70: Color Psychology in Web Design: Why Banks Choose Blue & Other Industry Secrets

design

Nov 28

Ever stared at a website and felt something – trust, excitement, calm – without knowing exactly why? Chances are, color psychology was quietly working its magic. In this episode of Think Inside the Square, we're pulling back the curtain on how color choices can make or break your website's effectiveness.

From the strategic blues of banking websites to the appetite-inducing reds of food delivery apps, every color tells a story and influences behavior. I'm sharing my real-world experiences (including a memorable design mistake with a meditation retreat website!) and breaking down exactly how different industries use color psychology to connect with their audiences.

In this episode, you'll discover practical tips for using color strategically, not just aesthetically. We'll explore industry-specific color trends, dive into the science of color contrast for better conversions, and I'll share my favorite tools for testing color accessibility. Plus, you'll learn a simple method for A/B testing your color choices to let data guide your decisions.

[00:00:00] Have you ever wondered why so many banks use blue in their branding, or why fast food restaurants tend to favor red? In this episode of Think Inside the Square, I'm diving into the fascinating world of color psychology, specifically for web design. I'm sharing practical tips about using color strategically, not just because you like it, but because it works for your business and your audience.
[00:00:22] Welcome to Think Inside the Square, a podcast full of tips and tricks to help you create a website that you're proud of. I'm your host, Becca Harpain, Squarespace expert and educator, and creator of insidethesquare.co
[00:00:33] in this episode, we're exploring how your color choices can make or break your website's effectiveness.
[00:00:39] For a transcript of this episode along with the links to the resources and tools that I mentioned, visit insidethesquare.co/podcast
[00:00:47] The term Squarespace is a trademark of Squarespace, Inc.
[00:00:50] This content is not affiliated with Squarespace, Inc.
[00:00:57] I had a fascinating experience with one of my code coaching [00:01:00] students earlier this year. She was working on a website for a wellness coaching business, and she came to me frustrated because her client's booking rate was really low. Her website design was beautiful. She had worked with her client's color palette, there were lots of purples and blacks because that's what was in her logo.
[00:01:16] But here's the thing about color in web design, it's not just about what we like, it's about what works. We ended up changing the color palette to include some more greens and soft blues. Colors that research shows inspire trust and calm, but also colors that compliment the tone of purple that her client was using.
[00:01:36] And guess what? Consultation bookings increased by 12 percent in the first month. Now, was it just the colors? Probably not, but offering a shift in the visual branding made this website more aligned with what the potential clients were expecting to see. Now, this brings us to the first key point in this episode about color psychology.
[00:01:55] It's not just about personal preference, it's about human behavior. [00:02:00] Our brains are wired to respond to color in specific ways. Blue, for example, typically evokes feelings of trust and stability. That's why you see it used by banks, tech companies, healthcare providers. And red, on the other hand, that creates a sense of urgency and excitement.
[00:02:16] It's perfect for that buy now button or a limited time offer. When I first started designing websites, I was hired by a local spa to create a landing page for their new meditation retreat. I was super excited about this and had done some research that showed me that red and orange buttons were more likely to be clicked.
[00:02:34] So when I created this landing page, I was really disappointed that they didn't love it. But now I know exactly why. I had made the classic mistake of using a bright red call to action button for this meditation retreat website because I thought it looked energetic. Her audience was looking for calm.
[00:02:52] They were looking for serenity. And that's when I realized that color psychology plays out completely differently based on the industry [00:03:00] that you're working on. I have since spent a lot of time analyzing successful websites across various sectors to find different patterns, and it's truly fascinating.
[00:03:09] In the health and wellness space, green absolutely dominates, and for good reason. Green is associated with growth, with nature, with vitality. Think about brands like Whole Foods or New Seasons or MindBody Green. Their use of green immediately signals what they're about. Now for finance and technology, blue is the go to color.
[00:03:28] Look at PayPal, Dell, IBM, Best Buy. They all use blue prominently because blue conveys trustworthiness and professionalism. When you're handling people's money or data or their tech, trust is everything. Now the food and beverage industry, that is where red and orange shine. These colors actually stimulate the appetite and create a sense of urgency.
[00:03:51] McDonald's, Coca Cola, DoorDash, they are not using red by accident. These warm colors grab attention and drive action. Now, [00:04:00] if you're in creative services, you have a bit more flexibility. Your audience will often expect something that's unique and bold. You should definitely take the time to analyze what successful competitors are doing with their own color palettes on their website, or at least review complementary services in your industry.
[00:04:18] The goal here is not to copy their color scheme, but to understand what tones your audience is going to respond to. Now, all that to say, there is another important thing that I want you to keep in mind. Color associations can vary dramatically across cultures. The color white might represent calm and clarity for Western markets, but it can be associated with mourning in some Eastern cultures.
[00:04:40] So if you're serving an international audience, this is something you'll definitely want to research for your specific market. Now that we've covered the concept of color psychology, let's get into the practical side of things and talk about using color to drive conversions on your website. The color of your call to action button can have a huge impact on [00:05:00] whether people click on it or not.
[00:05:02] If you're designing a website for a meditation retreat, maybe don't use red, just throwing that pro tip out there, but what really matters the most here is contrast. I want you to take your main brand color and find its complementary color on the color wheel. That's often the best bet for your call to action buttons, but you know what's even more important than that color contrast for your conversions?
