Several factors determine the success of a website. And the key to success is not necessarily where we expect it. Of course, you need a trend-setting design, a smooth browsing experience, interesting content and good quality visuals (so far nothing new), but what’s critical for your small business, these are your call to action buttons- also called CTAs for Call-To-Action.
A small square composed of 3 or 4 words is what capsizes the hearts of Internet users. You have only one goal: to get your visitors to click on it. Your conversion rate is based on his shoulders (or rather his angles). This is to say the importance of this simple element. So we decided to dedicate an entire article: what exactly are these buttons? How to create effective CTAs? They alone have the power to turn your visitors into customers, they deserve to be given a few minutes. So grab a notebook and a pencil (or a mouse and a keyboard) and take note of what will follow.
What is a call to action buttons or CTA?
A call to action buttons is a link or image that prompts the user to engage in specific manipulation. For example, the “Click here”, “Enter the draw”, “Registration”, “Add to cart” buttons are classic calls to action. In other words, CTA tells your visitors what to do on your site.
All your content is oriented to allow your visitors to achieve a specific action, your calls to action are the stage of realization. That’s why they are so important to your online business. An effective CTA allows you to increase your sales or your number of subscribers for example. How to create a call to action button that converts? Here is the million question to which we respond in the rest of this article.
You may also like to read: 15 Tips how to improve the UX or user experience for your website?
How to become a call to action buttons pro?
Set goals
Before asking your visitors to take action on your site, you need to know what your goals are: Do you want to sell your products or have new subscribers to your blog? The first question to ask yourself is: what is your site for? The answer will determine how you will use the call to action buttons.
Take the example of a sports coach, if you have a site to make reservations online and your goal is to fill your agenda, your CTA should be “Book a session”. If your site is only a showcase to discover your new method, your CTA can simply be “Discover my method”.
In some cases, you want your visitors to perform several actions on your site, say buy your product and like your Facebook page. Be careful, a button has only one goal. Therefore, “Buy and Register” is to be avoided. For different actions, it will simply create different CTAs. In addition, to make it as clear as possible for Internet users, rank your buttons in order of priority. On your product page, promote the “Buy” button and on your homepage, highlight the “Register” button. The goal is to simply organize your site and allow your visitors to get right to the point.
Know the needs of your market
There is one main rule in marketing: you have to put yourself in the shoes of the consumers. Ask yourself what they are looking for when coming to your site and how to address them in the best way. Before getting into the thick of it, start with a research phase. Establish the typical profile of your client, this will allow you to know where to place your buttons to be effective and what tone to use to talk to your target market. Do not forget to check out other sites in your field of activity, it is always good to know what is happening in the competition.
Create visible buttons
Of course, for your visitors to click on your call to action buttons, they must find it at the first glance. Your CTAs must be visible while staying aligned with your design and branding. Place them in strategic places and make them visually distinct from the rest of your site.
Color Palette:
Choose a combination that allows your call to action buttons to stand out, but stay tuned to the tones of your site (to make sure you do not go wrong, take a look at our guide to color theory). Avoid flashy tones that will not please your visitors and divert them from the rest of your content. In addition, when choosing your colors, think of the emotions associated with each one.
Size:
Give your calls to action the right proportions. The size and text of your CTA must be in keeping with the role it plays in your page. The idea is to spot it at first glance and understand that this is the place to click. But once again, you have to be moderate. Buttons that make half of your page will not be more effective, on the contrary, it may frustrate your visitors more than anything else.
Location:
The place where you put your CTA determines its effectiveness. To be visible, it must be in a ventilated space: move it slightly away from the rest of your content and do not place other buttons nearby. To find out what is the best location, ask yourself what makes sense to your visitors. There is no rule that CTAs are more effective if they are at the beginning or end of the page. They simply have to be in a strategic place, often after a short text whose role is to prepare the ground. Pick your visitors when they are ready.
Short
This is not the time to write long paragraphs to extol the benefits of your product. The call-to-action goals are short and straight to the point. They describe an action in the easiest way possible: “Download the document”, “Register for a free trial”, “Buy the product”, “Get 50% off”, “Reserve your place”, etc.
It may sound a bit rough, but remember that your CTAs are part of a whole. They are only the final step in a long process. The design of your site, its layout, the visuals and your content are there to put in the condition your visitors and to provide them the necessary motivation. The role of the call-to-action buttons is to give the final impetus.
Encourage action
The goal is to persuade the customer to commit. Therefore, it is essential that your calls be persuasive. Use verbs in the infinitive or the second person of the plural: “Click” or “Click”. A clear and unambiguous invitation increases users’ confidence and encourages them to complete the required task more easily.
Create urgency
A little encouragement cannot hurt. A useful tip is to create an emergency using terms like “Now” or “Today”. Of course, it is not a question of forcing the hand of the Net surfers but simply of making them make a quick decision so as not to fall into oblivion. You can also use subtler formulations such as “Enjoy the promotion of the day”.
Be precise
When you ask your visitors to do something for you (if you do not click a button), you have to give them something in return. With the number of information and offers found on the Net, Internet users think twice before making their decision. That’s why, by clicking on your button, they need to know what they are for and what benefits they derive from it.
Do not neglect the rest of the site
This article focuses on creating a call to action buttons. But as Tic cannot do without Tac, your CTAs are nothing without the rest of your site. The whole environment contributes to the success of a good button. Each element must lead your visitors to perform this action.
In concrete terms, this means that your layout must be done in such a way that your client comes naturally to your button when he or she crawls your page. In addition, there must be enough free space around your CTA to avoid distracting visitors from their mission: click this button.
But everything is not played in the design, the content also has its share of the work. He must answer questions and reduce visitors’ fears so that they feel confident to achieve the desired action. To reach your goals, nothing must be left to chance.
Do tests
It is obvious that no definite linguistic choice can appeal to all the clientele. It is therefore important to vary the vocabulary used to understand what works best for your target. The first person singular (I benefit) will get better results in some cases than the second person in the plural (Buy). If you are speaking to a young audience, the familiarity could do the trick (subscribe) while if your target is older it might be wise to use the infinitive (register). Test the uppercase letters for their impact and the lowercase letters for their charm. Nothing is engraved in stone. You have to experiment and find out the best terms.
The same goes for colors: your choice will play a significant role in your click-through rate. Try different colors and discover the ones that “convert” your customers with the most efficiency.
Follow the results
Naturally, if you make changes to the design or content of your call to action buttons, you will want to test the effectiveness of different variations. Remember to make slight changes every 3 weeks (approximately) and compare the results. Check how many clicks each button type gets compared to the previous ones, and finally choose the right CTA for your target.
Ready to create your own calls to action? Start by making a great website for your online career!
Tags: call to action, call to action buttons, create a call to action buttons
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