Color is often the last thing on the minds of website designers. We've all been subjected to websites with horrid color combinations. Yes, there are websites with purple text on a black background, and so on. You want people to view your website with ease. Hurting their eyes is bad for business.

What do you think when you visit a website with terrible color combinations? Your reaction is probably negative. Don't make this mistake with your website. Take time to carefully plan which colors you'll use for text, backgrounds, and links. You can increase your site's efficiency by paying attention to your color scheme.

The goal of any website is to attract and retain visitors. If your site's colors are headache inducing, visitors will run away screaming. Black text on a white background may not be exciting, but it's easy to read. That's why it's the best choice for reading text online. Visit any of the large, professionally designed sites and you'll see black text on a white or light background.

If unsure which colors fit together, look at a color wheel. You can get a list of RGB color values (or HEX values), and see which colors are appealing when grouped together. A color wheel will help you balance your color palette so all of the colors are complementary. Another thing to consider is the color of emotions.

Colors evoke emotions using what is called "color psy

chology”. For example, white is often used to symbolize good. Purple is often used to symbolize royalty. And the most universal of them all is green, which often symbolizes money. Take this into account when choosing colors for your website. Also remember that different colors mean different things in certain parts of the world.

Here's a list of some colors and their positive and negative connotations:

Red Positive: passion, strength, love Negative: danger, blood, anger

Blue Positive: stability, peace, confidence Negative: coldness, obscenity, depression

Green Positive: nature, wealth, fertility Negative: inexperience, jealousy, greed

Yellow Positive: sunlight, joy, idealism Negative: hazards, cowardice, dishonesty

Purple Positive: elegance, creativity, nobility Negative: arrogance, profanity, confusion

Orange Positive: energy, enthusiasm, playfulness Negative: danger, warning, fire

White Positive: purity, peace, security Negative: sterility, defeat, cowardice

Black Positive: power, sophistication, elegance Negative: evil, death, mourning

The goal of marketing is to connect with the public. What better way to connect than emotionally? Color can help accomplish that goal. Color psychology may sound like a joke to some people, but it's been proven to work. By choosing the colors of your website based on color psychology, you can increase your sales.

The bottom line is you should pick your colors carefully. Don't pick a color just because you like it. Red may be your favorite color, but if your business is monetary issues, red may not be the best color for your site. You're free to try various color combinations, but remember the colors you choose may carry a set of preconceived notions.