Colors and typography affect readability and trust by changing how quickly people can read, scan, and understand your site, and whether your business looks professional and safe to contact.
Readability comes from contrast and hierarchy
Color is not just decoration, it is a navigation system. When text and buttons don’t stand out from the background, people slow down, misread details, or give up. That drop in clarity usually feels like “something is off,” which hits trust fast, especially for dental, medical, legal, and home service sites where visitors are already cautious.
We focus on contrast first, then consistency. If your primary button is blue on one page and green on another, users hesitate. If links look like body text, people miss them. If you place text on photos without a dark overlay, readability swings wildly on mobile and in bright Florida daylight.
| What you’re styling | Readability target | Why it helps trust |
|---|---|---|
| Body text | High contrast against the background, WCAG Level AA commonly uses 4.5:1 for normal text | Feels calm and easy, reduces “strain” that can feel like low quality |
| Large text (headlines) | Can use a lower contrast threshold than small text, WCAG Level AA commonly uses 3:1 for large text | Headlines stay readable without looking harsh |
| Buttons, icons, form borders | Clear separation from surrounding colors (many teams use a 3:1 goal for UI components) | Forms feel legitimate and usable, which lifts submissions |
| Status messages (errors, success) | Do not rely on color alone, pair color with text and an icon | Reduces mistakes and feels more professional and accessible |
Typography choices that feel professional
Typography is the “voice” of your site. Clean, consistent type makes you look established. Mixed fonts, thin weights, and cramped spacing can make even a great business feel like a template or a pop-up ad.
For most small business sites, we stick to 1 font for body text and 1 for headings, or a single family with multiple weights. Then we set a simple scale: larger headings, comfortable body text, and predictable spacing. The goal is scannability: visitors should be able to spot your service, your proof, and your next step without hunting.
Three typography details do most of the work: font size (small text looks cheap and is hard on mobile), line height (tight lines blur together), and line length (paragraphs that stretch too wide are hard to track). A common comfort range for body copy is about 45 to 75 characters per line, with generous line spacing, especially on desktop.
A quick checklist we use
- Use a light or dark neutral background, then one primary accent color for calls to action
- Keep link styling consistent sitewide, and make links look like links
- Avoid placing key text directly on busy images unless you add a readable overlay
- Limit font families, and avoid thin weights for body copy
- Keep paragraphs short, and use headings that describe what’s next
If you want this applied to your site (not just theory), our web design service includes a readability pass that covers contrast, hierarchy, and mobile scanning.
If you’re in healthcare or legal, accessibility is also a trust signal, and it reduces friction for more visitors. Our FAQ on website accessibility breaks down what that means in plain English.
When font selection is the sticking point, our guide on how to choose web fonts covers safe pairings and what to avoid.
If your site is slow or inconsistent because of hosting, the design can look “broken” even when it is not. Our WordPress hosting is built to keep pages stable, fast, and reliable for visitors.
