fonts site. Good to get something special when Google Fonts is too familiar.
• ★ DaFont has loads of ornamental and display fonts. Suitable to locate fonts of matching accents with headers or logos, but most of them do not work with a body font.

When selecting among these resources, the license should be inspected. The vast majority of them are free to use personally and commercially, though others are limited. Google Fonts is the safest and most straightforward option as long as web use is concerned.

14. What to Do When You're Still Stuck

To continue with the task of font picking, we have 3 such combinations that we pre-tested to use at the moment, according to various purposes:

• In the case of professional services, Lora is in the headline and Open Sans in the body. This mixture is believable and easy to read.
• In the case of creative work, use Montserrat as a headline and Merriweather as body copy. It is contemporary and not icy, innovative and readable.
• In the case of personal brands: Use Nunito in headlines and Lato in body. This is an appealing and friendly coupling that is not unprofessional.

Use these very combinations, and you will come up with something that works. None of the design experience is necessary. These are the pairing combinations working in accordance with all the rules we have discussed and are implemented on thousands of websites.

Another alternative: visit websites that you like within your industry. What fonts are they using? Fonts can also be recognized with extensions such as WhatFont in the browser. Find out what is working and make it fit your location.

It is always possible to change your fonts later, remember. Never permanently set your typography. Begin with something good, launch your site, and improve after learning what your audience loves.

15. FAQs

16. Summary

You do not need a design degree or costly tools to select the fonts of the site. It involves knowledge of such simple principles as readability and contrast, as well as proper font combination. Begin with established combinations, and experiment on actual devices and modify according to what works for your audience.

Your fonts are important, yet they should not put you in a coma. Find something readable that fits your brand, start your site, and work on it over time as you receive actual feedback from actual visitors.

Are you willing to develop your website using professional typography? Go through the features of WePage and discover how easy it is to design a fantastic-looking site with working fonts. It will not take long before you can have a professional site with a readable font, either using ready-made templates or with options for your own font.