How to Pick the Perfect Font For Your Website

Pick the perfect font for your website

Even though technology has come a long way, enabling us to almost anything with just a click of a mouse, choosing more subtle elements of design such as fonts can sometimes be the hardest part of creating a website.

As a small business owner in charge of every aspect of your company, any help on this matter always comes in handy. That is why we’ve come up with this beginner’s guide to choosing the perfect fonts for your website.

Types of fonts

Before we dig any deeper into this matter, it’s important you get your basics right when it comes to the types of fonts.

Despite the fact that there are as many font classifications as there are fonts, typographers and typeface designers both agree on the four basic types of fonts: serifs, sans-serifs, scripts and decorative fonts.

Serifs are fonts with little lines attached to the ends of their letters. Considered to be more serious and traditional, they help your eyes move across the text more naturally, making long paragraphs easier to read.

Sans-serif fonts, as their name already suggests, are fonts lacking the serifs – the little “feet” at the ends of each letter. They carry a much sleeker, more modern image, and are a favorite among web and graphic designers due to their ability to retain clearness and sharpness even when highly pixelated.

Scripts are cursive fonts that resemble handwriting. Usually having letters that connect to one another, scripts come in all kinds of different styles – from sleek and elegant to the more casual, fun, hand-drawn fonts.

Decorative, or display fonts as they’re often referred to, are usually created with a goal of grabbing your attention, rather than being practical and versatile.

Why fonts matter

Your choice of fonts is largely responsible for the first impression people get from your website. They set the tone for the rest of your website’s design, as well as enhance and complement the content that you publish.

Fonts should be a visual vessel for you to share your brand’s message from, and they should never clash with what you’re trying to communicate to your customers.

Choosing and pairing fonts

When it comes to choosing fonts, you should always start by defining the kind of message you want your website, and ultimately your business to convey. Once you get the general idea you want to go with all thought out, you should pick the core font you’ll base the rest of your design on.

No matter what industry you’re in or the kind of image you want to portray, we suggest using clean fonts such as Open Sans, Montserrat or Roboto as your base. These are all modern, versatile fonts that pair well with both decorative and serif typefaces.

For any larger bodies of text, such as an about me page or a blog, we recommend going with a traditional serif font such as Libre Baskerville, Merriweather, or Playfair Display. These serifs ooze professionalism and are easy on the eyes, giving value and integrity to your content

To enhance important points on your website, say your company’s name, blog headers and page titles, don’t be afraid to use a bold, decorative font. Pair Abril Fatface with classic serifs for a traditional, yet memorable look, and use Knewave with a sleek, modern sans-serif to introduce visual breaks into your content.

If you’re still not sure whether or not the font you chose will work together, there are a couple of amazing tools you can use to help you out.

You’re probably familiar with Google Fonts, but we bet you had no idea it also offered font combinations. Just select the font you want to start with, and the app will offer its most popular pairings.

If you lack inspiration, check out Type.io. It’s an amazing database that allows you to see how different font combinations look on real websites.

Conclusion

Creating an image for your brand starts with designing a website – the world’s window into your company. Fonts are the backbone of every design, and web design is no exception. The fonts you choose for your website will be responsible for communicating your message to the world – so it’s worth investing a bit of time into selecting the right ones.

You don’t have to be a designer to create an amazing website for your company. The only thing you need is an unparalleled passion towards your business - something aspiring entrepreneurs never lack.

SITE123 is a website builder that recognizes this, and has created a platform that caters to the everyday needs of small businesses. From choosing the right type of website, tweaking its layout and design to touching up on more subtle details such as fonts - SITE123 should be your go-to website builder.