![[VIDEO] CB Cribs: The VIP Tour](http://blog.clickbooth.com/images/cbcribs.jpg)
By: Aaron Wiseman (Affiliate Strategist) / Aaron@clickbooth.com
I often have affiliates request that I look over their landing pages so I can offer some suggestions as to how they might improve upon it. I begin the process by perusing the ad copy and looking over the site layout to see if there are items that I feel can be changed, thus improving the look of the site and ultimately helping it to convert better. I try to offer as detailed of suggestions as I can, but I ultimately find myself, time after time, offering this same general piece of advice in addition to my other detailed comments: Consider Color.
Have you ever wondered why the “golden arches” and the vast majority of fast food chains all share similar colors in their logos? Research has found that the colors Red, Yellow, Orange and Green can actually trigger an individual’s appetite. Knowing this, food establishments have long since used those colors in their logos in an effort to hopefully have you see their sign and say “I’m hungry”. Conversely, the color Blue is known to act as an appetite suppressant. That being said, if colors can cause that kind of effect on one’s appetite or behavior, what effect is the color of your landing page having on its viewing audience?
This is not meant to be an exhaustive study of all the research that has been conducted on the brain and its various reactions to color. What I am proposing, is the next time you are working on your landing page design, consider how much thought you have put into the color choices on the page. I suggest going through the following steps to really contemplate how color can help improve your landing page.
Consider the Audience: Have you thought about the target customer for the offer you are promoting? Are they male? Female? What age bracket are they in? What colors would appeal to this demographic? You should also think about the product itself. Choosing colors to promote a skin cream product is going to require a different palate than a credit score offer.
Research Color Options: Once you have decided who your target customers are going to be, start researching what colors might work well for your pre-sell landing page. Look at other offers in that category and/or other advertisements that target your audience’s demographic. If you’ve decided on exactly which campaign to promote with your landing page, work to compliment the color scheme of the offer’s landing page so there is more of a natural flow from your page to the advertiser’s page.
Test Multiple Versions: When an advertiser is working on optimizing a campaign, they often test multiple design variations and color schemes before ultimately ending with a finished high-converting offer. If it works for the advertisers, why not do it as an affiliate? Once you’ve built the basic structure of the page, try making different variations by only changing the color scheme. Then, set them up in a split-testing rotation and see what results you come up with. You may be surprised at how much color can have an effect on how well your pre-sell landing page converts.
So as you can see, color plays an integral part in the overall success of your landing page. From psychological triggers (caused by certain colors) to societal norms (e.g specific colors being associated with gender), it is extremely important that you do your research and use these studies to your advantage. Taking the time to really optimize every part of your landing page (especially the color) is a great way to ensure its success.
Related posts:
Thanks for this! It was quite interesting. I also remember learning from one of my professors that you should avoid using bright BRIGHT colors as the page will appear looking ‘cheap’ .. avoid using dark colored backgrounds because there might be problems when viewers try to print off your page.
The ability to optimize a campaign is an essential trait to any thriving Affiliate. That being said, no stone can go unturned when it comes to fine tuning your campaigns.
You bring up a great point in that we have to consider less obvious things such as psychological triggers when evaluating our audience, as these factors affect our conversion rate, and thus our bottom line. So many times I’ve thought, ‘Oh, this won’t make a difference’ only to be proven wrong time and time again.
The more we can connect with our consumers, the better our sales will be. Color choice is an excellent means to enhance that connection!
I agree that color is very useful in setting a mood. But I hate orange on a business web site. Too much. I can’t read your messages because you’re hitting me in the face with a hammer. A little orange might work, but not this much. Or a different shade perhaps?
I’ve always liked blue (medium to dark) for business sites. It’s associated (by research) with truth, credibility, etc. That’s why I use it. Google does, too.