Ecommerce Web Design Blog

What are the best fonts to use for content pages on the Internet? This is an important question for web design as well as writing content pages for ecommerce websites.

Fonts do not download with HTML pages. This means that when a web browser goes to display an HTML page, the fonts used to draw that page come only from the visitor's own computer. If you use a font that your visitors don't have installed, then your pages will not appear as you intended them to look.

It is important to choose a font that is easy to read and commonly available if you want your pages to display correctly on the Internet. 

There are five main types of fonts (font families):

• Serif fonts - these have decorative pieces on their ends (called serifs). Times New Roman is one of the most commonly occuring versions of this font on modern PCs
• Sans Serif fonts - do not have those descriptive pieces and are often used in headings. Arial is a commonly occuring example of a sans serif font.
  
  
  
• Cursive: These are fonts that look like human handwriting.
• Monospace: These are fixed width fonts and behave like typewriter spacing. Courier New is an example of a monospace font.
• Fantasy fonts are those that do not fall into any of the above category. Wingdings symbols is an example of a font in this category.

So what fonts are the best to use?

Here is a quick guide to fonts that are commonly occuring on Windows and Macintosh computers (without installing extra software) that you could use in your content pages.  There are similar versions available on Windows and Macintosh PCs so your content will be displayed in a similar way across different types of computers.  

If you have a font you really want to use and it is not available in this table, then you can always insert it as a graphic into your content. Design companies often do this with special headings. Don't overdo it though as search engines can't read the text inside images.

Our best advice is to use an HTML editor like Expressions that applies the font family names to your content instead of a specific font.

As a rule of thumb for printed material, graphic design handbooks often suggest a Serif font like Times for body text and a Sans-Serif font for headings.  Because people read differently on the Internet we generally suggest that our customers use sans-serif fonts like Arial for body text and product descriptions too. In our view, simplicity sells.

Having a powerful, fully featured shopping cart with a striking web design is just the first part of creating a successful online business. How you present your products to your customers is also absolutely critical. Investing in good product images can make the difference between average and outstanding ecommerce sales. Product images matter.

Remember, your product photos are the closest your buyer will get to seeing your product before they buy it. The better you can make your product photos, the more you will reduce the likelihood of returns or unhappy customers.  Realistic, clear photos that include close-ups where appropriate can help sell your products. In ecommerce, a picture really can be worth a thousand dollars.

The good news is that you don't need a professional photographic studio to get good product images for your shopping cart.  Even with a good point-and-shoot digital camera and the right lighting you can show off your products in a way to help them really stand out.

Here are some things we suggest you do when thinking about taking good photographs of your product images:

• Try to use the same or similar backgrounds, or a consistent theme for all of your product photos.
  
• If you are taking photos of small items like jewellery, make sure you have a digital camera with macro mode. The closer it can get to your products without taking over-exposed or blurred photos, the better. For small products like these, it will usually also be essential to invest in a light box. This is a rectangular box, usually made from fabric, that helps even out the light that shines on your product. Used with special fluroscent lights it mimics the light achieved through natural daylight.
• Check your photos to see if they give an accurate colour representation. If they don't you will probably need to adjust your camera's "white balance" settings. If you are photographing clothing, getting the colour right can be essential.
  
• If you can afford a top-end camera, look for one that is great with macro photography. The number of megapixels and optical zoom is not as important as its macro capabilities when it comes to taking photos of small products.