How to Choose Website Colors: The Complete Guide

Have you ever visited a website and immediately felt... off? Maybe the yellow background hurt your eyes, or the red buttons felt like they were screaming at you. You didn't stay long, did you? It turns out, you aren't alone. Science tells us that people form their impressions of a product or person within 90 seconds of their initial interaction. Here is the kicker: approximately 60%-90% of that assessment is based solely on colors.

That's a lot of pressure on a hex code.

For most of us, creating a color scheme is a matter of trial and error. However, whether you're making a blog for business purposes or a business dashboard, understanding color selection is a matter of applying a few simple rules rather than relying on artistic skill.

In this guide, we will explore:

• The science behind how to choose website colors using digital models.
• How to choose color for your website based on psychology (and why blue is everywhere).
• How many colors to use on a website without creating a mess?
• How to pick a color palette for website harmony using the color wheel.
• How to change the color of a website background using modern code.
• Great color combinations for websites that never go out of style.

Ready to paint the internet?

When figuring out how to choose website colors, the first rule to learn is that you shouldn't just pick your favorite. You need to select the color that matches your intent. According to a 2006 study on the impact of color on marketing, colors can influence moods and feelings — positively or negatively.

Here's a quick cheat sheet that will tell you how to choose website colors:

• Blue: It's the undisputed king of the internet. It lowers heart rates and invokes trust, logic, and calm. There is a reason your bank, your insurance company, and your social media apps all use blue.
• Red: It creates a sense of urgency and physically stimulates the body and can increase appetite. Use it for "Buy now" buttons or clearance alerts.
• Green: The easiest on our eyes. It can symbolize health, growth, or money, and it's the universal signal for "success" and "go".
• Yellow: It grabs attention faster than any other (think taxis and warning signs). Use it to highlight key information, but never as the main background — it can cause eye strain.

Once you have chosen your main brand color (let's say you've selected a beautiful and elegant shade of blue), how do you select the rest? Well, all you need is harmony.

The color palette in website design is actually a geometry problem. By looking at the color wheel, you can use these formulas:

1. Complementary: Pick the color directly opposite yours. If you have blue, your complement is orange. These create high contrast when side by side — perfect for buttons you want people to click.
2. Analogous: Pick the colors sitting right next to yours.
3. Monochromatic: Take your one primary hue and change the lightness.

If you are a beginner, stick to monochromatic. It's almost impossible to mess up!

One of the most common mistakes is using the entire color wheel. The result? Chaos.

To keep things professional, follow the 60-30-10 rule:

• 60% primary (background): It should usually be neutral, so that your content feels breathable — choose white, cream, light grey, or a very soft tint.
• 30% secondary (brand): This is the color from your logo. Use it for headers, footer backgrounds, and graphical elements.
• 10% accent (action): This is your "pop" color. It should contrast sharply with the other two. Use it strictly for buttons, links, and notification dots.

By limiting yourself to these proportions, you ensure your user knows exactly where to look. If everything is bright red, nothing stands out. If only the "Add to cart" button is bright red, it becomes a magnet for the eye.

You've picked your palette. Now, how do you actually use it on your website? Here's how to change the color of a website background!

Traditionally, you should use the background-color property in CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) on your body tag:

body {
  background-color: #F5F7FA; /* A soft blue-grey */
  color: #333333; /* Dark grey for text */
}

Pro Tip: Avoid pure black (#000000) on pure white (#FFFFFF). The contrast is so high it can cause eye strain and a "shimmering" effect for some readers. Use a dark charcoal (#121212) instead. To code like a pro, use CSS variables. This method lets you define your palette in one place and reuse it everywhere.

:root {
  --main-brand: #0055ff;
  --bg-color: #ffffff;
}

button {
  background-color: var(--main-brand);
}

Now, if you decide later that your blue needs to be a little darker, you can change it in one line, and the whole site updates instantly!

Trends come and go, but some pairings are timeless. Here are a few great color combinations for websites that always work:

• Navy blue & white: The "suit and tie" of the web. It says professional, corporate, and reliable.
• Black, white & action color: A monochromatic base allows any accent color to shine.
• Earth tones (sage, beige, clay): They're warm and inviting!
• Dark mode (charcoal & neon): Pairing a dark grey background with neon accents (e.g., cyan, magenta) creates a high-tech vibe that, on top of looking cool, reduces battery usage on modern devices.