06Aug

What Is A Call-To-Action?

A great website invites visitors to take action, and there is a simple way to easily direct visitors to the desired action you want them to take. It’s called a call-to-action, or CTA for short. And the action that you want them to take can be anything you want them to do, such as request a quote, sign up for your emails, RSVP to an event, and many more.

But getting started with creating CTAs for your website can be a bit of a challenge. You can’t just place large, bright “Click Here!” buttons on your website and anticipate leads to come rolling in. There is an art to creating a great, effective CTA that will actually entice people to take action. So, what makes up a great CTA? Below is a quick checklist of the key elements needed to create CTAs that convert.

  • Attention Grabbing Design: It doesn’t work if no one notices your CTA, right? To make it stand out from the rest of your website, think about using colors that contrast with your current design. For example, if your website has a lot of blue in it, try using some yellows and oranges to make your CTAs pop. But capturing their attention goes further than the color choices, they need to be large enough to get noticed. A recommended size would be 225px wide and 45px high. Below is an example of what an attention grabbing CTA may look like on your website. CTA Example: Learn More About Our Services
  • Make People Act: Simply saying “Submit” or “Click Here” isn’t going to be enough to get people to take action. CTAs should use actionable verbs to catch people’s attention. By not including a verb in the CTA, you aren’t prompting visitors to take an action. Here are some examples of actionable CTAs: CTA Button- Register for Demo DayCTA Button Download Your Summer Safety Guide
  • Provide a Clear Value: When someone clicks on your CTA they should know exactly what they are going to get. Are they about to download a free guide? Register for your dealership’s open house? Sign up for your newsletter? Telling them exactly what they are going to get after clicking leaves no room for questions. It also guides them to the next logical step in your sales process, so don’t be afraid to be very direct with your CTA wording.
  • Directs to a Specific Page:  The most effective CTAs direct people to a dedicated page within your website that delivers what they wanted. A CTA that says “Contact Us To Learn More About ___” should direct visitors to a contact us form on your website, and not take them to your new inventory pages. One that says “Request A Quote” should direct people to a request a quote form to fill out, and not direct them to your services page. Delivering what you say you’re going to deliver builds credibility and trust with your visitors.

Visitors need direction on what to do next, and CTAs are a clear, concise way to direct them to the next step in interacting with you. But they are only as effective as you make them. So use this checklist to get the most out of your CTAs, and start turning your website into a lead generating machine!

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COMMENT (1)
Actions Speak Louder Than Words, or Do They? | Commercial Web Services Blog / August 20, 2015

[…] know what a CTA is, you’ve selected a great contrasting color for the button to make it pop, and now you are stuck […]

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