Choosing the right colors for your website has a powerful impact on its performance. There’s a great deal of data outlining the ways in which color affects your psychology. So it’s no surprise that web designers have used a variety of techniques influence their site’s visitors.
Each color elicits some response. While colors can be used to positively affect your readers, others can turn them off and make your website less attractive. Using color the right way gets you responses the you’re looking for.
Psychology of Color
The colors in your site’s design can create positive shifts in their moods, attitudes, and emotions. This can be a vital tool in your efforts to persuade their actions.
Blue creates a sense of trust and sincerity for your visitors. Banks and other financial sites use blue to maximize the level of comfort in their use of sensitive information that their users must provide.
Green is commonly used for environmental or nature-related websites. But green can also enhance a sense of creativity. If your website seeks to stimulate creative activity, green is the most effective color to use.
Black exhibits a sense of luxury or exclusivity. Dark colors indicate a strong sense of value in your product or service.
Attracting the Right Customer with Color
Deciding on your colors depends on the people you are trying to attract. Although individual tastes vary, a number of distinct patterns have been observed that help you design an effective website.
If your target audience is primarily male, a color scheme that most appeals to men, such as black, blue, and green, are the best choices. These denote more masculine qualities that resonate with male users, while colors such as purple and orange can have the opposite effect.
Females have been noted to prefer blue, purple, and green. Blue and green can be a good option if you’re looking to strike a balance between male and female site visitors, as they appeal to both genders. Colors such as gray and orange will not appeal to females.
Color for Site Layout
The following are some keys to applying color in your site’s design:
- Drawing attention – If there’s specific content that you want to stand out on your site, use saturated colors. This can work well for navigation links or other important features.
- Call to action – Your site’s calls to action should stand out. Blue, red, and green are the most commonly used colors for influencing action. Make sure the color you use stands apart from the overall theme of your site.
- Brand building – For content that you’d like users to take notice of (recent posts, products, etc.), using the colors of your brand increases its awareness in the user’s mind. It adds consistency throughout your site as you establish brand identity.
- “Lifting” content – For links or any other information you’d like to stand out, many designers use a light background color to help bring content off of the page. This draws viewing eyes and is a great way to influence user action.
- Emphasize experience – Keeping it simple, with monochromatic colors, is the best way to improve the experience for your users. In the search for the “perfect” colors, many overlook the functionality of simplicity. Don’t be afraid to avoid bright colors if it takes away from your site’s functionality.
Using color effectively improves your site’s performance. If you’re goal is increased conversion, long-term engagement, or the sharing of your content, the influence of color can be a powerful tool. Understanding that each color can enhance particular emotions and qualities will help you take your website to a new level of performance.
Have you seen improvements in conversions or average visitors after a color change? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.
