How Your Website Can Use Colors That Increase Sales

Your website’s color scheme does more than just look good — it can directly influence user behavior, emotional response, and ultimately, sales. Understanding how to use website colors that increase sales and conversions is a powerful tool in modern web design. Colors trigger psychological responses that can guide visitors toward taking action, such as clicking a button, signing up for a newsletter, or completing a purchase. In this article, we’ll explore how the right color choices can turn more of your website visitors into paying customers.

According to almost four out of ten respondents, color is the most crucial visual component of a website’s design. Top Design Firms survey data indicates that marketing color tactics can boost sales for businesses seeking new clients. Learn how to utilize color to your advantage as a web designer by reading this study. The color wheel is a traditional art lesson in elementary school. Perhaps business schools ought to include it in their curriculum as well. This is because color is a crucial component of web design, and companies should aim to select hues that boost revenue and profitability. Colors may only be thought of as visual components on paper or screens, but businesses may benefit from selecting the proper hue by:

  • Increase awareness of the company’s and its products’ brands
  • Emphasize particular product components.
  • Offer clients a user-friendly, efficient website that increases sales.

Psychology Today claims that color preferences are ingrained reactions that may not be logical but have a significant impact on our decisions. The color scheme of a website may thereby influence a person’s decision to buy or utilize a service. Top Design Firms surveyed consumers to find out what colors they like and whether they take into account a website’s color scheme. The color of a website is the aspect of web design that almost four out of ten people (39%) care about the most.

Spin the color wheel and consider carefully which color selections would work best for your audience if you want to boost your online sales and business.

Our Findings

  • 39% of respondents said they value color more than any other element of a website’s design, indicating that businesses should prioritize color choices in order to boost sales and foster client loyalty.
  • According to 22% of respondents, when customers visit a website for the first time, they search for visually appealing colors. However, 21% of customers will abandon a website due to garish colors. To guarantee client pleasure, businesses need to balance the use of vibrant and gaudy colors.
  • Color schemes that consumers choose include primary (26%), complimentary (21%), and comparable (20%). Businesses should think about their goods and services before deciding on the most effective color palette.
  • Of those surveyed, 46% think that blue is their preferred color for a website, whilst just 23% indicate that yellow is their preferred color for website design. Companies should consider their color choices carefully and adjust their color schemes to suit the tastes of their customers.
  • When it comes to website colors, various audiences have different opinions. For example, 26% of women say that firms shouldn’t use yellow, whereas 23% of males think that companies shouldn’t use orange.
  • Just 17% of respondents between the ages of 44 and 54 agree that purple is a preferred color for websites, compared to 43% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 24.
  • Cooler color colors are associated with positive emotions by 19% of respondents, whilst warmer color hues are more relatable by 14%. Businesses should base their color selection on the emotional reactions of their target audience.
  • When first visiting a website, just 8% of respondents are aware of whitespace. Whitespace is a crucial tactic for companies looking to create a great website design.

Draw or Repel Audiences with Eye-Catching Colors

Website colors stand out in a buyer’s journey, whether for positive or bad reasons. On their first visit to a business’s website, 22% of customers search for colors that capture their attention.

On the other hand, 21% of visitors will abandon a website if they believe the colors are overwhelming or bizarre. According to Miranda Yan, the creator of the VIN search service VinPit, color plays a significant role in online design. Yan stated, “Color is an essential component of a company’s brand since it represents its initial impression on customers.” “Color mimics emotions, feelings, and experiences and reflects a firm’s identity.” When choosing colors for their website, businesses must find a balance between colorful and overwhelming. For website ideas, Andre Kazimierski, CEO of Improovy, a painting service for homes and businesses, suggests looking to other sources. “Select your website’s primary and secondary colors first, followed by the overall style,” Kazimierski said. “Look to companies in your industry or similar businesses for inspiration.” For text backgrounds, Kazimierski suggests selecting neutral colors to avoid becoming too distracting or overpowering. According to Kazimierski, color should be used to draw attention to certain elements and direct the reader’s eye throughout a page. When selling or advertising a product, it’s critical to draw attention using vibrant marketing colors. According to Cody Miles, proprietor of the online creative program Ashore, businesses should consider color matching and quantity when choosing colors for their websites. Only four or five colors are necessary for a website, and only a small percentage of those colors must be vivid, according to Miles. “The majority of businesses could benefit from limiting their bright colors, though there are exceptions.” Miles also thinks that the industry has a big influence on the choice of color. For a children’s toy firm, a bright hue would be ideal, but for a suit brand, it might not be. “A company that targets young people and is an energetic organization will not appeal to its audience if it uses a very dull shade of color,” Yan stated. Bright colors like green, pink, and blue are used by the men’s and women’s fashion retailer H&M to draw attention to the magazine content and sales that are displayed on their site.