[00:05:25] Accessibility. High contrast calls to action isn't just about being on brand. It's about being inclusive and making sure that your website is actually usable for everyone who visits it. That's where the WCAG guidelines come in. That's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Now this is not legal advice and it's up to you to make sure that your content complies with these guidelines, okay?
[00:05:50] I'll share some links to more information in the show notes. But I'm bringing it up right now because the main thing that you need to know about color contrast is this Your text [00:06:00] needs to have a high contrast against the background. Now this can be dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background, but it doesn't have to be black or white.
[00:06:10] You can use different combinations of color, but they still need to have a high enough contrast to be easily readable. There are some fantastic free tools to help you check this color contrast. One of my favorites is WebIM's Contrast Checker. I'll be sure to include a link to that contrast checker in the show notes at insidethesquare.co/podcast
[00:06:31] This contrast checker is awesome because all you have to do is plug in your text color and your background color, and it will tell you if the contrast ratio meets accessibility standards. Now, if you're concerned that none of your brand colors will meet these standards, don't worry.
[00:06:47] You don't have to abandon your brand colors entirely. Instead, use them strategically. Personally, I use a light blue as one of my favorite brand colors. And that light blue is an accent color for decorative elements, [00:07:00] while I still use a darker shade for the actual text. The key is finding that balance between your brand aesthetics and usability.
[00:07:07] Now, you'll definitely want to do some testing of your color combinations. I am a huge fan of A B testing because it takes the guesswork out of your design decisions. Instead of debating whether or not your call to action button should be blue or green, you can test both and let the data guide your decision.
[00:07:24] Squarespace makes this pretty straightforward with their built in analytics. So here's what I recommend. Take a look at your most important call to action button on your website and look at the data for the last 30 days. Then what I want you to do is to change that button. Now, if that button is related to the main color palette on your website, you don't need to change every single button across your website.
[00:07:46] You can use a little snippet of custom code to change the color for that individual button. And I want you to change that color for 30 days. Then, look at the actual conversions. See how they compare 30 days with the new color versus the [00:08:00] last 30 days with the old color. But here's the important part, don't just look at the clicks, look at the actual conversions, whether that's sales, signups, whatever action you want people to take.
[00:08:12] Did the conversion actually take place? Now I did this recently with a photography client's booking button. We tested his original black and white button against a teal that complimented his brand colors and that teal button resulted in 8 percent more bookings over a 30 day period. That was real measurable impact from a simple color change.
[00:08:32] But here's something crucial that I want you to keep in mind specifically related to this test. You should never test more than one element at a time. If you change the color of a button, and you change the headline, and you change the call to action text, and you change the background, you're not going to know which change made the difference.
[00:08:52] So focus on changing one element at a time. Now let's get super practical about how you can implement the color psychology strategies [00:09:00] that I just talked about. I want to give you a step by step process so you can start using these tips right away to audit and improve your website's color scheme. Start by taking screenshots of your most important pages and save them with the name of the page and the date.
[00:09:14] I'm talking about your homepage, your landing page, and especially your sales pages or your contact pages. Then, I want you to look at them in grayscale. Yes, you heard that right. Convert those screenshots to black and white to see if you're relying too heavily on color to convey information.
[00:09:33] This will also help you see if things are at a high enough contrast. When you change that screenshot to black and white, can you still tell what's clickable? Can you still read everything clearly? If not, you might need to adjust your design. If that's a little too much for you, here's a quick win that you can implement today.
[00:09:51] Look at your main call to action button. It might be in the header of your website or on your most important page. Look at that main call to action button and ask [00:10:00] yourself, is it the same color as other less important elements on the page? If it is, try changing it to a contrasting color that still fits within your brand palette.
[00:10:11] This simple change can make a huge difference in your conversion rates. Just don't forget to make a note of what button color you changed and when you changed it so you can properly compare the data before and after. Now that you have your action step, let's wrap up today's episode with a quick recap of the points that we covered.
[00:10:28] Picking the right colors for your website isn't just about your personal preference,
[00:10:32] it's about making strategic choices that support your business goals. Different industries have different color expectations and so do different cultures, so do your research if you'd like to try something extra special or unique that you haven't seen other people in your industry do.
[00:10:47] Now accessibility is not optional, it is essential for creating an inclusive and effective website,
[00:10:53] so make sure that you're utilizing high contrast. I also want to mention that testing is your friend. Let data [00:11:00] guide your color decisions.
[00:11:01] And don't be afraid to try something new. In the show notes for this episode, you'll find links to all of the color tools and resources I talked about today, including my favorite contrast checkers and color palette generators. You can find those at insidethesquare.co/podcast
[00:11:16] I want you to remember that good design isn't just about making things look pretty. It's about creating experiences that work for your audience and support your business goals. And your creative color choices are such a powerful tool in achieving that. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Think Inside the Square.
[00:11:33] If you enjoyed it, please subscribe to this podcast wherever you happen to be tuning in. Until next time, keep designing, keep testing, and most importantly, have fun with your website. Bye for now.
- Customize the color of one specific button with code: insidethesquare.co/squarespace-id-finder
- WebAIM Contrast Checker: webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
- Squarespace Analytics (for A/B testing) support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/206544167-Squarespace-Analytics
- WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Standards: w3.org/TR/WCAG21/