You’ve done a solid job of researching your niche and getting to know your customers. You’ve tailored your keywords and optimized your content to get great results. You’ve even done a website audit to make sure it works properly. However, there’s another issue to consider — the colors you use in your design. Beyond what looks good, there’s the psychology of color to consider. Beyond aesthetic qualities, your color scheme can impact the buying decisions of your customers. When implemented correctly, it can be used to increase your conversion rate. Let’s take a look at color psychology and how to put it to use. 

What is the Psychology of Color? 

The psychology of color is the study of how color impacts human behavior and is a part of behavioral psychology. It can affect your customers’ response to your marketing message when using color specifically for your links, copy, and call-to-action buttons. By understanding how your customers think, you can use that knowledge to increase your conversion rate. 

But people respond to colors in different ways, so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. With consumers taking a fraction of a second to judge your website based on its visual appeal, you want to leverage those milliseconds with every advantage you can. Color psychology works across every niche, so implementing it with your website helps you gain more results from every visitor. 

Where Should You Implement Psychology of Color? 

There are specific areas where you’ll want to use color psychology to increase your conversion rate. Areas you’ll want to improve your use of the psychology of color include headline text, borders, backgrounds, graphics, buttons, and pop-ups. That said, you can also use these tips in your logos, landing pages, menu bars, branding, social media, photos, videos, product design, and email marketing. It all depends on your choice of marketing channel. 

Color psychology is critical because it communicates values. Careful color choice in your branding provides a range of benefits. First, it creates clarity of purpose, allowing your company to stand out from the competition. Second, it creates an initial impression when visitors come to your website while retaining that impression with regular customers. Finally, it can be used to increase your conversion rate. 

Your goal in marketing is to build the best possible website to improve ROI to grow your business. Color psychology is relatable for most people and should be used to enhance your marketing messages. Here are a few tips to help you decide which colors to use. 

Gender Preferences 

Though color preferences aren’t universal, some preferences tend to fall along gender lines. Generally speaking, women prefer subtle tones that are lighter or subdued, specifically purple, green, red, and blue. By comparison, men like the same colors but in deeper or brighter tones. In addition, certain colors have specific connotations for many people: 

• Blue builds trust. This is among the reasons why financial institutions use it in their branding, including Capital One, Visa, Bank of America, and PayPal. Generally speaking, blue also represents loyalty, security, and responsibility. However, it’s avoided in food packaging because it may be a natural appetite suppressant. 
• Yellow is associated with caution. That’s why it’s used for wet floor signs, traffic signs, and other warning signs. However, it’s also connected with positivity, happiness, warmth, joy, fun, creativity, and confidence. The shades of yellow also matter, with bright yellow grabbing the attention and golden yellow curating curiosity. 
• Green for growth. Green is commonly linked to natural products, food, the environment, and the great outdoors, which is why it’s used at parks. However, it can also be related to health, creativity, innovation, and balance. This makes it an excellent option for sustainable initiatives and promoting eco-friendly products or services. 
• Orange creates positivity. Though it’s one of the less favorite colors for many people, it is also linked to determination, happiness, and success. It provides a feeling of warmth for your branding without the inherent aggressiveness of red. It can be energetic, leading to impulse purchases due to its suggested urgency, making it great for conversion elements. 
• Black is elegant. There’s something to say about the sum of all colors, and black is frequently used for luxury brands. It creates a sense of mystery, along with elegance, sophistication, and luxury. It is also commonly used for authority, prestige, and power, which is why it’s used in many logos. However, it can be overwhelming, so use it sparingly. 
• What about white? White space is considered part of good website design, providing a clean, uncluttered look. It works well in minimalist design, creating contrast in typography and a dash of color to stand out. For a less severe look, off-white tones such as ivory or cream add warmth. 
• Bright primary colors for CTAs. Though studies can’t agree on the best colors for call-to-action elements, brands often favor bright colors, such as green, blue and red, though Amazon stands out by using orange in their CTA elements. However, more important than that is the contrast and tones work with your branding. 

Best Practices in Psychology of Color 

However, changing out your colors doesn’t mean you need to start over. Here are some best practices: 

• If designer-recommended colors don’t work, recommend changes. 
• Complement the existing color scheme with appropriate color psychology tones, such as adding yellow to your usual blue. 
• Test different colors to find the perfect combination. Set up an A/B split test and find out which one works best. 
• Don’t overdo it. Too many colors create confusion, so add white space to separate the different tones. 

In Conclusion 

Using the psychology of color for increasing your conversion rate is an easy way to maximize your company’s growth. Strategic Growth Advisors provide our clients with the best outcomes for your business and are ready to help you find the right solutions for your marketing needs. Please feel free to contact us today with any questions or to schedule a consultation.