Why your call to action isn’t working
What is a call to action?
Click here! Buy it now! Learn more! A call to action (CTA) is a clickable element on a web page that elicits a response from the user, and brings them a step closer to the business owner’s goals. Usually in the form of a button, or a graphical element that resembles a button, the call to action exists to encourage the website user to make a purchase, or give away their contact details.
Why do I need a call to action?
The answer may seem obvious, but there’s actually a surprising number of business websites out there that don’t have a call to action. That’s right. They happily host page after page of copy about how good their products and services are, but never once directly invite their visitors to contact them, or interact with their on-site offers. It’s a sad fact that plenty of people believe that if a product or brochure, website—whatever—is good enough, you don’t need to tell your prospects what to do.
If you don’t ask…
This is a terrible waste of a valuable opportunity to increase your customer base and your sales. If these blinkered optimists would only take a quick look at the masses of research out there, they’d see that people respond positively to being told what to do in these situations. Failure to include a call to action all-to-often results in a higher bounce rate, poor interaction with your key content, and the big one—a lack of conversions.
Of course, even the most well-crafted call to action is liable to fail if the rest of the copy and design fail to draw attention to it, or build enough desirability into your offers, but that’s another article. For now, let’s concentrate on getting clicks.
Position
A common mistake I see all over the net, is the tendency to place the call to action ‘above the fold.’ For those who don’t know, the fold refers to a newspaper, and how content below the fold is hidden from view on the newsstand. On the net, this translates as the area visible without scrollng. Good news is, the internet isn’t made of paper, so forget about folds. We’ve been using browsers for over a decade, and we’ve learned how to scroll, thank you. Placing your CTA near the top of the page won’t get you more clicks. Place it after the copy which sells the benefits of your products and services, and you’ll see your click rate jump.
Shape, size & colour working together
In short, the bigger, the better. It may seem tacky, and it sometimes looks tacky, but all the evidence shows that bigger buttons get more clicks. Round or rectangular is common, but the traditional button shape statistically works best. Click-throughs are generally higher if the button has some kind of 3D feel to it though, so subtle shadows, gradients and bevels are a good idea. As for colour, contrast is the key. You want your CTA to dominate the user’s visual field when they reach it. Highly saturated colours are good, and a hover state to indicate that it’s clickable also improves conversions.
Active copy gets more clicks
One of the most important elements of your CTA is the copy. What words can you use to really encourage prospects to bite? Always use verbs. Active words that bring your specific benefits to mind such as “Get your free sample now” or “Learn how to juggle in 30 seconds.” In fact, the done-to-death “Click here to XYZ” is still very effective. People just like to be told what to do!
So head over to your website now, and make sure you’re getting the best response from an effective and direct call to action.
About seoblogger:
Our SEO blogger is an expert in Web Marketing, Usability and Interface Design. He has been a vital part of The Blue Cube Communications since 2003. As the West Midlands fastest growing web marketing agency, we always strive to maximise return on investment for our customers.
