![\"best](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/05165421\/colorsblog.png\")
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Source: Pat Anzanello<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Ralph Waldo Emerson once wisely observed that nature always wears the colors of the spirit. Your website should do the same.<\/p>\n That\u2019s especially true when it comes to your checkout process or landing page. When a visitor lands there, you\u2019re just a few clicks (give or take) away from conversion.<\/p>\n At that point, you want to do everything you can to lead the visitor further down the sales funnel. Your aesthetics should include a color scheme that contributes to a healthy conversion rate.<\/p>\n So what colors work best for conversion? What palette is optimal for maximizing clicks? The answer may surprise you.<\/p>\n It depends.<\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019ll discuss why color makes a difference, the meaning behind various colors, the results of some color tests that have been conducted, and how to select colors that maximize conversions.<\/p>\n Which colors will choose for your site?<\/i><\/p>\n If you think that color is trivial as a contributing factor in your conversion rate, think again. Evidence indicates that color is more important than many people realize.<\/p>\n According to Kissmetrics<\/a>, \u201cit is crucial to consider that consumers place visual appearance and color above other factors when shopping.\u201d In fact, a whopping 85 percent of consumers identify color as the primary reason for why they buy a product.<\/p>\n Further, 42 percent base their opinion of a website on overall design alone and more than half (52 percent) didn\u2019t return to a website because of poor aesthetics.<\/p>\n Kissmetrics also offers guidelines about color selection, depending on the nature of your business. Red, orange, black, and royal blue should be used to target impulse shoppers; navy blue and teal should be used to reach shoppers on a budget; and softer colors like pink, sky blue, and rose should be used to target traditional buyers, especially for clothing brands.<\/p>\n Those guidelines, however, are just a starting point. There is much more to the story.<\/p>\n As with everything else in marketing, the process of selecting the best color design begins by understanding your target market. That\u2019s especially true if you\u2019re market includes people from different cultures.<\/p>\n Specific colors have different meanings in different countries. While people in the West might view white as a symbol of purity, it\u2019s the color of mourning and death<\/a> to people in China. To people in Brazil, though, purple is the color of death<\/a>.<\/p>\n Those are just two examples. To make sure that your checkout process or landing page yields an optimal conversion rate, you\u2019re going to need to familiarize yourself with the culture of the people who are most frequently visiting your site and design accordingly. You might even have to make an investment in offering different color schemes to people from different countries.<\/p>\n Next, you\u2019re going to want colors that align with the theme of your site. When you use a color pattern that reinforces your niche, you\u2019re leveraging the familiarity principle<\/a> when it comes to web design.<\/p>\n Simply put, the familiarity principle states that people are attracted to what\u2019s familiar to them. That\u2019s why your color scheme should reflect the overall \u201cpersonality\u201d of your products or services. According to Color Wheel Pro<\/a>, \u201cBlue<\/b> is the color<\/b> of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue<\/b> is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect.\u201d<\/p>\n Orange<\/b> represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.\u201d Thus many of our calls to action are orange, both on our site, and on the Internet in general.<\/p>\n Example Amazon orange calls to action<\/i><\/p>\n As another example, if you\u2019re selling saltwater fishing tackle online, then you probably wouldn\u2019t want to offer your visitors a brown and green motif. Instead, you\u2019d probably prefer something like cobalt blue and white. Those are colors that are familiar to saltwater fishermen.<\/p>\n Finally, if you are site who is focused on making entrepreneurs money, like Quick Sprout, green is an excellent choice.<\/p>\n Shopping carts and landing pages are no exception. They should extend the color palette that the visitor has seen throughout the website. That way, those pages will look familiar<\/i> to people who visit them.<\/p>\n However, there is still<\/i> more to the story.<\/p>\n Colors make statements. Some colors convey a good mood. Others throw off shade. Colors can have attitude or they can be humble. Some colors inspire while others depress.<\/p>\n Here in North America (and in much of Western Civilization), we\u2019ve grown accustomed to associating specific colors with feelings, moods, and\/or thoughts. Savvy web designers know about the psychology of colors and craft websites accordingly.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a brief rundown of how we view colors in North America.<\/p>\n There are several applications for red in the West. It can mean stop, love, or Christmas. It\u2019s often used create a sense of urgency or convey the idea of energy.