A “Call to Action” (CTA) has a purpose and serves a variety of functions. A Call to Action button, is a button on a website that promotes an offer and links to a Landing Page. Its main purpose is to get a visitor on your website to do something (from downloading something, maybe adding a product to a shopping cart, requesting information, a free trial, a free eBook or signing up to a newsletter), it can turn a visitor on your website into a lead. The Call to Action can serve whatever purpose you wish it to. The goal of a Call to Action button is to get 1-2% of all visitors on your website to convert into a lead.
What makes a good Call to Action button?
When designing a Call to Action button it’s important to understand its purpose; how is it intended to be used, the aims wishing to be achieved and how to make it effective. Colour, language, scale and where the Call of Action is to be placed on-page should be factored into the design. Other factors which need considering during the design stage are the sequences within the Call to Action (having the right Landing Page and Thank You Page).
Call to Action Best Practices
- Make it action oriented
- Include keywords consistent with the offer landing page
- Make it attention grabbing
- Use strong and appropriate on-page placement
- Test changes and review the effectiveness of the button
Quick Contact
Make it Action Oriented
Don’t make it difficult for your visitor, just tell them what they need to do.
Include keywords consistent with the offer & landing page
Without using keywords it impossible for your visitor to understand what they are signing up for.
Make it attention grabbing
Your Call to Action needs to stand out, use negative space effectively. Make it attention grabbing.
When designing a Call to Action button make sure it stands out from the surrounding content. Use contrasting colours which compliment your website.
Use strong and appropriate on-page placement
When designing a Call to Action button make sure it stands out from the surrounding content. A Call to Action button that is too small will get lost within the content and a Call to Action button that is too large will dominate the content. A Call to Action button should appear as if it belongs to the relevant page and not forced. Calls to Action within a sidebar should be a general offer, making it most applicable to the widest variety of people using your website. A Call to Action button can be included in emails or at the end of paragraphs/sentences. I will be placing my Call to Action button at the end of this blog, it’s for a free eBook, I hope you sign up and find it of interest.
Test changes and review the effectiveness of the Call to Action button
Call to Action buttons have an effect on conversion. A successful Call to Action button gains a 1-2% click through rate. Aim for a 10% ‘clicks to submission goal’. If your Call of Action button isn’t gaining leads, make one small change at a time (such as the colour of the button, its placement or the font used) and review, has this change has an impact on click through rate? Wording of an offer should also be considered “Sign up for a Free Trial” is less dominate than” Free Trial”