The changes you are making are being overridden by the css styles used for links. You need to chnage the link colurs in the stylesheet, not on the page. See which stylesheet the template uses and then look for the link styles.
They will typically be at the bottom of the stylesheet (I'm assuming it's an EW template you used) in a section commented as /*Link Styles*/
HTH
Ian
MS MVP Expression
http://www.ew-resource.co.uk
http://www.fp-resource.co.uk
Ian Haynes