How to Choose Fonts for Your Website

Fonts shape the personality of your website as much as colour does. A clean, well-chosen typeface feels professional and is easy to read. A fussy or mismatched one can quietly undermine the whole site.

Choosing fonts can feel overwhelming because there are thousands available. The good news is that the rules for getting it right are refreshingly simple.

Keep it to two fonts

Most professional websites use just one or two typefaces. A common setup is one font for headings and a complementary one for body text, or even a single versatile font used throughout.

Mixing several typefaces tends to look messy. If in doubt, pick one strong, readable font and vary it with size and weight instead of adding more.

Prioritise readability

Body text exists to be read, so favour clean, familiar shapes over decorative styles. Set it at a comfortable size, leave generous spacing between lines, and avoid very thin weights that strain the eye.

Decorative or script fonts can work for a logo or the occasional heading, but they become tiring quickly in paragraphs. Save personality for the headlines and keep the body plain.

Mind speed and licensing

Fonts are files your visitor has to download, so loading too many weights and styles can slow your pages. A good designer limits the font files used to keep things fast.

Web fonts also need the right licence. Services such as system fonts and well-known web font libraries are designed for online use, which avoids any rights problems down the line.

Performance and licensing considerations

Web fonts add load time: a self-hosted Google Font typically adds 150–300 milliseconds if not optimised. Use only the font weights you actually need — regular and bold are usually sufficient — preload your primary font in the HTML head, and consider system fonts for body text where brand identity matters less than speed.

Most Google Fonts are free to use commercially without restriction. Adobe Fonts and other library services may have licensing terms that change with your subscription level. Custom or premium typefaces often have separate desktop and web licensing costs. Check licensing before using any font on a public-facing commercial website, and keep a record of the licence for each font you use.