Colors influence web site visitors
Whether you’re creating your first Web site or you’re a seasoned Web designer/developer, When creating a web site, choosing the optimum colors is one of the most difficult tasks. You want to make sure that the color gives the right impression. Choosing the perfect chromatic palette is important in order to effectively communicate the message, in order to strengthen the idea of a unique entity and to create brand awareness.

A few tips that you should consider for any website:
Use a natural palette of colors.
They are more pleasing than any of their artificial counterparts. Combine them in order to get the emotional response that you want to get from your visitors. Unnatural colors, such as bright green, blue or red usually cause eye fatigue and chase visitors (i.e. prospects) away. Also you should be aware that primary colors like red, yellow or orange can work well for culinary promotion purposes.

Srong contrast between a page’s background and its text.
The best combination for readability is black text on white background, but there are also other excellent combination. Besides white, other effective web site background colors are dark blue, gray and black. The situation is not the same for product promotions. When the product is the center of attention, desaturated colors are recommended.

Select 3 different colors and use them consistently throughout the web site.
Chromatic harmony is one of the most important criteria in order to create a pleasant experience for the visitors. It is strongly recommended that a moderate number of colors should be employed; four or five is ok; more than that not only will they create inconsistency, by they will also cause an eye sore for the visitor making him skip important parts of the site.

Old vs. Young People
People of different ages have different reactions to colors. People past a certain age will find web sites with more sober and restrained (and therefore relaxing to the eye) colors more attractive. Youngsters, on the other hand, will appreciate more vivid and brighter colors. Make the distinction between mature and young audience by using the appropriate colors for each category.

This might be regarded as an ordinary factor, judging by the fact that with time people require visual correction. I found a comprehensive graphic on Age-Related Changes in Vision taken from a presentation by Robert W. Bailey, a PhD in computer psychology according to which the age comprised between 30 and 50 is the most probable for the apparition of visual impairments.

Colors and Their Most Common Meanings

Red: energy, passion, excitement, power; also implies aggression, danger.
Blue: coolness, spirituality, freedom, patience, loyalty, peace, trustworthiness; can also imply sadness, depression.
Yellow: light, optimism, happiness, brightness, joy.
Green: life, naturalness, restfulness, health, wealth, prosperity; in certain contexts, can imply decay, toxicity.
Orange: friendliness, warmth, approachability, energy, playfulness, courage.
Violet: wisdom, sophistication, celebration.
White: purity, cleanliness, youth, freshness, peace.
Black: power, elegance, secrecy, mystery.
Gray: security, maturity, reliability.
Pink: romance a feminine color.
Brown: comfort, strength, stability, credibility.