<\/p>\n Red also inspires hunger. Think about all of the fast food restaurant chains that use red in their logo: McDonald\u2019s, KFC, Chili\u2019s, Applebee\u2019s, and In-N-Out. The website for Edible Arrangements not only features red in its logo, but also uses the color prominently throughout the site<\/a> (pay particular attention to the popup you\u2019ll likely see when you click that link).<\/p>\n McDonalds using red to entice hunger<\/i><\/p>\n The color red has been tested repeatedly and successfully as the \u201cgo to\u201d color for buttons on websites. That\u2019s led many marketers to think it\u2019s the best color for conversions. More on that later.<\/p>\n Yellow is an eye-catcher because it doesn\u2019t occur that often in nature. It conveys a sense of happiness and optimism. It\u2019s also thought to inspire creativity<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking to make people feel better about their situation, about themselves, or about their purchase, consider using yellow. It will offer your shoppers a soothing effect.<\/p>\n As with so many other things in life, though, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. If you hit your visitors with an overabundance of yellow, your site might come across as \u201cloud\u201d and have an effect completely different than what you had intended. It\u2019s best to use yellow for borders, logos, and buttons rather than using it as a background.<\/p>\n Too much yellow can be overwhelming<\/i><\/p>\n Also, yellow is an excellent contrast color. If your overall color scheme works well with yellow, consider using it to draw attention to certain, important parts of your pages.<\/p>\n North American drivers everywhere think of one thing when they see green: Go!<\/p>\n Beyond that, green brings to mind the concept of nature. It\u2019s a good color selection for sites that focus on outdoor activities, like camping and hiking. It\u2019s also an excellent choice for sites that promote environmentalism.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s not forget also that green is often associated with wealth, thanks to the color of paper money in North America. If you\u2019re promoting a sales course or marketing tactic that people can use to boost their own net worth, consider using green to reinforce the idea of earnings.<\/p>\n Outside of the mention of Quick Sprout above, the website VitaCost<\/a> also does a good job at using green as a contrast color for its buttons.<\/p>\n VitaCost green button examples<\/i><\/p>\n When it comes to selecting a color for a call to action button, many marketers who don\u2019t opt for red\/orange often choose green or blue.<\/p>\n Blue is the universal \u201ccorporate\u201d color when it comes to web design. It certainly figures prominently<\/a> in many WordPress business themes.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a reason for that. As mentioned, blue conveys a sense of trust, integrity, and security. Businesses that opt for a blue design are telling people in their target market: \u201cYou can trust us.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, blue can also be used to represent a cold or oceanic location. If your product or service is meant for those types of environments, consider selecting blue as a primary color.<\/p>\n One good thing about the color blue is that you can often use a lot of it without overpowering the eyes of your visitors. That\u2019s especially true if you\u2019re opting for a lighter shade of blue.<\/p>\n The website Dr. Dental<\/a> does an excellent job of using various shades of blue on its home page.<\/p>\n Example of Dr. Dental using blue<\/i><\/p>\n Orange can convey any number of messages, depending on the psychologist you\u2019re listening to. Some say it conveys warmth and optimism. Others say it indicates caution (think roadside signs). Still others say it\u2019s aggressive.<\/p>\n One thing is for sure. The undisputed king of e-commerce uses orange<\/a> for its call to action button. That might be all you really need to know about the color.<\/p>\n Also, a long time ago, Unbounce<\/a> declared the BOB (Big Orange Button) to be an excellent choice for maximizing conversions.<\/p>\n Purple has historically signified royalty. In marketing, it\u2019s used to soothe or calm people. However, as with yellow, too much purple can become an eyesore.<\/p>\n The color purple is often selected to market anti-aging products. Check out the Meaningful Beauty website<\/a> for an example of that. Note how various shades of purple are used throughout the website in menus and borders and that the call to action button is a combination of purple and pink that not only matches the model\u2019s outfit, but also the overall design of the site.<\/p>\n Example of Meaningful Beauty<\/i><\/p>\n Pink is the favorite color of many young ladies. For that reason, it\u2019s often considered a feminine color.<\/p>\n If your website caters to a young, female audience, consider using the color pink. The girls\u2019 clothing section<\/a> of The Children\u2019s Place uses pink very effectively.<\/p>\n Example Children\u2019s place using pink<\/i><\/p>\n It should be noted, though, that darker shades of pink can appeal to a male audience because they exude romance and love.<\/p>\n Also, a study<\/a> published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine<\/i> showed that the color pink induces a calming effect. Some people have theorized that anti-indigestion medication Pepto-Bismol is pink for that very reason.