How To Make Effective Use Of Web Fonts
|
|
Writing for your web site is not the same as offlinewriting. The fonts used for print media are different thanweb fonts. This is because it's harder to read text on acomputer screen and visitors tend to scan your web pagesrather than read them word for word. When deciding on whatweb font to use, take into consideration the character ofyour site and whether the web font type is widely available(accomodates different screens and operating systems).
If you use the wrong web font, your web pages will mayappear unprofessional and you may lose visitors to yourcompetition.
So how do you decide on what web site font to use?
1. Analyze the character of your web site - for most websites you would use a large or fancy font for your headerto capture your visitors attention and a smaller web fontfor body text. When using a fancy font make sure it isavailable on most computers otherwise your visitors won'tbe able to read it. (To get around this, read my article"Improve your web site design with a fancy font"http://www.isitebuild.com/fancyfont.htm).
2. Search engine compatibility - fonts used within imagescan be seen on all computers, however it can't be read bythe search engines. They can only "read" text. Whendesigning images always use the "alt" tag to convey whatyour image is about. Try to include appropriate keywords inyour web site copy. This will help the search engines indexyour site.
3. Use a web safe font - there are 2 types of fonts thatare widely used:
Serif Fonts - these are most widely used for PRINT media ieTimes Roman, Georgia, but are not good for the Web, becausethey are difficult to read on the screen. Serif fonts arethose that have fine cross-lines at the extremities of theletter.
Sans Serif Fonts - these are fonts that don't have serifs.They are the best fonts to use for the WEB (ie Verdana,Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet) but are not appropriate forprint media.
Here's a great readability study that was done whencomparing serif and sans serif fonts:http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt6/html-email-fonts.htm
4. Use the correct font size - alternative font sizes addflavor and character to your web site. If you want yourtext to be viewed correctly for both PC and MAC users, thenit's better to use pixels rather then points. Points maylook all right on a PC but will appear smaller on a MAC(although these days there are only a small percentage offolks that use MACs).
Use a large font size (ie Arial H1) for your main headertext, smaller font sizes (Arial H2, H3) for yoursubheadings and a point or pixel size of 10 or 12 for yourbody text.
Generally I use Verdana 10pt for body text and Arial textfor headings.
5. Utilize Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) - these enable youto easily create a consistent font style across your entireweb site. If you want to change the font on all your webpages, you just need to change one style sheet.
CSS allows you to easily use comma-separated list of fonts(ie Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif). The browserwill use the first one it comes to in the list that isinstalled. If none of the type faces in the list areavailable, it reverts to the default.
Writing correct web copy using fonts that are easy to readand readily available, not only adds character to your webpages, but shows you care about the experience of yourvisitors.
Resources
Web font readability study.
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt6/html-email-fonts.htm
Hundreds of free fonts
http://www.fontfile.com
Herman Drost is the author of the NEW ebook "101 Highly Effective Strategies to Promote Your Web Site"http://www.isitebuild.com/web-site-promotion Subscribe tohis "Marketing Tips" newsletter for more original articles at:subscribe@isitebuild.com. You can read more of hisin-depth articles at: http://www.isitebuild.com/articles
|
|
|
Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites
Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE NewsletterDesign Vs Content: Who Is King?
Well it is not Elvis, that's for sure.I am a firm advocate of good design but most of the time people tend to interpret design as amazing graphics and astounding visuals they tend to forget that design is the culmination of every aspect of good and effective presentation into one.We all know that design and content have equal importance in regards to websites but if you must choose which one is immediately important, which will you choose, design or content? If you?re going to prepare an enti...(related: Web Design)
Are Web Templates Worth It?
First off, I am a designer. Now you're thinking, here's this guy trying to convince me to hire a designer costing a few hundred to a few thousand dollars instead of buying a pre-made web template for about $60. Well, these days most companies don'...(related: Web Design)
Is Your Website Color As Inviting As Your Home? Does Color Really Matter?
We've all read the countless publications about effective web site design, outstanding written content and the never ending need for search engine optimization. But often the importance of color for a web site is overlooked. Yet it is a proven fact that physical changes take place when individuals are exposed to certain colors. Because colors have the power to stimulate, excite,...(related: Web Design)
How To Double Your Online Sales Without Spending Another Dime On Advertising
Learning how to convert visitors to your web site into buyers, is the single most important factor affecting the success of your online business. If you don't have paying customers, your business will fail.FACT: "50% of Visitors are LOST because visitors can'teasily find content" - Gartner GroupFACT: "40% of Repeat Visitors are LOST from negativeexperience" - Zona ResearchFACT: "85% of Visitors ABANDON a new site due topoor design" - cPulseFACT: 70% of people who are ready, willing and able tobuy online - don't complete the sale.Just imagine, if you can improve your web site's conversion rate, you have the potential to increase ...(related: Web Design)
Simplify Your Web Site For Clarity And Ease Of Use
There are plenty of web sites out there in which basic elements of design are ignored. The viewer may experience overkill and frustration, instead of gently re...(related: Web Design)
Very Cheap Website Design Services
Are you looking for somebody to build you a website, however do not have a very large budget? This is the position many people find themselves in and are on the lookout for very cheap web design services.There are companies out there or people who are just starting out in a caree...(related: Web Design)
Website Sales: 10 Strategic Tips To Maximize Your Profits
If you've a website but not making a lot of profitfrom it, cheer up because I have 10 website salessecrets that can help you maximize your salesand profits, starting now:1. Tell people the point or focus of your web site.Explain to them what things they can do or whichgoals they can accomplish while visiting your site.2. Make your visitors feel comfortable at your website. Give them your main business address, yourvisitors may not trust you if you're using a P.O. box.3. Include a FAQ on your web site or via e-mailon an autoresponder. This will give your customersan extra con...(related: Web Design)
An Ideal Home Business Home Page
From my personal experience of around two year as home business website operator as well as owner, I have spent enough time learning and unlearning. Observing other sites and constantly reading and contributing in online forums about managing a website.Having a website is all about being able to draw targeted traffic to you site. The more the traffic- betters the sales- improved commissions. This is everyone's ultimate goal behind runnin...(related: Web Design)
Put Up A Website And Start Promoting In About An Hour
I can't figure out people who have products or information to sell who do not have a website. With some people, it's fear of technology; others just haven't realized that we've entered the electronic age. If you are not in the latter category, and you are reading this article, put up your website today -- it will take you about an hour!
Got Web Traffic But Still Low Sales? Ten Ways To Selling Success - Part 2
Part one of this article is available at www.bookcoaching.com/freearticles/article-34.shtml.
Have you put a lot of effort, time, and money into your site and are frustrated with lackluster sales? Are you planning to put a new Web site and don't know where to start?
If you are like many business professionals out there, you know your subject, you are an expert speaker or coach in your field, and you are even passionate about it. You have great products and services to sell.
But do you tr...(related: Web Design)
Hiring The Right Webmaster
The Questions You Should Be Asking ?The Answers You Should Be ReceivingWhen interviewing webmasters, don't let price be your deciding factor. Among webmasters there is a split between those who are skilled in the fine art of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and those who are not. To obtain high rankings for your site on the major search engines, multiple SEO Marketing tactics must be included within the design of your website. As an online business owner you should be concerned with the depth of SEO Marketing knowledge possessed by the person you hire to design and build your website. Do you know the right questions to ask a potential webmaster to ensure that you are doing business with the right person?The process of hiring a webmaster may appear to be as simple as contacting a few designers and getting price quotations ...(related: Web Design)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Empower! Web Design | All Rights Reserved. | Web Design