The DOs and DON’Ts of Fonts for Therapy Websites
Even before reading the words on your website, your visitors can feel your personality, tone, and energy by the fonts that you use. If you ignore the important role that fonts play on your website and brand material, you’re missing a huge opportunity to connect with your people.
In this post, I’m going to outline common font mistakes therapists make, then I’ll give you my advice on what to do instead.
DON’T skip over choosing brand fonts.
I get it. Choosing fonts that represent your brand is overwhelming. There’s so many options - does it really even matter? YES. Font choice absolutely matters, because each font has its own personality. That’s why there’s so many options! Choosing a font that matches your personality means that your website visitors and potential clients don’t have to work as hard to get to know you.
DO choose fonts that represent your practice’s personality.
As with any element of your visual brand, in order to choose the right fonts, you have to get clear on your personality. What’s your therapeutic style? How do people feel in session with you? How does your personality show up in your work?
Take my free personality quiz: What type of therapist are you?
Being able to answer these foundational questions will help you choose visual elements that communicate your personality without using words. Font choice is as unique and nuanced as your personality, but here are a few example fonts and their personalities:
DON’T use too many different fonts.
While it’s important to choose fonts that match your personality, don’t go overboard. Using too many different fonts on your website not only has the potential to overwhelm your visitors, but it can also slow down your website.
DO use one - two fonts.
Instead, use one or two different fonts across your website. To create variation, format your headings at different sizes. Make sure to size them differently enough that it’s easy to tell the difference between each heading type. If you work with a designer, they may choose more than two fonts for your brand, but they’re well-versed in choosing fonts that compliment each other. If you’re DIYing, stick to the two-font-max rule.
DON’T use different fonts on social media than you use on your website.
This is a BIG mistake I see people make all the time, and it makes me cringe. Using different fonts on social media than you use on your website is not only confusing, but it undermines the intentional branding work you’ve done on your website. Remember, branding is about consistency. If people don’t know what to expect from you (even in terms of the type of font you use), how will you earn their trust?
DO use the same fonts across platforms and media.
Instead, decide what fonts are your brand fonts, and use them across all online platforms and print collateral. Do you love the fonts you use on social media graphics, but hate the fonts on your website? Update your website fonts to match the fonts you’re using on social media! Love your website fonts? Use them on social media graphics.
Make sure your chosen fonts match your brand personality and use them consistently. Even when someone else uses a font that you think is cool. Even if you’re not sure you’ve chose the “perfect” fonts. Consistency is better than perfection, here. The average person might not even recognize that you’re using the same fonts, but they’ll be able to feel the reliability, therefore building trust.
DON’T use too much formatting.
Don’t go crazy with formatting!
I know it’s tempting to emphasize certain words to mimic how you speak, but trust me when I say: over-formatted text is a nightmare to read. And when your copy is hard to read, people won’t read it.
DO use font formatting sparingly.
When used sparingly, formatting can really make your copy shine. The occasional bolded phrase can help draw the eye to an important point. An occasional heading can break up the text into manageable, digestible sections. Using a different color for hyperlinks can encourage clicks. Use font formatting on your website, but don’t go overboard.
DON’T misuse letter spacing.
Letter spacing (the space between each letter) can either elevate a font or undermine it. On many fonts, too much letter spacing can actually make the words hard to read, and again, when your copy is hard to read, people won’t read it. Using excessive letter spacing on script, handwriting, or decorative fonts is a no-go in my opinion. Even serif fonts can be thrown off by too much letter spacing.
DO use letter spacing with the right fonts.
As a general rule, I reserve wide letter spacing for sans-serif, all-caps headings. I find that spacing out the letters of all-caps, sans-serif font styles softens these structured fonts, which is appropriate on most therapy websites.
DON’T use all-caps on paragraphs of text.
When styling a font to appear in all-caps, don’t use this font style for paragraphs of text. Paragraphs of all-caps text are hard to read, and again, when your copy is hard to read, people won’t read it (do I sound like a broken record yet?).
DO use all-caps on short headlines.
Instead, reserve all-caps font styles for short headlines or one-line sentences. Make sure the line height is wide enough so that if your text gets split into multiple lines on mobile view, it’s still easy to read.
Bottom line: use your fonts to build trust.
Font choice and usage might not seem like that big of a deal to you, but just like your color palette and photos, the fonts you use on your website can either help carry your message to the right people or they can obscure your message.
You’re a pro at building trust with your clients in the therapy room. Don’t let font mistakes undermine your ability to build trust with potential clients online.
If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to font selection, shop my Squarespace templates for therapists and coaches. Each design comes with expertly chosen fonts to help you build trust and showcase your personality.
