A few years ago, Go-Globe surveyed web design trends among Fortune 500 companies and concluded that only 47% of websites have a clear call-to-action button that takes users 3 seconds or less to see.
Call-to-action (CTA) buttons are critical for your landing pages and website. They guide visitors towards the goal of the page – which can be signing up for your newsletter, trying your product in a free trial, or making a purchase.
CTA buttons can take on different shapes depending on the style of your website and the goals of the page in question. But all CTA buttons have one thing in common – they're here to get your visitors clicking and completing a conversion on your page.
Here are 7 tips to help you create CTA buttons that get clicked and bring you more conversions than ever.
1. Define the action you want your visitors to take
Your first step should be defining what type of action you'll like consumers to take on the page. Do you want them to download a file? Perhaps they need to fill out a form first? Or maybe you're trying to persuade them to make a purchase?
One of the most successful tactics is offering a free trial. According to Neil Patel, this trick can boost your conversions by 328%.
If you're designing a CTA button for a website, chances are that not all visitors will be willing to perform the same action. That's why you should include a well-crafted secondary CTA. For example, most e-commerce websites feature the classic Add to Basket button. But you'll often spot alternative buttons like Add to List.
If you look at their design, secondary CTAs are less prominent or eye-catching than primary CTAs. Having an alternative action is always a good idea, even if most of your visitors decide to take your ideal action.
2. Craft your CTA button copy
Now that you know what kind of action you'd like consumers to take on your page, you can start writing your copy. Crafting a great copy for your CTA button is a critical step to boosting its click-through rate. Have a look at job boards like Gumtree to find a copywriter who specializes in writing copy for landing pages, preferably in your niche.
The keyword for your CTA is action, so pick an active verb that inspires action.
Here are some examples:
- Start
- Get
- Try
- Download
- Buy
- Join
- Learn
- Contact
Get is a very common voice among marketers. It's universal, short, and can mean many different things depending on the context.
Remember to keep your copy short and sweet. Experts suggest that 3 to 5 words work best. Make sure not to include more than 7 words on your CTA.
3. Create a sense of urgency
Peep Laja managed to increase conversions by 332% using scarcity and urgency. It's smart to use both in your copy. These are some of the most powerful drivers of action. Since people are used to instantly gratifying their needs, adding a sense of urgency to your CTA button message is a smart move.
That's why many CTAs include words like:
- Instantly
- Immediately
- Now
- Today
Urgency helps other aspects of your CTA work more efficiently. Use these timing words and you'll create a sense of urgency that will boost your conversion rate.
4. Don't forget about legibility
You need to make sure that your CTA button is large enough for the text to be read easily. But you need to balance it all out. If you feature a very large text on your button, it will look intimidating or obnoxious.
Either way, it won't help your case because visitors won't be interested to discover what's hidden behind your button.
5. Make it large and bright
Most visitors will spend just a little time on your website. Your CTA button should be one of the first things that attracts their eye. Make sure that the entire design of the page leads to your CTA. It can be through tunnel vision techniques, or other visual cues. The point is to make your button as visible as possible.
How to check whether your button is visible on your page? Open your website and then look at it cross-eyed. If you can't see what's the primary action of the page and which element stands out, you need to make some changes to your design.
6. Choose the right color
When choosing the color, your first move would be to choose a bold one like orange or red. These are CTA classics. However, you'll also need to pick one that fits the design of your page and assists you in meeting your goals.
For example, if you're asking your visitors to sign up for your newsletter, a blue button which inspires trust will work much better than an orange one.
Create two variants and conduct some A/B testing to choose the best button that converts your target audience.
7. Pick the right spot
The success of your CTA button depends on the design of the entire page. Make sure that every single element on your page points to the CTA. One thing is clear – you should never place your CTA in a dark or insignificant corner of your page.
Above or below the fold? Experts have varying opinions. However, most of the time, you'll read that above the fold is the best solution for placement. And this seems to be a common practice.
Neil Patel argues that placing your CTA button above the fold decreases conversions by 17% because users prefer to learn about the offer first before clicking on the CTA. It doesn't matter whether you place your CTA button on the right or left side of your page (or below the fold).
The key is to declutter your page. Don't be afraid of the whitespace. You need to create as few distractions as possible. The simpler your design is, the more clickable your CTA button will be.
Designing a clickable CTA button requires a combination of creativity and insights from testing. Follow these steps to create CTA buttons which guarantee plenty of conversions and get your customers to take the actions you want.
