What is a call to action?

A “call to action” refers to active text that compels a user to take action.

Your website must provide a positive experience for users. When visitors first arrive at a website they ask themselves a few simple questions...

• What is this website about?
• What can I see or do here?
• How do I go about doing it?
• What do I do next?

... and if they cannot answer any one of these questions, the website has failed.

It’s important to recognize that most users visit a website with a specific purpose in mind. Successful websites have an unmistakable call to action that leaves no doubt about what users should do within the site.

So don’t make your customer think about what to do next. Your text should TELL THEM ! Your call to action should be very clear (ie contact us, phone today for more information, fill in our contact form, sign up for our newsletter, buy now, etc).

Your call to action is just as important as SEO

Don't obsess over search engine optimisation (SEO) to achieve a high ranking if you haven't got your call to action in order.

Lots of visitors and no conversions is not a recipe for success.

Your goal should NOT be to gain a top Google position, but to encourage people to visit your site and take a desired call to action. Your goal is to convert visitors into buyers not browsers.

Tips for your call to action

1st you need to set the scene

Before a user is willing to complete a call to action they have to understand the need.

Start by identifying the problem and then present your product/service that solves that problem.

Make sure you define the benefits of responding to your call to action. And make sure it is 100% obvious what will happen if the user reacts to that call to action.

You may need to sweeten the deal

Use action words to motivate a response. A call to action should clearly tell users what you want them to do.

The language you use to communicate with your user is important. It should be short and to the point. Start with an action verb like signup, buy, download, create, try etc.

You can encourage users to complete a call to action with urgent language and special deals. Give a deadline for a cheaper price, hand out a free gift with purchase etc.

Just don't let your users fall victim to the "I'll do it later" syndrome.

Colour and size does matter

Make your call to action obvious. It should look like the most important button or text.

Making it a larger button not only means it stands out but it also gives the user as much area as possible to click on.

Use a small number of distinct calls to action

Too many calls to action on a page and your user will become overwhelmed.

Limit the number of choices a user has to make on your site to reduce the amount of mental effort. You want to guide the user around your site step by step.

Don't let your user reach a dead-end

Every page of your site should have some form of call to action. It does not need to be the same for each page. Instead you can use smaller actions that lead the user towards your ultimate goal.

Want to know more?

Contact us today and we will help you get your call to action working hard on your website.

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