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There is a lot to think about when you start designing your website. You need to make sure your visitors are satisfied with what they see and read, and are happy to come back and visit your site again.

You have to remember to use search engine optimization techniques to grab your share of the search engine traffic… oh and you also need to make sure you don’t overload on graphics, since it’s the content that’s the most important part. Add to those at least a dozen other things that you need to think about and you can see why a lot of people resort to paying a professional to design their site for them.

And then there’s the issue of colour.

What about colour? Surely colour isn’t anywhere near as important as any of the things mentioned above?

In truth, it’s vital that you don’t give the issue of colour a back seat when you are designing your website, since the inappropriate use of colour can ruin an otherwise stunning website.

It’s essential to remember that just because you have a potentially huge colour palette that you could use on your site, that doesn’t mean you should be using all of it. Simple designs often work the best, and a good place to start is with your logo. What colours does that contain? If you can continue these through your site you will notice an instant unity among all the pages that is pleasing to the eye.

Colour isn’t just important in terms of the edgings, borders, widgets and buttons you make use of on your website. It can also influence the background, the text itself and any columns or sections you may use. Try and keep all your colours complementary, as the minute you try and use contrasting ones you will notice your site will become almost painful to look at. They can throw off the whole balance of your site.

Most people play safe – understandably – and go for a white background with the standard black text, and this is certainly the easiest to read. Be very careful if you use white or coloured text on a coloured background, since it can distract from being able to read it easily.

It’s also worth thinking about what impression your own particular choice of colours will give to anyone who visits your site. Think about the subject and focus of your website and how that should make people feel, as this can affect what colours will work best in that particular situation. What is the tone of your website? Is it reassuring, upbeat, positive, practical or plain?

Depending on your answer you may find that your colour scheme actually clashes with the message you are trying to portray. This is why choosing your colour scheme is so important to bear in mind in the early stages of designing your website. If you leave it until the last minute (or even worse, leaving it to chance and simply picking the colours you like the most) you could end up having to make drastic changes when it’s the least convenient.