Using Color To Improve Your Site

A lot of SEO deals with attracting visitors to your site – trying to edge your way into the top search engine so you can earn that coveted click, that brings traffic to your site.
But let’s not forget what happens after you earn that click. A user arrives at your site. What do they see? Specifically, what colors jump off the page? Is it a crisp red, blue and white page, or is it a refreshing green and yellow design? Website color scheme is an important consideration for usability, visitor retention and overall appeal to your site. Choosing an appropriate website color scheme can go a long way in lowering bounce rates and increasing conversions.
Color Schemes
If you’re starting from scratch, and don’t have a set web color scheme in mind then you have all the freedom in the world. If you’re a corporate site, you probably won’t want colors like pink or purple. You want to appear trustworthy, serious and organized. Often a combination of blues, reds and whites works well for a corporate site. US Bank is an example of this color scheme.
If your logo, or company already has existing colors- which is often the case, then make sure you use those colors the best way possible. If your company colors are bright orange and bright green, you will need to be careful to not overpower your website. Instead use those colors as accents. Provide much white on the site and a pop of your bright, company colors throughout the navigation bar, the header and the inner linking color. A great example of good use of bright colors is E Trade.
Using unexpected colors to accent your site can prove you to be a modern, cutting edge source. For example, E Trade, uses a predominantly white scheme but the accents are purple and lime green! Those colors seem odd, but once you visit the site, you see that it works. So don’t be afraid to take chances. The key is if you use bright colors; use them sparingly, as they go a long way.
Readability
Some research shows that putting white text on a dark background detracts from readability. However, I have seen certain sites do well with the white text on dark scheme. The key is to be aware of readability. When you put up your preliminary site design, make sure you consider how well a reader can decipher the font and the color.
To achieve maximum readability, choose contrasting colors. This image shows the difference between somewhat contrasting colors and true contrasting colors. One is clearly more readable.

Share this: