Does the Color of your Website Influence Your Marketability?

We've all read the countless publications about effective web site design, outstanding written content and the never ending need for search engine optimization, yet often the importance of color one chooses for his or her web site is overlooked.

It is a proven fact that physical changes take place when individuals are exposed to certain colors. Because colors have the power to stimulate, excite, or even depress, specific color combinations can possibly work to your advantage or to your detriment. Have you considered whether your web site color is sending the wrong message?

While we all have our own color preferences, when it comes to a web site, you may have to abandon your favorite color and consider what draws a person's eye, what feels comfortable and inviting.

Of course color preferences can vary. To one person the color yellow represents brightness while to another, the yellow color seems repugnant. But no matter how you look at it, colors make the difference. Whether you are selling a product, offering a service or promoting a new business, your web site is your primary advertisement on the Internet. Therefore your job is to make everything about your site as inviting as you make your home. After all, this is how you represent yourself to millions of viewers. And just as you want people to feel at home and at ease when visiting your house, you want visitors to feel the same level of receptivity when visiting your online presence.

So How Can You Be Sure Of The Right Color For Your Web Site?

1. Have you ever noticed that on some days you feel more vibrant and alive simply by the color of the clothing you're wearing? The color actually influences your mood. The same holds true of your web site. Based on the colors selected, it either comes across as vibrant, relaxing or depressing.

2. Visually, some colors elicit feelings of excitement, serenity, joyfulness, and even distress. Pay attention to what feelings are evoked when seeing a particular color, and then apply the same principle to your web site.

3. Do you think that people buy more often when they see a certain color? The truth of the matter is that when used correctly, you can encourage more buying and selling power when using the right colors. Colors emphatically stimulate a response, sometimes positive and sometimes negative.

4.You may think that when you look at an ad you're attracted to the words or the style, but in fact, more than likely you're attracted to the color. If you like the color, you'll be drawn to buy whatever the ad is promoting. If you don't like the color, you'll probably be turned off by the product.

5. White is always safe and easy on the eye as a background color for your site plus it lends itself to a feeling of trust. Although black does appear at first to create drama, it is not a good background color for your web site.

6.Choose colors that compliment the white background. While any color blends well with white, all colors are not as appealing to the emotional eye. Red activates excitement while greens and blues leave a feeling of peace and calm. Dark colors evoke dense, heavy feelings. Yellow offers a feeling of brightness. All colors have different meanings and elicit different feelings so it's important to choose a color that reflects your message.

7. When making a color choice for your web site, remember that colors on the red side are warm and stimulating, while blue/green colors are cool and relaxing.

8. Darker colors may appear a bit somber but when mixed with some bright colors, can add a more cheerful tone and be very inviting. As an example, I recently reviewed a site that contained a lot of gray, but there were hues of rust and yellow intermittently dispersed which made it very attractive.

Colors and What They Suggest:

BLUE - suggests security, authority, faithfulness and dignity

BROWN - suggests affluence, effectiveness.

GRAY - suggests authority, practicality and creativity

GREEN - suggests health, freedom and tranquility - easiest color on the eye.

ORANGE - suggests pleasure, excitement and ambition

PINK - suggests femininity, well being and innocence.

PURPLE - suggests spirituality, wealth, and sophistication

RED - suggests excitement, strength and aggressiveness

WHITE - suggests purity, devotion, and truthfulness.

YELLOW - suggests warmth, sunshine and happiness - good accent color.
© 2005 Charlene Rashkow



About the Author:
Charlene Rashkow brings 15 years of experience as a Writing Stylist/Consultant to her creative efforts as a freelance writer. She has successfully helped countless companies and individuals reach their objectives by writing outstanding web site content, press releases, bios, articles of interest, letters and all other forms of marketing material. You may contact Charlene at www.allyourwritingneeds.com or e-mail her at charlene@allyourwritingneeds.com.