Do you know how powerful the colors are on a website? Colors make a first impression and also evoke emotions. Sometimes a simple change of colors on a website can create a whole new look and feel while keeping the same basic design.

It’s a good idea to have the colors of your logo be represented on the website. This creates a branding image in the mind of your customers. Whenever we see yellow & red & the golden arches we know what famous fast food chain that represents.

As with everything, there are positives and negatives to each color. Knowing your target audience will determine which colors you’ll choose to convey. When you’re appealing to a global audience, knowing the color meanings of different cultures will be beneficial. See a Cultural Color Chart.

Cash Colors – This 30-page ebook shows how to use color to create web pages that sell. For every color the author lists the feelings the visitor will experience. He also mentions industries that benefit by using certain colors and color combinations.

Meaning of colors according to the Small Business Association:

White – pure, clean, youthful, coolness, cleanliness, safety.

Black – power, elegant, secretive, classical, serious, stability.

Red – passion, excitement, danger, strength, bravery, energy.

Orange – vibrant, warm, healthy, exciting, fun.

Yellow – happiness, excitement, cheerful, alert, warm.

Green – natural, health, plentiful, wealth, freshness.

Purple – royalty, wise, celebration, romance, femininity.

Blue - intelligence, peaceful, trustworthy, authority, security.

A few websites to help you choose colors:

Degraeve Color Palette

Colour Lovers

Visibone Color Chart

I’ve seen speakers wear the colors of their logos and websites to leave a lasting impression on their audience. Are the colors on your website appealing to your target audience? Leave a comment and share some sites that have a good use of colors.

1. Flash, Frames & Blinking Banners – Avoid building an entire site in Flash. Search engines cannot find or read a site built totally in Flash. A good alternative is to create an html site and implement Flash elements inside this type of site. Frames are difficult for users and search engines can’t read sites built in frames. Avoid frames completely! Too many blinking banners, moving text or images can be distracting to the visitor and give the wrong impression. Too much bling is not a good thing for a website.
2. Poor Content, Too Much or Not Enough – What you say on your site is extremely important. Be brief and get to the point with effective, powerful words. If a visitor has to scroll multiple times to read all the text they and move on. People are typically in a hurry and want the info fast. Have you been to a site with no text and wondered what they were all about? Text on the home page is important for the visitor and for the search engines. Don’t make them guess what’s behind door #1, tell them what you are about so they will want to explore further.
3. Confusing Navigation – It’s critical to create a path or site architecture for your site. Where do you want the visitor to go first, second, third, etc.? You can control the path visitors take through your site by the order and placement of the navigation. Remember to always have a Home button so the visitor can get back home after they’ve been to other pages in the site. Although it’s common practice to have the logo click back to home; it’s surprising how many visitors still do not know this.
4. Cheapest Price – Hiring the cheapest web company is a big mistake. View their portfolio and check references. Design is one thing; it’s the follow up afterward that is also critical. Does the company return phone calls and respond promptly to email inquiries? How quickly will requested changes be made to your site? Did they ask you about your target audience? A cheap or amateur site may not project a professional image to potential clients.
5. Titles, Meta Descriptions & Meta Tags – Have you ever attempted to drive a car with no gas in it? Having a website without titles, meta descriptions and meta tags is like trying to drive a car without gas. You won’t get far and neither will your website. These elements are essential for visitors and search engines.

What web faux pas have you made? Share your story by clicking on the icon below to “Leave a Comment”.

Are you confused about what to do and when with your website? Does your website need a facelift? Has the focus of your business changed? Take immediate action today with these 3 easy steps.

Step 1. Remove or change old dates pertaining to:

Workshops, events, seminars, specials, sales, coupons.

Copyright information.

Holiday hours or schedules.

Nothing screams neglect more than old dates on a website.

Step 2. New Look

Just as cars and fashions change so do the look and feel of websites. Technology continues to advance quite rapidly. What is available to web developers now for design and functionality may not have been available 2 or 3 years ago. Visitors spend less than 6 seconds on a home page. That’s how fast they make a decision to explore your site further or surf on. This instant impression is based on color, look/feel of the layout, navigation and clickable links to other pages in the site.

Cash Colors is a terrific Ebook by Brian McGregor. It helps you understand how color can create a variety of emotions. He also identifies which colors work best for different industries. It’s 30 pages of valuable information!

Step 3. Update Content

Keep the text brief. Scrolling to read long pages turns off most visitors. Visitors like to scan and click! If you absolutely must provide lots of wording then allow visitors to click on an underlined link to read or learn more. Make sure the pages are printable for those who like to print and read offline later.

Include some new 2-5-word keyword phrases in your text to attract more of your ideal clients. Surfers are more sophisticated about doing searches so instead of residential interior designers (3-word phrase) they might search for Seattle residential interior decorators (4-word phrase) or even find a Seattle interior designer (5 word phrase).  It’s important to determine the words your potential clients are using. For example, designer or decorator? In the web business people are starting to type in developer instead of designer. Also, the words “expert” and “best” are being used more frequently in searches. Read the article Choosing Keywords, Tattoos & Website Design to learn more about choosing some great keyword phrases.

Have some fun with this and let me hear how these action steps worked for you. Click below to share your own resources and useful tips for websites.