Did you know that the color scheme of your website can affect your conversion rate? It indeed can. Having great content, great products and a wonderful marketing plan in place may not be enough to give you the conversion rate you aim for.
According to a research paper ´Impact of Color on Marketing´ by Satyendra Singh (of University of Winnipeg’s Department of Administrative Studies), 90 seconds is enough for an average website visitor to make up his/her mind about the content and the product. Therefore, the pattern of your potential reader/customer behavior will be shaped in 90 seconds.
Interestingly, the study also showed that between 62-90% of the decisions, whether to buy or not to buy, are made based solely on the color scheme of the website that is being visited.
Exciting, right?
After reading this article you certainly will not look at the color palette of your website the same way again.
The Big Four:
Let’s now look at the 4 colors we have chosen to discuss in this article: red, blue green, and black. Understand that these 4 colors are by no means the only colors that can affect people’s response to your website. They are however very common colors that most of us can easily relate to.
Red
This color is commonly associated with passion and power. It has a lot of energy as well as excitement to it. Courage, vitality, might and even vigor. A good example of a brand that effectively uses this color is Coca-Cola. The official website of the brands is simple, with loads of red highlights.
Blue
Blue is regarded as a “cool” color, a color that inspires trust. It’s considered to be a color that speaks to the mind. Intelligent, calm and peaceful – it communicates the notion of trust, loyalty, and safety. Some of the most popular websites in the world today use blue as the main color. Examples include Paypal, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Green
Green is the color of nature. It stands for freshness, life, and youth. This is the ideal color for any nature related website or product. The Girl Scouts and John Deere both use the green color to show how closely linked they are to life, nature, and living.
Black
Using the color of black allows conveying the message to those, who especially value good taste. If you wish to target a ´niche´ client, using black is the way to go. The color of black speaks for minimalism, yet elegance and even mystery.
How to use color effectively:
Tip 1
Choose your color based on your product and target audience. One color scheme may work for one product but not for another.
Let’s break it down.
If females are your target audience, then your website must not contain the following colors: orange, brown and grey. These three colors show the worst conversion rates among women. Once you change them to, say, green, purple, or blue – the satisfaction with your female audience will grow significantly. Men are negatively affected by splashes of brown, purple, and orange. You will likely record more success with men if you go with blue, black and green.
Tip 2
If your website sells food items or natural products, blue is a no go. An interesting effect of the color blue lies in its ability to suppress appetite. In fact, it is regarded as so effective than just using a blue plate can reduce the quantity of food a person will eat.
Look at the types of colors that successful food brands use: natural, earthy colors. Colors, that remind us of food in any of its shapes. ´Mouthwatering´ is the word you should pursue.
Tip 3
For your call to action buttons, use bright and vivid colors. Preferably, pure shades of red, yellow, green or blue. You want it to beckon on your visitors to take the necessary action so it has to be exciting and visible.
Tip 4
Know that it’s not only about the color. The shade of the color is also important. For example, while blue is generally seen as a color that promotes intelligence, calmness, communication and more, a different shade of blue can also speak of aloofness, unfriendliness, and coldness.
As you choose colors, look at the shade of the color that will work best for you.
Conclusion
Remember the important things to consider when choosing colors: your target audience as well as the type of product or service you are offering. Remember that it is not enough to have a great product and wonderful content.
From personal experience, as an expert in selling top quality budget-friendly office chairs, I have to consider how the overall outlook and color scheme of my website affects people. Since I am very interested in ergonomics myself, I am not aiming at selling the product, but I want to inspire trust to my visitors and convince them that taking care of their health while working is crucial.
Try different colors on your website based on what we have discussed above and analyse the conversion. Do A/B comparisons and find out the exact color combinations and shades that work best for your website.
Emulate the top brands and let color help you improve your conversion rate and bring you to the new professional achievements.
Author Bio:
My name is Artem and I am founder of My Ergonomic Chair blog – my absolutely beloved project on office ergonomics and posture. Being very dedicated to sports and well-being, I love to share my knowledge with others and help others to increase their health and work productivity.