Just like traditional media, a call-to-action (CTA) is an integral part of digital marketing—guiding potential customers down the sales funnel and increasing your organization’s revenue. This is especially true in today’s market where websites are viewed as necessities and are an extension of your traditional marketing collateral. Websites are no longer just nice to have, they’re a must-have if you want to foster growth and sustain success.
Why is it Important to Have a Strong Call-to-Action?
A successful CTA should promote a quality experience for the user, allowing the user to easily navigate through the site to find what they need quickly. Don’t make users guess what to do next or where to go, give them the answer in a brightly colored button and guide them to the next phase. Website users like to be told what to do, they like a bit of direction. What better way to do that than with a strong CTA?
More importantly, lead generation mechanisms (i.e. newsletter sign-ups, phone calls, form submissions, etc.) and revenue all depend on a strong CTA. There are tons of ways to use a CTA when wanting a user to take action.
Some common types of CTAs include:
- Buy Now/Add to Cart
- Signup Now (subscriptions or newsletters)
- Read More
- Learn More
- Try it Now (free trials or downloads)
- Schedule an Appointment
- Contact Us (form)
- Call Now (hyperlink to call directly from computer or phone)
Where Should CTAs Go on a Webpage?
- Website header
- Website footer
- Pop-ups and slide-ins
- Sidebars or panels
- Product or service pages
- End of the page, article, blog post
- In advertisements (social ads, search ads, display ads, etc.)
Effective Call-to-Actions
Example 1
The backstory: This particular client wanted to focus on getting potential customers to book an appointment. He knew that if he could get users to his website it meant that they were already interested in working with him. Having the CTA right away in the header nudges visitors to “schedule an appointment today,” pushing users further down the sales funnel.
Note: When thinking about where to place your CTA, consider how users will view the placement on both desktop and mobile devices.
Example 2
The Backstory: This particular CTA uses a full section on the homepage right above the footer. According to crazyegg.com, a user will only stick around on a website for about 15 seconds before bouncing to another site if they aren’t intrigued by the content. If the user makes it to the bottom of the page, chances are they are at least skimming the site as a whole, so why not throw in one more CTA at the bottom of the page? In this example, we did it in a colorful way and used color contrast to our advantage, telling the user to “Contact Us Today” for a free consultation.
Does Your Website Have a Clear Call-to-Action?
Whether you’re using your CTA to guide users to other pages of the website such as a contact form, or gently steering them to the check out page—every CTA should be clear, concise and drive the user to take action! This is your opportunity to motivate users to complete a transaction or push them further down the sales funnel to convert at a later time. So, the next time you’re refreshing your website or embarking upon a complete website redesign, take the time to think strategically about what actions you want your visitors to take.
Read our website design case study, ‘Popular Consignment Boutique Website Creation’ to discover how a modern website can take your business to the next level.