Thursday, July 3, 2008

Design Personal Web Site - Why Using the Right Colors is Vital

I wonder if you knew that visitors to your website form an instant opinion? And they form it about you and your offer. They can't help themselves. Their instant opinion is formed in their subconscious mind. 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. Nor does your offer matter. You could be promoting a sensational deal, like selling dollars for dimes. But this too, will be overlooked by the site visitor. 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. You may have already worked out that the answer is colors. It is the color scheme used on your website which causes your page visitors to create that instant opinion.

The reason this happens is because we all react psychological and intuitively to colors. The feelings evoked by colors are automatic, and there 's no way we can avoid them. This is one of the reasons why companies can invest millions in getting the colors exactly right for their products and marketing promotions. Big companies realize that colors are a psychological feature, and they can influence our reception of their marketing. In their business propositions, the big companies understand that the use of appropriate colors is a key element. And so it is in web design. The colors of your web pages also convey feelings and emotions to the subconscious mind of your visitors.

The color scheme on your web pages can tell your visitor different things. The colors could convey a negative message, in which case be prepared for your visitors to leave your site very quickly. This can happen even if the copy on your website is compelling. The chances are that visitors who are put off by your colors are unlikely to read your copy anyway. But don't despair. By using a different color scheme it is quite possible to influence your web page visitor to react positively to you and your offering. You may be aware, that the psychological impact of colors isn't a new phenomenon. In fact, it 's been with us for years and years. No matter who we are, emotions are conveyed to our subconscious through the use of colors.

The trick is in conveying the right feeling. A certain color combination might convey a nice feeling. Yet another, could convey bad feeling. Your choice with your color selections is to send a sense belonging, trust and warmth. The last thing you would want to do is convey feelings of rejection, distrust and coolness. Here is a list of colors showing the types of feelings each will evoke:

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

ORANGE
Steadfastness, confidence, courage, cheerfulness, friendliness, playfulness, comfort etc

YELLOW
Joy, curiosity, organization, intelligence, caution, brightness, amusement etc

GREEN
Healing, life, money, health, nature, food, harmony etc

BLUE
Acceptance, peace, tranquility, love, trustworthiness, patience, stability etc

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

BROWN
Comfort, nature, durability, earthiness, reliability, tribal, primitive etc

BLACK
Style, elegance, power, formality, dramatic, health, sophistication etc

WHITE
Goodness, innocence, fresh, purity, cleanliness, simplicity, easy etc

When designing your web pages, you ideally need to ensure that the color scheme you use is consistent with your offering. 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 will lose your visitor. It is important therefore that your website uses the right color scheme. If you do this, your website will produce the results you're looking for. In summary, the difference between the right and wrong color scheme on your website can be the difference between profit and loss.

About the Author

Brian McGregor is an internet entrepreneur and business consultant, and author of the ebook CASH COLORS. If you wish to design personal web site, CASH COLORS shows how to make your web page colors work for you, as opposed to against you. http://www.cash-colors.com

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