With so many issues to address from bandwidth and storage requirements to important technical issues like browser compatibility and site security, and beyond, it's tempting to think that it doesn't really matter whether you use a red or green background as long as everything works correctly. If you do so, you're making a massive mistake.
Think about some of the world's most popular websites and how their colour schemes are instantly recognisable and synergise perfectly with the business's overall identity. You can be sure that any time invested in getting your site's colours correct will be richly rewarded in the long term. Let's have a look at some key issues to consider.
What types of colours are best for my site?
In most cases, we strongly recommend that you consider using a palette of natural colours for your website. Nothing smacks of a low quality, poorly developed website than being greeted with a flood of garish colour on loading. In a best case scenario, your potential customer will grin and bear it; more commonly, they'll return to their search results and load another site, regardless of how great the actual service and product you are offering might be.
So, take some time to consider what natural colour scheme might be best for your site. For example, soothing light greens and blues would be a great colour scheme for an aromatherapy or complementary medicine site. How about some darker shades of black and grey to create a sleek, sophisticated look for your computer technology site? As you can see, all it needs is a bit of thought and imagination, and you'll find something that works wonderfully.
Aim For Consistency
Once you have a good colour scheme, be sure to apply it consistently throughout your site. If you have thought of a couple of good mixes of colours, don't be tempted to use them both on different areas of your site; choose your favourite and stick with that. Again, think of the best sites on the internet, and you'll realise that you don't experience huge colour changes as you browse from area to area; they have a great colour scheme and apply it consistently, tweaking it where necessary.
Make Sure You Think About Site Accessibility
Disability access should be a prime consideration for all modern businesses. When choosing a colour scheme, bear in mind that some users will have visual impairments. Usually, the aim here should be to keep your scheme fairly simple and not too overwhelming (good general colour scheme advice anyway). If you want to be really proactive, why not ask a visual disabilities organisation to look at your test site and offer their feedback? Not only may you get a chance to resolve an issue before it upsets your customers, you'll create a great image for your company by demonstrating such commitment to disability access.
