How to Review an Existing Website’s Color Scheme | What to Check First
When reviewing the colors on an existing website, there is no need to start by searching for a new palette. First ask whether visitors can read the information they need, find important actions, and recognize different interface states. Identifying specific problems before changing colors helps preserve the combinations that already work.
Check the page’s purpose and three types of problems first
Choose a representative page and identify what visitors are supposed to accomplish. On a repair-request website, for example, someone needs to understand the service and reach the request form. Follow that journey and examine these three areas:
- Readable information: Review small supporting text, dates, and form labels as well as main body copy. Check each text color against the background actually behind it.
- Visible actions: Can visitors find the request or submit button? Can they distinguish its label from the button background?
- Recognizable controls and states: Inspect input field boundaries, selected options, and error messages. Where color alone indicates a state, add words, shapes, or another visible cue.
Also note whether elements serving the same purpose use inconsistent colors, and whether a brand color is authorized to change. This is different from simply counting the colors in the source files: the aim is to find where the real interface makes reading or navigation difficult.
Example: assess the colors on a repair-request website
Consider a fictional website where visitors submit home appliance repair requests. HEX (hexadecimal) notation uses base-16 digits to represent red, green, and blue color components. Review the colors that actually sit next to one another before recommending replacements.
| What to check | Current and adjacent colors | Contrast ratio | Possible next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small repair instructions | Text #8795A3 / background #F7FAFC | 2.92:1 | Change the text to #314454 for 9.61:1 |
| Submit button | Background #56A5A0 / white text #FFFFFF | 2.88:1 | Change the background to #16645B for 6.98:1 |
| Input field outline | Border #CED6DA / white input surface #FFFFFF | 1.47:1 | Use a border such as #526B79 for 5.62:1 |
| FAQ (frequently asked questions) heading | Text #314454 / white card #FFFFFF | 10.07:1 | Keep it if there is no other problem |
A contrast ratio measures the difference in relative brightness between two colors. WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) generally requires at least 4.5:1 for normal-sized text and 3:1 for large text. If a field outline is necessary to identify an interactive control, its non-text visual information generally requires at least 3:1 against adjacent colors, with applicable exceptions. The figures above are calculated for the stated fully opaque pairs; if a different background appears in the real layout, calculate the contrast again.
Test the most important fixes and review the results
Start with text that cannot be read easily and controls that are difficult to identify. Then look at primary actions, followed by decorative details and the overall visual impression. Adjust the order if the site’s real user journey reveals a more urgent problem. Record each issue, where it occurs, and the reason for the proposed change. Test small changes on representative pages before applying them across the site.
Check mobile views as well as the default desktop state. Include hover (when a pointer rests on an element), focus (when an element is the target of keyboard or similar interaction), and error or completion messages. Leave colors that work well in place, and consider adding labels or explanations whenever color by itself fails to communicate meaning.
The first goal of a color review is to identify which page, element, and surrounding background create a problem. Once that is clear, future changes can be limited to the places that genuinely need improvement.