<\/p>\n In Western culture, white symbolizes purity, wholesomeness, and clarity. That\u2019s why it\u2019s a good match for blue (\u201cintegrity\u201d) in a corporate theme.<\/p>\n White is almost always the best background color for any website. As a result, it\u2019s not often the case that you\u2019ll want your call to action buttons to be white.<\/p>\n Example white background<\/i><\/p>\n Black is the combination of every color. It\u2019s considered the appropriate wardrobe color for people who are evil but it also conveys a sense of power.<\/p>\n Black is often used to market luxury products. Have a look at the JustLuxe<\/a> website for an example of that. It is also used on tech and men\u2019s fitness sites.<\/p>\n Example JustLuxe website<\/i><\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve covered the basics about various colors, let\u2019s look at how a couple of colors have been used historically with some level of effectiveness. Specifically, we\u2019ll look at the color for the all-important call to action button.<\/p>\n There are a few studies that compared the effectiveness of a red or orange call to action button against a green one. Spoilers: they all reached the same conclusion.<\/p>\n In the Dmix study<\/a>, 600 subjects were tested with red and green buttons. When the red button was presented, the study found that conversion rates increased 34%.<\/p>\n Score a win for the red button.<\/p>\n The second study comes to us from none other than HubSpot. That study compared traffic spanning a few days and more than 2,000 visitors. The result: the red button won again with a 21% increase in conversion rate.<\/p>\n Score two wins for the red button.<\/p>\n In the Visual Website Optimizer test<\/a>, three different types of buttons were compared: a white button with green text, a green button with white text, and a red\/orange button with white text. That time, there was only a modest improvement for the red\/orange button: a 5% increase in conversion.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a total of three wins for a red or orange button in three studies.<\/p>\n So the verdict is in: a red or orange button is best for maximizing conversions, right?<\/p>\n Not necessarily.<\/p>\n What happens when orange is compared against integrity-bearing blue? Fortunately, Monetate<\/a> conducted that experiment.<\/p>\n In a classic A\/B test, the company found that the blue button actually outperformed its orange counterpart. The increase was a modest 9%, though.<\/p>\n So, in that case, the orange button wasn\u2019t the winner.<\/p>\n There is no right answer. That\u2019s not what you want to hear, but that\u2019s the truth.<\/p>\n Why? Because the optimal button color for your page depends on context.<\/p>\n For example, the Hubspot test referenced above shows red outperforming green. However, the green button in that study blended in with the color scheme of the web page at the time. In other words, the button color was the same shade of green as the logo. Ergo, there was little contrast. The red button, on the other hand, offered significant contrast against the overall green design. Do you think that might have had something to do with why the red button yielded a better conversion rate?<\/p>\n Probably. That\u2019s why HubSpot was quick to point out that you \u201ccannot generalize these results to all situations. The most we can say is that they hold for the conditions in which they occurred: in this page design, on this site, with the audience that viewed it.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Colors](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Colors-Checkout-Process.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nColor Does Make A Difference<\/h2>\n
Culture And Colors<\/h2>\n
The Theme Of Your Site<\/h2>\n
![\"Amazon](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Amazon-Example.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nColors In North America<\/h2>\n
Red<\/h3>\n
![\"McDonalds\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Mc-Donalds.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nYellow<\/h3>\n
![\"Example](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Example-of-How-Too-Much-Yellow-is-Overwhelming.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nGreen<\/h3>\n
![\"Vita](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Vita-Cost.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBlue<\/h3>\n
![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Dr.-Dental.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOrange<\/h3>\n
Purple<\/h3>\n
![\"Meaningful](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Meaningful-Beauty.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPink<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/The-Childrens-Place.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhite<\/h3>\n
![\"White](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Example-White-Background.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBlack<\/h3>\n
![\"Just](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Just-Lux-Website.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Red\/Orange vs. Green Studies<\/h3>\n
Orange vs. Blue<\/h3>\n
So What\u2019s The Right Answer?<\/h2>\n
![\"split](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Split-Testing-Checkout-Process-2.jpg\")
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