WEBSITE CALL TO ACTION

WEBSITE CALL TO ACTION

HOW TO CREATE A STRONG CALL-TO-ACTION

WHY A GREAT CALL-TO-ACTION MATTERS FOR YOUR WEBSITE

Converting website traffic into paying customers is the reason why you created your website, and including a bold call to action is an easy and convenient way to encourage users to purchase your product or service.

In fact, having a distinct call to action – whether it is a button, image, or a link – is crucial for lead generation and conversion. Without a superb call to action, you’re missing out on potential customers, and as a consequence, losing revenue.

Believe it or not, there are a few easy ways to optimize your website for conversions by implementing a proper call to action, so there really isn’t an excuse not to have one. If you’ve built a high-quality backlink profile and optimized your pages, you should be getting plenty of traffic. However, if your traffic isn’t converting as much as you’d like, it’s probably because you’re not taking advantage of a good looking and well-placed call to action.

Denver Digital Blog
CALL-TO-ACTION

THE PURPOSE OF A GREAT CALL TO ACTION

WHAT IS THE POINT OF A CALL TO ACTION, EXACTLY?

Calls to action direct users along the sales track towards your ultimate goal, whatever that may be. A call to action button encourages users to create an account, sign up for an email newsletter, start a trial, or purchase a commodity, just to name a few. There are thousands of different calls to action – ultimately, a call to action converts someone to perform an action or respond in some way.

The more options people have, the longer it takes them to make a decision. Nowadays especially, people are incredibly impatient – your goal is to decrease the amount of time one takes before deciding to sign up for your new program or purchase a product as much as you possibly can. Providing users with the least amount of options decreases the time it takes for them to make a decision, and increases their likelihood of converting.

Your conversion rate will be much higher if your landing page consists of just one bold call to action, as opposed to a bunch of clutter scattered around the page.

TYPES, PLACEMENT, AND DESIGN

There are many different types, but here are some of the most popular:

  • Info-gathering forms
  • Subscription sign up
  • Try it now
  • Free trial subscription
  • Social media share button
  • Contact us
  • Add to cart/buy button

The design and placement of your call to action will have a large impact on its effectiveness in terms of conversions. It is okay to have multiple call to action buttons on the same page, despite popular belief.

It is important, however, to make sure your calls to action don’t contradict one another. That is to say, your calls to action should not be competing for attention. Besides, the more call to action buttons you have, the higher the odds are of someone clicking on one of them.

Multiple eye tracking studies have shown that people tend to read web pages in a T shaped fashion. Take a look at the following web page, and pay particularly close attention to their call to action buttons:

One is placed along the top right-hand side of the page, and the other is towards the bottom middle. First, when someone glances across the top of the page, they notice the bold call to action in the top right-hand corner. Next, as they’re glancing down the middle, they see the same bold call to action, both of which encourage the user to try out their program.

Despite having two calls to action, they are not competing with one another, and the page is still simple, straightforward, and the information is easy to process. The page is well-designed to lead traffic down the sales funnel, to try out Hotjar’s service.

You should definitely be using design – more specifically, color – to your advantage. Different colors can be used to convey different emotions. Knowing which colors convey which emotions can be quite beneficial for lead generation.

HERE’S A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE SCIENCE OF COLOR AND EMOTION
  • Red: power, importance, youth
  • Orange: friendliness, energy, uniqueness
  • Yellow: Happiness, enthusiasm, antiquity
  • Green: Growth, stability, financial themes, environmental themes
  • Blue: Calm, safety, openness (lighter shades), reliability (darker shades)
  • Purple: Luxury, romance (lighter shades), mystery (darker shades)
  • Black: Power, edginess, sophistication
  • White: Cleanness, virtue, simplicity

You can use contrasting colors, also known as complementary colors, to emphasize your call to action in a visually appealing manner. A quick look at the color wheel accompanied by a discussion with your designer is a quick and easy way to choose a color scheme for your site and call to action button. Whatever color you choose, you need to make sure it is distinct and visually appealing. Users should feel compelled to click on the call to action.

Your call to action button should be well-defined, recognizable, and compelling. People have grown accustomed to many common calls to action, so you should try to make yours stand out somehow.

Your call to action should also be easily located on a page. Make sure there is some space between your call to action and the rest of the elements on the page; using white space (negative space) is a great way to set your call to action apart from the rest of your page so that users’ eyes are naturally drawn to it

Notice the stark contrast of the call to action button and other elements on the page, in addition to the negative space surrounding the call to action button. Moreover, they have a call to action in the top right corner of the page, and another call to action in the bottom middle, just like in the previous example. Evidently, they are optimizing the placement of their calls to action based on people’s tendency to read in a T-shaped fashion.

THERE ARE A FEW EXTRA THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BOOST CONVERSIONS EVEN FURTHER. HERE THEY ARE:

Color, Typeface, and Images: The Three Musketeers

When used properly in conjunction, color, typeface, and the right high-quality images can skyrocket conversions. This email newsletter call to action window does everything right – its typeface is attractive, it uses whitespace and contrasting colors properly, and there is a high-quality image of a woman looking back at the user, which helps to build trust and rapport.

Be clear and concise

Simply changing one word in your call to action can make a world of difference. In order to compel your site traffic to take action, your call to action must be clear as to exactly what you want them to do.

If a user is on your site reading about a free online seminar you’re offering, the call to action should obviously offer a free online seminar. Likewise, if the user is reading about buying acorns, your call to action button should make it clear that the user will receive acorns if they click on it. Whatever it is that you’re offering or selling, your call to action button must clearly reflect it.

Use Action Words, Not Passive Words

You should use words such as Buy, Learn, Subscribe, Try, etc. as opposed to passive verbs that don’t encourage your users to take ACTION. People are more likely to click your call to action when they are compelled to do so after reading action words. On the other hand, if you use passive language, you’re missing out on potential conversions.

PRO TIP: DEMONSTRATE VALUE

Your users should get something from clicking your call to action button; otherwise, they wouldn’t be giving you their time in the first place. Your call to action button should demonstrate value – whether you’re offering a free class, subscription, or trial, you have to give the user something in return for clicking your call to action.

By following these simple tips and harnessing the power of a well-design and thoughtfully placed call to action, you’ll significantly increase your conversions.  

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Voted Denver’s Best Digital Marketing Agency in 2018 & 2019