Embedding fonts in HTML is tricky for beginners. It requires time, commitment, patience, and knowledge to add fonts of your choice to your web page. It also takes a lot of practice to publish your content on your site with a good font to ensure web traffic and visitor engagement.
But in this how-to guide, we will try to help you as content creators or aspiring web developers embed fonts in your web pages. Without further ado, let’s dive into it!
Why Do You Need to Embed Fonts?
Before, font embedding was not popular. Things are different in this 21st century. Our Windows PC comes with fonts we can use for designing any web page. But here’s the problem. What if your visitors do not have the exact/same font you incorporated into your content? What would really happen? Web visitors’ browser will display their default font, which is a headache for those who run a site.
Suppose you carefully layout your page with the font you think would increase your website’s readability and visitor engagement. You have spent your time, money, and effort to level up the quality of your content. It would all go to waste when the majority of your target audience does not have the font you used.
But this is where font embedding can come to your rescue. When you embed fonts in HTML or web pages, any site visitor will enjoy your site’s style or aesthetic value. Whether you want to improve your online presence or internet users’ experience, embedding fonts in your website is worth your time and effort. And when you use WYSWYG HTML Editor, you can have more power to edit the text as what you want.
Another advantage of embedding fonts is that popular search engines love a webpage depending on its tags. Unlike the alt tag of an image, header tags take more leverage. That is why embedding fonts for any important piece of your content (blog post titles & headlines) is a bright idea.
Using Google Fonts
Google fonts are a top choice for web developers for a reason. They are home to more than 1000 license fonts that everyone can enjoy. Whether you are searching for simple or stylish font, Google fonts are the famous solutions to consider.
They are recognized as one of the easiest fonts to add to any site. Thanks to its Developer API. Now, how to add Google fonts to your web page? Below are a few steps you can follow:
–Go to Google fonts. In their interactive web directory, you can see a wide range of choices to pick from, and it is difficult to narrow down. But there is no pressure. Take your time.
–Write anything into every box to see how the font looks like. If you are not that creative, it is better to ask your colleagues for some assistance. Two heads are better than one, indeed.
–Select the font. After hours or days of looking for the right font, you probably have a specific style or size in your mind. If yes, click the + button. As you scroll down the page, Family Selected will pop up on your screen.
–Add the font to your site. In the Family Selected, copy and paste the <link> tag into your HTML <head> tag. You can see it in the Embed Font section. Then, add the line in the Specify in CSS section to the selector or class that corresponds to your specific text.
–Feel free to browse and explore the HTML, CSS, and other options.
What are the Other Fonts to Add to your Website?
Of course, you want other font options to make decisions with confidence. What are the other fonts you can add to your site? Some of them are highlighted below:
Font Squirrel
Font Squirrel is another excellent alternative to Google fonts. It offers a vast selection of fonts licensed for any commercial web development. Since its launch, Font Squirrel is known as a one-stop option for many as it converts any font to .otf or .ttf file format. You can also convert it into a WebFont Kit, which includes Cascading Style Sheet (CSS). Font Squirrel is also called a Font Generator or Font Identifier.
Adobe Fonts
Adobe Fonts also offers more than 14,000 fonts. Formerly known as Typekit, Adobe Fonts offers its subscribers access to its library of fonts. Unlike its counterparts, it has gotten rid of limits on page views. Plus, all of its growing number of fonts is available for both web and desktop use.
What Are the Font Formats Supported by Popular Search Engines?
Although modern search engines have tried to support every custom font, we cannot deny that not all formats are compatible with every modern browser.
Look at the table below to know if your chosen font is supported in today’s sought-after platforms:
| Font Format | Mozilla Firefox | Internet Explorer | Opera | |
| EOT | Not Supported | Not Supported | 6.0 | Not Supported |
| TTF/OTF | 4.0 | 3.5 | 9.0* | 10.0 |
| SVG | 4.0 | Not Supported | Not Supported | 9.0 |
| WOFF | 5.0 | 3.6 | 9.0 | 11.1 |
| WOFF2 | 36.0 | 35.0* | Not Supported | 26.0 |
Google is no doubt the leading browser for internet users. Stat Counter says the browser has a market share of 63.63% worldwide from Jan 2020 to Jan 2021. Mozilla Firefox has 3.65% while Opera has 2.61%.
While Google is the top search engine, do not forget that people also use other browsers. So, when adding fonts to your website, make sure it is supported by a variety of search engines.
Imagine how many visitors you could lose with a font that is not compatible with their browsers. That’s a lot. The trick here is to take advantage of WOFF.
Using @font-face
Apart from Google fonts, Adobe Fonts, and Font Squirrel, you can use @font-face. Here are the steps to weigh in mind:
–Download and install the font. If you have found your font, download and install its OpenType Font format (.otf) or TrueType Font file format (.ttf).
–Download Web Font Kit. Before that, you have to upload your .otf or .ttf file to the Webfont generator. From there, you are all set.
–Upload the font to your site using your file manager or FTP. Your Web Font Kit is usually available in different file extensions, including (.svg), (.eot), (.ttf), (.woff2), and (.woff).
–Update your CSS file. Also, do not forget to update it.
–Use the font in your CSS declarations. Since you have uploaded your font files and CSS to your server, you can use your font now without problems, improving the look of your HTML.
If you have further questions, feel free to contact us. We also cover other topics you may find interesting.
