Secrets to Using Color on Your Website and Common Pitfalls to
Avoid
Colors have long been known to have psychological affects on
mood and interpretation. So, when you are designing your
website, you should keep in mind the influence color might have
on your visitors. Do some research to find out which colors
promote your product and services best as well as which colors
make visitors interested in buying your products. You should
take all of this into account in order to create the best
atmosphere for buying that you can.
Also, keep in mind; colors have different meanings in different
cultures. If you are promoting a product in an overseas market,
you should also research what colors stand for in that culture.
There are many pitfalls that people fall into on a regular basis
because they are unaware of the many effects color has on their
visitors and ultimately on their wallets. Read the following
suggestions in order to know what to avoid when incorporating
color on your website.
Pitfall #1 - Colors that do not Associate
The product or service that you are selling should determine the
color scheme you choose as well as the target market you are
selling to. For instance, men and women prefer different colors
in varying hues, luminosity, and saturation. For the most part,
women prefer colors with less saturation and men prefer colors
with more saturation. Keep this in mind if your product is
geared to one of the sexes in particular.
Pitfall #2 - No Palette
Make sure you use varying colors on your website from the same
palette. This means colors that have some degree of relation to
one another. Doing this will create a better layout which is
more pleasing to the eye and one that will have a better
psychological effect on your visitors. If you do not know
anything about palettes then choose the Microsoft color palette,
click on an exterior color you like, and the follow it either
horizontally or vertically to choose your palette. It really is
that easy!
Pitfall #3 - Consider Your Entire Audience
Different colors indeed have different effects on different
people because of gender, culture, and life experience, however
there are people who also have difficulty seeing certain colors
because they have mild to severe color blindness. While this
only represents 8-10% of the population, you still want these
individuals to be able to view your website. Try not to use only
red and green which are typically the colors individuals with
color blindness have the most problems seeing.
When you keep color schemes in mind and consider how they will
affect your audience, you will be able to create a climate that
better sells your product and inclines your visitors to become
your customers.