Not sure about which colours go together?  Will the colours you have chosen portray the right image?

Colour can influence people in many ways, it can bring back memories and affect our mood. 
Choosing colours for a website is the same as choosing colours for your house.  You want to find colours that look good together, without making your eyes hurt or making you squint!

The Colour Wheel

Using a colour wheel can help you decide which colours go together. 

The primary colours are red, blue and yellow (you cannot make these colours by mixing other colours together).  Many websites are based around these 3 colours.

Secondary colours are made by mixing 2 primary colours,
e.g. red + blue = purple,  yellow + blue = green,  red + yellow = orange. 

Therefore these colours go well together.

Colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel, also work well, especially when you play around with the shades used.

Colour triads are colours taken from 3 points on the colour wheel (as if an equilateral triangle were placed on the wheel and the 3 points are the colours that go well together)

Complementary colours are colours that are opposite each other in the colour wheel.  These will give vivid colour combinations, good to use if you want something to stand out.

The Meaning of Colour

Colours mean different things to different people and cultures.  When using colour in business for the purpose of brand identity and logo design, the psychological trait of colours may help you decide on which colours to use.

Here are some general positive associations (these are not set in stone as different people and cultures associate colours in different ways):

Red - motivation, power, prosperity, love

Blue - trust, sincerity, calming, wisdom, confidence

Green - life, growth, health, prosperity

Orange - vigour, intelligence, creative

Black - dignity

White - purity, peaceful

Yellow - energy, warmth, happiness, logical

Purple - creative, wisdom

If you have already got a website, why not try using a tool that will take the colours of your site and give you a palette to work from, or generate colours themes, good for brand identity. (www.adobe.com/products/kuler)