Their website uses vibrant colors and natural tones to create a mix between serene and entertaining. The eco-friendly shoe company Rothy’s uses muted hues to draw customers to their goods.

To make their shoes stand out and attract potential buyers, Rothy’s website purposefully combines them with muted styles. Although it’s encouraged to think creatively, businesses must use common sense when choosing which colors to use on their websites in order to increase sales.

Attract Consumers With Primary Color Schemes

The easiest option is sometimes the best one. Primary color schemes, such as red, yellow, and blue, are preferred by more than a quarter of consumers (26%) over all other color schemes.

Apart from fundamental colors, 21% of customers also choose complimentary colors, which are opposites of one another on the color wheel, like orange and blue or red and green. Additionally, 20% of them choose analogous colors, which are sets of three adjacent hues, like blue, blue-green, and green. According to Christen Costa, CEO of the reviews site Gadget Review, businesses should choose complementing accents and solid primary colors, depending on their sector. According to Costa, “color has a significant psychological impact.” “The psychological journey of a customer is important; the colors you choose for your website are important.” Miles admits that primary colors are striking and go well together, but he also thinks that their popularity may be due to their connection to childhood. According to Miles, “[primary colors] are bold and follow a triadic color scheme – they work very well together.” Although primary colors are the ones that are utilized to make all other colors, many would contend that they are the most fundamental colors. According to color theory, colors that are next to one another are too similar and will clash, but three colors that are evenly spaced apart or two colors that are exactly opposite one another will complement one another, Miles stated. In order to get the ideal visual matching, organizations should, if at all feasible, choose a primary color as their major color and then accent it with secondary colors.

Highlight Blue and Avoid Yellow in Web Designs

Businesses should be encouraged if their website uses blue, but if you’re using yellow a lot, you may want to reconsider the design of your website. When compared to other hues, consumers favor websites that employ blue the most (46%).

According to experts, blue is a color that many people associate with stability and dependability. Companies can seek for methods to incorporate blue into their websites if they want to give their clients a steady impression. The CEO of the marketing firm Cary Communications, Karen Bluestein, observes the appeal of blue firsthand. “Almost all of my clients either ask for blue to be incorporated into their new branding or already have blue in their company color scheme,” Bluestein stated. “Blue is used by banks, insurance companies, and many other trustworthy industries.” According to Bluestein, the color blue denotes integrity, dependability, and honesty. Kazimierski agrees with Bluestein. According to Kazimierski, “it’s a color that’s reliable and trustworthy, much like blue jeans.”

Yellow Can Create Visual Fatigue for Users

However, over a quarter of customers (23%) believe that companies shouldn’t use yellow on their websites.

Although too much yellow might lead to eye fatigue, it does convey a sense of warmth and brightness. Users may get scary sensations when they see yellow. Additionally, reading on a computer screen might occasionally be challenging. Entrepreneur and public speaker James Walsh serves companies in a variety of sectors around the United States. The colors orange and yellow, according to Walsh, are too “out there” and too brilliant. Walsh is adamantly opposed to utilizing yellow in online design, even if several companies use it sparingly as an accent hue. “There are a lot of other colors that have a better track record of drawing website visitors, so I don’t see the point in spending time trying to incorporate yellow and orange,” Walsh stated. In order to turn a profit, companies looking to employ color to boost sales need consider audience preferences and end user experience.

Different Audiences Favor Certain Colors

Though not everyone agrees, bright colors are known to be enjoyable. Website color choices might vary by gender and age. While 23% of males say that enterprises should avoid orange, 26% of women think that they should avoid yellow. Bright hues like orange and yellow draw a lot of attention. Orange, however, is a color that some people associate with warning and danger. Most companies don’t want customers to connect their website with yellow police line tape and orange traffic signals, but this is mostly subconscious, according to Miles. Businesses that use colors to boost sales should steer clear of any unfavorable connotations that their customers could experience.

