3 Tips For a Great Website Color Selection

It’s all black and white. All boring websites of little to mediocre success that is. To the color blind, undiscriminating and those without computers to begin with, the color scheme of your business’ website may not be a big deal. Unfortunately, Google is none of these things. And it’s safe to say, a majority of your customers aren’t either. In the name of good SEO and successful internet marketing, do some research on color schemes—you can start with this article right here, or you can hire a web design company in Chicago to give your website palette the old one-two and punch it up a little. 

1. Explore color wheels—yes, tools expressly made for the very purpose of constructing well balanced shade pairings. Color wheels are available on the internet and can give you useful previews on what your chosen hues may look like next to each other, which ones are louder than others and which ones are simply blinding. The spectrum of brightness on color wheels, not to mention the obvious rainbow gamut of options, lets you make an informed decision on what would work best for your site. Are you looking at an analogous color scheme, of 2 or more colors that appear next to each other on a wheel, or a monochromatic scheme that displays one shade in varying degrees of brightness, or ever a saturated color scheme that that pairs two contrasting colors on a stark contrast (such as charcoal or slate). Analyze the nature of your site and decide which look you’re going for—be it professional, fun or demure. 


2. Follow the 60-30-10 rule. These numbers relate to the relative proportional space each major color should cover on your website. The primary color should cover 60%, and should not be horrifyingly bright, and also lend a unifying shade to your other two colors. The 30% color should contrast pleasingly with your primary color, in a way that highlights the most important products on your site. Finally, the 10% “accent color” should complement either your primary or secondary color to underline and bring attention to the absolute, most important parts of your website. Hint: this should probably definitely include something called a “call to action.” These proportions can be reworked accordingly as you add or subtract the amount of colors you choose for your palette. 


3. Use your color scheme to make a connection. We’ve all learned about “warm” and “cold” colors and the different feelings and emotions they may evoke. Tink about your product, service or business—what is the nature of what you’re selling? How close will you get to your client emotionally or spiritually, or are you simply selling a cut and dry, quality good? Do you want to inspire a fire in people and get them moving, or is your site better suited for a calming, pacifying hue? The psychology of color is a huge asset to factor into your website layout and should not be overlooked in your palette choice.