This website typography guide cuts through the noise: which fonts to choose, which to avoid, and why type matters far more than most businesses realise. These rules take minutes to learn and will quietly improve every page you ever publish.
Website Typography Guide: Rules That Matter
Two fonts maximum
One for headings, one for body text. Anything more looks chaotic and slows your site with unnecessary font downloads.
Readability first
Decorative display fonts are for headlines only. Body text must be utterly effortless to read — no exceptions, ever.
Size generously
Body text at 17-18px minimum. Small text might look “designed” but it quietly excludes real customers.
Choosing Your Pairing
Step 1: Match your personality
A law firm and a skate shop should never share a typeface. Fonts carry emotional feeling — choose yours deliberately.
Step 2: Test the body font
Read three full paragraphs on a phone screen. If your eyes work even slightly harder than usual, choose another.
Step 3: Check the loading cost
Every font weight is an extra download. Load only the weights you genuinely use — usually regular, medium and bold.
Key takeaway: Typography is said to be 90% of web design. Visitors may never consciously notice your fonts — but they will absolutely feel them.
3 Typography Mistakes
Too many weights
Loading light, regular, medium, semibold, bold and black “just in case” bloats every page load. Restraint is faster.
Grey text on grey
Fashionable low-contrast body text fails accessibility and annoys everyone over forty. Contrast is kindness.
Ignoring line length
Enormous unbroken lines tire eyes quickly. Comfortable measure keeps readers reading instead of skimming away.
Using system fonts carelessly
Default system fonts are perfectly fine, but pairing them thoughtlessly looks unfinished. Even free fonts need deliberate, careful pairing to appear professional.
Are Google Fonts free to use?
Yes — free for commercial use. They are also reliable and fast-loading, making them an excellent default for most businesses.
What fonts should I avoid?
Anything hard to read, anything used to the point of cliché, and any family with a dozen weights loaded unnecessarily.
Does font choice affect SEO?
Indirectly, yes — slow font loading damages speed scores, and unreadable text harms engagement. Both matter to Google.
Can I use custom fonts?
Yes, but license them properly and load them efficiently. Unlicensed fonts create legal risk; bloated font files create speed problems.
How do I pair fonts well?
Contrast with harmony: a distinctive heading font alongside a neutral, highly readable body font. Test every combination at multiple sizes on a phone screen. If it feels effortless to read, you have found a winner.
Ready to grow?
This website typography guide is one of dozens of details we obsess over in every build — all covered by a firm fixed price once we understand your project. Typography may seem like a small detail, but it is one of dozens we perfect on every build — all included within your fixed price.