Blue for a boy?

On websites, blue and green are the most popular colors for both men and women.

  • Blue is the color of choice for half of women (50%) and 45% of men.
  • Green is the color of choice for websites, according to 34% of women and almost 30% of men.

Miles asserts that color preferences are based on personal experience, saying that “most of our associations with colors come from our experience navigating the world.” Yan asserts that color preferences may also be a reflection of personality traits, noting that cool colors like blue and green are most often associated with calm natures, while yellow and orange are more often associated with aggression.

We Will Never Be Royals

Not everyone likes purple, a hue that some people believe to be royal. An outlier view compared to earlier generations is that 43% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 like purple on business websites.

Just 17% of respondents between the ages of 45 and 54 said purple was their preferred color. Miles said that purple is a really depressing hue. “Younger generations are becoming more aware of their feelings, even the sad ones.” Colors that are subtle and bright appeal to Gen Zers and Millennials. While older generations like traditional and functional color schemes, Gen Zers are also drawn to retro-classic hues like coral, mint, olive greens, and different shades of purple. The popularity of purple is growing among Bluestein’s clientele. According to Bluestein, “my clients used to think that pinks and purples were too feminine.” “Purple appeals to millennials because it’s unique and striking.” According to Bluestein, more recent businesses she collaborates with are experimenting with color schemes including soft gray, orange, and purple. She discovers that purple is rarely used in website designs by older businesses. Businesses may need to adjust their color schemes as their audiences get larger in order to accommodate the tastes of their target market.

Use Cool Hues For Positive Emotional Responses

If your company wants to elicit an emotional response, it’s critical to select the appropriate color since different hues elicit different feelings. While 14% of respondents chose warm hues, 19% of respondents link cold hues, including blue and purple, with favorable emotional reactions.

According to Miles, the way colors are matched determines people’s preferences for color. According to Miles, “blue and green tend to create a peaceful, yet alert environment, while blue and purple tend to create a soothing environment.” “Green and purple together aren’t at all soothing.” Selecting marketing color hues that will elicit the reaction you want from a customer depends on the message your company wants to convey.

Avoid Color Overload with Whitespace

One of the best ways to create contrast on your website is to incorporate a white splash into your designs. Whitespace is a feature of good website design, even though only 8% of users notice it when they visit a website for the first time.

Whitespace makes a webpage more balanced. It helps people navigate websites more slowly and avoid feeling overloaded with graphics and text. Among the colors that boost sales the most is white, which gives customers a little respite as they peruse your material. “By keeping it simple and clean, it helps to distinguish between themes of different pages,” Yan stated. “On the other hand, the page would become extremely disorganized if any other color were substituted.” Sarah Aileen, an artist and businesswoman, feels that whitespace allows websites to breathe. “A design would be too cluttered to make an impact without whitespace,” Aileen said. “Consider the contrast between trying to identify a single voice amid the commotion of intermission and listening to a solo in a quiet auditorium.” Although whitespace is sometimes disregarded or relegated to the side as “blank” space, companies should be aware of its advantages before launching their website.

Businesses Should Consider How Impactful Colors Can Increase Sales

A website’s effective use of color may help companies succeed in their industry. When creating their websites, businesses ought to:

  • Achieve a balance between striking and organic hues to draw in rather than turn off viewers.
  • Pay attention to basic color schemes and complementary hues.
    Emphasize greens and blues to foster trust, but refrain from using yellow and orange excessively to avoid unfavorable connotations.
  • Consider various audiences and how their tastes in color change throughout time.
  • Cool colors that soothe audiences might evoke favorable emotional reactions.
  • To keep your content organized and clutter-free, invest in whitespace.

When choosing colors for a website that would boost sales, businesses need to consider their goal messaging and audiences.

About The Survey

To find out more about the opinions of 500 American customers on website design, Top Design Firms conducted a poll. Of those who responded to the poll, 36% were men, 40% were women, and 23% did not identify. Of them, 13% were in the 18–34 age range, 29% were in the 35–55 age range, and 35% were beyond the age of 55. 24 percent did not state their age. The responses were from the Northeast (12%), West (23%), Midwest (31%), and South (33%).