Guide · Updated October 2026

What Colours Should I Use for My Business Website?

How to choose colours for a small business website: start from your brand, use a simple palette, keep contrast readable, pick a button colour that stands out, and avoid common mistakes.

What Colours Should I Use for My Business Website?

Short answer: Use your brand colours as a starting point, keep the palette small (one main colour, one accent and neutrals), make sure text contrasts strongly with its background, and reserve one bright colour for buttons so people know where to click.

Start with what you already have

If you have a logo, van livery or shop sign, your website should match. Consistency helps people recognise you. Take the main colour from your logo and build around it.

If you have no brand colours yet, choose based on the feeling you want and what fits your industry, then stick to it everywhere.

A simple palette structure

  • Primary colour: your main brand colour, used for headers, links and key areas.
  • Accent colour: a contrasting colour used sparingly for buttons and highlights.
  • Neutrals: white or off-white backgrounds, dark grey or near-black text, and a light grey for sections.

Most good small business sites use no more than two or three colours plus neutrals.

What colours tend to suggest

Colour meaning is not scientific and varies by culture, but some common associations are useful:

  • Blue: trust, calm, professional. Popular with finance, IT and healthcare.
  • Green: nature, health, growth. Common for gardeners, eco and wellness.
  • Orange: energetic, friendly, affordable.
  • Red: urgency, appetite, strength. Used by food businesses and emergency services.
  • Black and gold: premium, luxury.
  • Soft pastels: gentle, calm. Seen in beauty, baby and wedding businesses.

Standing out from competitors can matter as much as following convention.

Let a designer pick a palette that fits your brand.

SiteDrum builds fast, mobile-first websites from $99 setup and $15 a month, with hosting, security, Google setup and support included. Already have a site that is slow or broken? Try Website Rescue or run our free speed test.

Contrast matters more than colour choice

The most common colour mistake is poor contrast: light grey text on white, or white text on pale yellow. It looks stylish to the designer and unreadable to everyone else, especially outdoors on a phone or for people with weaker eyesight.

  • Body text should be dark on light, or light on very dark.
  • Use a free contrast checker to test text and background pairs. Accessibility guidelines such as WCAG set minimum contrast ratios.
  • Never rely on colour alone to show meaning; add text or icons too.

The button colour rule

Pick one colour for your main call to action buttons and use it for nothing else. When visitors see that colour, they learn 'this is what I click'. It should contrast clearly with the background and your primary colour.

Mistakes to avoid

  1. Using every colour in your logo equally
  2. Bright background colours behind long text
  3. Different button colours on every page
  4. Choosing colours you personally love that do not suit your customers
  5. Ignoring how colours look in dark mode or on cheaper screens

Test it on real devices

Colours look different on different screens. Check your site on a few phones, in daylight and indoors. If something is hard to read anywhere, fix it.

The bottom line

Good website colour is simple: match your brand, keep the palette small, make text easy to read and give buttons their own colour. Browse our sample sites to see how different palettes suit different businesses.

Frequently asked questions

How many colours should a website use?

Usually one main colour, one accent and a few neutrals. More than that tends to look messy.

What is the best colour for a call to action button?

Any colour that contrasts strongly with its surroundings and is used only for main buttons.

Should my website match my logo?

Yes, matching your logo and other branding helps people recognise you.

What text colour is easiest to read?

Dark grey or near-black on a white or off-white background is the safest choice.

Want a website that brings you customers?

Tell us what you do on WhatsApp and we will send a fixed quote and a free mockup.

Get my free mockup

Related guides

What Fonts Should I Use on My Website? A Simple Guide for Small BusinessesRead guide →How to Make My Website Trustworthy: 15 Trust Signals Customers Look ForRead guide →Common Website Mistakes Small Businesses Make (And How to Fix Each One)Read guide →How to Measure If My Website Is Working: The Numbers That Actually MatterRead guide →

Our products

Starter website$99 setup, $15 a monthBusiness website$249 setup, $29 a monthPremium website$499 setup, $59 a monthWebsite RescueFix a slow, broken or hacked siteFree speed testCheck your site in secondsSample websitesSee designs for your industry

Website design near you

Website design in LondonWebsite design in New YorkWebsite design in TorontoWebsite design in BrightonWebsite design in HobartWebsite design in LeedsWebsite design in Las VegasWebsite design in BelfastWebsite design in San FranciscoWebsite design in MumbaiAll cities →

SiteDrum home · All guides · Sitemap · Contact us

All guides

Contact us

Tell us about your business

Send a message and we reply within one working day with a fixed quote. Prefer to chat? WhatsApp us or book a free 15-minute call.

We only use your details to reply to you. See our privacy policy.
Chat on WhatsAppBook a free call