Design My Own Web Page - But Please Get the Colors Right

You may not realize it, but many of your website visitors form an immediate opinion about you and your website. The opinion that is formed in this instantaneous way is done so subconsciously. You might wonder why this happens. It has absolutely nothing to do with the text on your website. The visitor need not read a single word, and yet they will form their instant opinion.

You might also have invested in some really great pictures or images on your site. I'm afraid this will carry zero influence on your visitor's instant opinion. It also doesn't matter how great your offer is. You might be providing a superb bargain or proposition, but again this isn't going to influence the instant opinion. This is because the initial reaction to your website is instant, and occurs the moment the page appears in the browser of your visitor. You may have guessed there is something subliminal at work here. In a way, that is right. Immediate opinions are formed by visitors to every single website. This may surprise you, but the answer is colors. It is the color scheme used on your website which causes your page visitors to create that instant opinion.

The spooky thing about this is that as a web page viewer we can do nothing about this. Colors evoke an intuitive reaction which we have no control over.' The feelings evoked by colors are automatic, and there's no way we can avoid them. As you will know, millions are spent by big companies in deciding the correct colors of new products and in their marketing campaigns. What they fully understand is the psychological power of colors. And they use this to the maximum in their promotions. Companies fully appreciate that the use of the correct colors can be critical in the success of their products. What webmasters have to realize, and this can be very important, is that the same color psychology applies to our web pages.

The fact is, the color scheme you use on your web pages can have the effect of causing your visitors to very quickly click away from your website. No matter what your website is about, it may simply be unsuccessful due to the colors you're using. Forget the text, it might never be read! But all is not lost. In the same way that colors can be a turn off, it is possible to create a positive feeling through the use of colors. You may be aware, that the psychological impact of colors isn't a new phenomenon. This has been with us for generations. No matter who we are, emotions are conveyed to our subconscious through the use of colors.

For example, a particular color scheme could convey a good feeling in each of us. However, a different color scheme might convey not so good feelings. If you do this, then you will be conveying a trust, sense of belonging and warmth. The last thing you would want to do is convey feelings of rejection, distrust and coolness. The following list gives an idea of the emotions associated with their respective colors:

RED
Strength, danger, love, leadership, excitement, energy, sense of power etc

ORANGE
Cheerfulness, friendliness, steadfastness, confidence, playfulness, courage, comfort etc

YELLOW
Caution, organization, joy, intelligence, brightness, curiosity, amusement etc

GREEN
Food, healing, money, health, harmony, nature, life etc

BLUE
Stability, peace, trustworthiness, tranquility, patience, love, acceptance etc

PURPLE
Nobility, independence, ambition, luxury, royalty, wisdom, dignity etc

BROWN
Earthiness, comfort, reliability, primitive, nature, durability, tribal etc

BLACK
Dramatic, wealth, sophistication, formality, elegance, power, style etc

WHITE
Fresh, easy, cleanliness, goodness, simplicity, purity, innocence etc

Finally, be aware that your website color scheme should reflect the product or offering you make. The reason is that your visitors' subconscious minds will look to reconcile the color with the message. If they are irreconcilable, you will find your visitors click away from your page very quickly. And you may never see them again. You should spend time in determining what are the right colors for your web pages. Try and make sure your colors and message are in harmony. If you do this, your website will produce the results you're looking for. In fact, by getting the right colors on your website you could be looking at the difference between making a profit or a loss.

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