Want more email subscribers? Conversions? Take a look at your website calls to action.
What is a call to action?
A call to action (CTA) is a statement designed to get an immediate response from your website’s visitors, a clear next step, usually in the form of a clickable button.
When people talk about CTA optimization, they focus on a few specific things: location, copy, and color. They will tell you to keep your CTAs above the fold or to use simple, action-oriented words. Take a look at your website’s CTA’s. Do you see “click here” and “download now”? If so, here are some simple but effective ways to make your CTA’s irresistible. Let’s go!
If you do nothing else, make sure to follow the following two tips:
Tip 1
Make the benefit of the content super clear by adding what your website visitor gets from clicking your call to action. For example, instead of saying “click here” use a phrase like “click here for your free white paper”.
Tip 2
Use action words to create a sense of urgency and encourage clicks. “Limited downloads,” “limited time,” and words such as “now” and “quickly” will increase the sense of urgency for your visitors.
***Pro Tip*** There are so (so, so, so) many studies about CTA button color. Some recommend orange, some green. We at the WanderWeb recommend picking a color that stands out. Make it big. Make it bold. And avoid grey, because it looks like it has already been clicked.
We know you’re busy. We are too! And we are all about making things easy and effective here at the WanderWeb.
So, here’s a list of our favorite CTA’s, exclusively for you.
“Get Started” is frequently used because it’s actionable and clearly suggests your viewer will move forward when they click. If you’re not sure what call to action to use “Get Started” is an excellent go-to.
Increase your visitor’s emotional connection to your offer. How? Use words like “your“, “me” or “my“. Which one would you click? “Download Ebook” OR “Download My Free Ebook!”.
“Schedule/Book a _______” If you’re a service-based business, it can be tough to get any real commitment from your potential customers until they’ve learned more. One good primary call to action for service-based business is “Schedule a (Visit/Consultation/Assessment).”
“Join _______“. Social proof is a big motivator – people want to do what others like them are doing (try wearing a tuxedo to a football game). It follows, then, that calls to action like “Join 151,321 brilliant marketers” can be very appealing to visitors. They feel like they’re becoming part of something exclusive, and will be missing out if they don’t covert
“Learn More” If your product needs a little more explaining, this invites visitors to get more detail about your product.
*** Pro Tip*** “Learn More” works well on popups, too. Since it’s hard to put an adequate amount of information on a popup, having a “Learn More” call to action for your visitors could push them to a page where they can get more details.
“Explore” and his BFF “Discover” are subtle ways to link viewers to landing or product pages, where they will find more information about your products.
“Now” call to action signifies (you guessed it) action. Psychologically, they push visitors out of indifference (because ignoring CTA’s is super easy to do) into a state of mind to convert…Now.
“Start/Stop” Words like “start” and “stop” are great for call to action. They work in a ton of contexts – for example, a gym might use “Start Changing Your Life” as an emotionally-driven CTA.
“Free” If your offer is free – think free trial, assessment, consultation, puppy- make sure it’s in your CTA buttons.
“Try for Free” If it applies to your business, it’s a good idea to get new potential customers in the door with a special promotion like a free class or trial. This call to action makes it clear to visitors what they’ll be getting – a free introduction to your service or product without any commitment. Use this CTA to generate leads, bring them in, and, if you’re as awesome as I think you are, your service or product will sell itself.
“Sign Up Free” is a direct call to action that sets expectations for your visitors, letting them know they’ll be able to start using service after creating an account. Adding “Free” to the CTA makes it clear they won’t need to pay at this point in your signup process, increasing your conversion rate.
“Join Free” Again with the free, you think. Well, having a free product or trial is a huge benefit and can dramatically improve the click-through rate of your calls to action. Netflix leverages this beautifully with its “Try Free for a Month” offering. And Netflix is a verb now. Just sayin’.
And who doesn’t love free stuff?
In conclusion, each call to action should be noticeable and provide value. Let visitors know exactly how to take action. That’s the whole point of your CTA. And if you would like us to take a look at your site and make some recommendations, send us a note. We’d love to!
