Web Fonts and Typography: Getting Text Right
Most of your website is text, so the fonts you choose and how they are set has a huge effect on how professional and readable the site feels. Good typography is quiet — people simply find your content easy to read.
Web fonts also affect loading speed and licensing, so there is a little more to consider than just picking something that looks nice.
Readability Comes First
We set sensible line lengths, generous line spacing and a comfortable base size so visitors can read without straining — especially on phones.
- A base size of around 16–18px for body text.
- Line length of roughly 50–75 characters.
- Enough contrast between text and background.
Performance and Licensing
Custom fonts are downloaded by the visitor's browser, so we limit how many weights we load and use modern formats to keep pages fast. We also make sure any paid font is correctly licensed for web use.
- Choose a small set of weights you actually use.
- Serve fonts in a modern, compressed format.
- Provide a sensible fallback while the font loads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we use a Google Font for free?
Yes, Google Fonts are free for commercial use and a popular, reliable choice. We can also self-host them for privacy.
Why does text sometimes flash a different font on load?
That is the fallback font showing briefly before the custom one arrives. We tune this so it is barely noticeable.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.