Choosing the right color for your website could be more important than the content you will present on it. A first-time visitor will form their opinion about your website in the first few seconds. Color will influence this opinion before the user has a chance to read your content. At this point you may have lost the trust.
In the majority of cases I would argue that you should stick with white for background and black for the font. This is what we recommend to all of our clients. There are a number of reasons to do so and here are three:
- It is easiest to read black text on white background – both for print and the screen. The point of having a website is to give your potential and current customers information in the fastest and easiest possible way. Make it easy for them to read – don’t cause eye strain with white text on black background.
- A customer will trust a website with white background a lot more than a site with a black background. A site with black or dark background just doesn’t make the business look serious enough. I have seen some business websites that look more like someone’s home page – this is a no-no. This is extremely important for B2B websites. Of course there can be some exceptions, if your business is all about graphic design – then you may allow some more freedom, but even then, have in mind who your potential client is.
- Spare your visitors a headache - use a font color with the highest contrast to the background. Choosing the right font color is as important as choosing the background color because they work together. As I stated above, the best combination is black font on white background. I would avoid using shades of gray (unless they are almost black) or any other shades of colors that diminish the contrast. This is especially true if you have a lot of copy on your pages. The worst possible combination to have is to have color-chart opposites, i.e. blue background and red text – this will actually cause a headache.
A common question that I have heard is: “Can I use a light shade of a color for a background?” My general answer will be yes, you can, as soon as it is an off-white (but almost white) shade that keeps a very high contrast with the font color. If you use an off-white color make sure that you stick to black for your font color (see item 3 above).
Before choosing the colors of your business website, ask yourself – what is the purpose of your website – to make it easy for your site’s visitors to get your message and do business with you or to have a site that has your favorite colors but makes it hard for your potential customers to engage.