You have just signed up on WordPress, and you’re ready to build your first website. The problem is, you have no idea how you want it to look like. You can’t simply pick a theme and stick with it — it’s also crucial to choose the perfect color scheme.
Sounds scary? Don’t worry. I’ve gathered some stunning examples of website color schemes that you can take inspiration from. We’ll also discuss what to do to choose the perfect palette for your website.
Why Color Schemes are Important
Before getting into the list, let’s discuss why it’s vital to select the right colors for your website.
First, a distinct color scheme makes your brand more memorable.
Big corporate names usually use the colors of their logo for their websites, ads, and other branding efforts. For instance, FedEx uses purple and orange, while PayPal chooses several shades of blue. By using those colors consistently, the public associates that certain color scheme to the brand.
A good color scheme can also appeal to your target audience.
Every demographic group has its own color preference. Their taste could be influenced by their upbringing, culture, society, and many other factors.
For example, a color can have different meanings in different cultures. Black typically means elegance, but in some cultures, it represents suffering.
Companies have used the effects of colors for their own benefits. For instance, kids usually react more positively to bright colors. Thus, a website like PBS Kids uses a bright color scheme to attract children.
Lastly, colors can lead to higher user engagement.
A recent study reveals that CTA buttons with high-contrast colors have high conversion rates. This means that the button should be in a color that stands out against the website’s color scheme.
So as you can see, it’s crucial to consider the colors of every element of your website, even if it’s just a button.
How to Choose the Right Color Scheme for Your Website
The easiest way to select a good color scheme is by using color generators. Here are some tools you can use:
- Colorspire– preview the colors on a website template.
- Paletton– see how your color scheme will look like in various layouts.
- Coolors– generate color schemes from images of your choice.
However, if you want to make a color scheme from scratch, here’s what you can do:
- Select a dominant color. This is the color that you want to stand out the most. It’s recommended to use your brand’s color throughout your website.
- Pick the secondary colors. These colors complement or strengthen your dominant color.
- Determine where to place the colors. Some people like to use the dominant color for emphasized features like buttons and links. Others might use it for large visual elements, while the secondary colors are for texts. Explore the options and find the best one for you.
- Choose a background color. People typically choose a neutral tone to keep the website readable.
8 Stunning Website Color Schemes
With more than 38% of the websites are using WordPress, I’ve carefully selected 8 types of color schemes that you can use as inspiration for your WordPress site:
1. Vibrant
Bright, vivid colors can be a perfect choice for websites that want to set a lively and energetic tone. Climate Optimist’s website exemplifies good use of such colors. As a climate change organization, they want to inspire positivity and confidence to get people participating in their campaign. This is embodied in their yellow, pink, and green color scheme.
2. Muted
If you want your website to look elegant, consider using muted tones. They may not be as eye-catching, but the right color combination can appear stylish.
This website by Mosole, an Italian winery, aims for such a tone. They desaturate earthy colors like brown and green and create a classy effect that still represents their brand as a winery.
3. Light
If you want your website to look inviting, I recommend using lighter shades. Like a comfortable home, a pleasant website makes visitors want to spend more time on your page.
Bosumhus, a home builder website, presents an excellent example of this color scheme. While the texts are dark, other elements are mostly in light brown and beige with hints of earth green here and there. The website is also a good illustration of how your pictures can represent your color palette.
4. Dark
In contrast to light colors, dark hues usually symbolize mystery. Additionally, it is used to represent modernity and futurism.
In this example, Critical TechWorks uses dark colors to complement its identity as a next-generation tech company.
The website also illustrates how you can use dark colors while also being captivating. Although most of the colors are deep, the website also uses neon blue for highlights.
5. Pastel
Pastels have been a design trend for the past few years. These colors are soft and washed out, and they aim to look soothing.
It’s typically associated with infants as these colors are often found in nurseries. However, many websites use these colors to appeal to the young demographic as well.
Mont-Roucous’s website is an excellent example of using pastel colors. Since their products are intended for babies, they use soft pink and blue for their brand.
6. Monochromatic
If you don’t know how to combine colors, try choosing one color and make your entire website monochromatic. This means you will only use different shades of the same color throughout your page.
Brightscout demonstrates how you can use different shades of green on the same page. Although everything is predominantly green, using both light and dark shades prevent the page from looking flat.
7. Accent
Accent colors refer to those that are used to emphasize important elements. These colors are used sparingly, and some websites use their brand color as the accent color.
For instance, Frakton uses a predominantly black and white color palette with pops of yellow here and there. The black and white scheme helps draw all the attention to the yellow highlights, so the accent color is used for buttons, emphasized texts, and headers.
8. Contrasting Colors
Some websites like to employ two contrasting colors to create a striking visual impact. These colors usually sit on the opposite ends of the color wheel.
Turner Dairy utilizes red and blue to juxtapose their dairy products with their non-dairy goods. They maintain this contrast throughout their website. The buttons and headlines are mostly in red, while the visual elements are in blue. They also use a white background for readability.
Wrapping Up
Choosing the right color scheme isn’t just about combining beautiful colors together. It’s about picking one that is right for your brand, audience, and user engagement.
If you want a fuss-free process in finding a good palette, use color generators. Decide ones that would be your dominant, secondary, and background colors. You’ll also need to think about how each color should be placed on your website.
Although I’ve only listed 8 color schemes, there are endless color combinations you can try for your WordPress website. So, don’t be afraid to experiment, and good luck.
Also read:
- Best personal websites collections
- Worst web design mistakes to avoid
- Example of Wix websites that are adorable
- Example of Weebly websites that make you wow
About the Author: Simon Dwight Keller
Simon Dwight Keller is a digital marketing entrepreneur eager to drive tons of traffic to your website with creative and compelling content. After three years of hard work as a freelancer, he decided to take up his services to the next level, he co-founded a digital marketing company PRable. Eventually Simon felt that in order to achieve more, he had to start his own company – SDK Marketing. With his small albeit professional team he is ready to take on new challenges, increase your traffic and drive more revenue. Besides his burning passion for SEO, he is interested in ice hockey and traveling. Connect with Simon on LinkedIn.
