You’ve probably heard the saying, “You only have one chance to make a first impression.” The same is true for your website. If you want people to take action—whether it’s signing up for your email list, buying your product, or simply reading more of your content—you need an effective call to action (CTA).
Here’s what you need to know about crafting an effective call-to-action, plus some examples to help you get started.
What is a Call-to-Action?
A call-to-action (CTA) is a statement or button on a website that encourages visitors to take some desired action. CTAs can be as simple as “Sign up for our newsletter” or “Buy now.” The best CTAs are specific, actionable, and relevant to the page they’re on. They stand out from the rest of the content and make it easy for visitors to know what they should do next, web designers & developer do this by using accent colors and styles to “pull out” the importance of that button or link within an area of website copy. The users eye should pause at this button, or easily be able to find it to continue their search in what they are looking for.
Why are Call-to-Actions Important?
CTAs are important because they help guide visitors through your website and encourage them to take the actions you want them to take. Website users don’t know what we as business owners want them to do, so using CTA’s help guide them through the customer journey to where they should be, and where we’d like them to be within the website journey.
For example, if you have a blog post about the benefits of meditation, you might include a CTA at the end that encourages readers to sign up for your email list so they can get more tips on starting a meditation practice. Including a CTA helps to increase conversions—that is, the number of people who take the desired action. And more conversions mean more leads, sales, and customers for your business.
Did you know, that 90% of visitors who read your headlines also read your CTA Copy.
How to Write an Effective Call-to-Action
Now that you know why CTAs are important, let’s look at how to write an effective one. Here are some tips:
1. Be clear and concise
Your CTA should be short, sweet, and to the point. It should be easy to understand and not require a lot of thought to figure out what you want visitors to do.
2. Use strong action words
Use persuasive language that encourages visitors to take action. Some examples of strong action words include:
Sign up
Subscribe
Download
Buy now
Get started
3. Make it relevant to the page
Your CTA should be relevant to the page it’s on. For example, if you’re writing a blog post about meditation, your CTA might be to sign up for your email list so you can get more tips on starting a meditation practice.
4. Use persuasive design
The design of your CTA should be eye-catching and stand out from the rest of the content on the page. Use colors, shapes, and sizes that contrast with the rest of the page so that your CTA is impossible to miss.
5. Test, test, test
Finally, don’t forget to test different versions of your CTA to see what works best. Try different words, design elements, and placements on the page to see what gets the most clicks. Then, stick with the version that performs the best.
Examples of Effective Call-to-Actions
Now that you know how to write an effective CTA, let’s look at some examples.
1. “Sign up for our newsletter”
This is a simple, yet effective CTA that can be used on any page of your website. It’s clear and concise, and it uses a strong action word to encourage visitors to take the desired action.
2. “Download our free eBook”
This CTA is effective because it’s relevant to the page it’s on—a blog post about the benefits of meditation—and it’s impossible to miss thanks to its bright design.
3. “Get started with meditation”
This is another example of an effective CTA that’s relevant to the page it’s on. It’s also easy to understand and uses persuasive language to encourage visitors to take action.
4. “Buy now”
This CTA is effective because it’s clear, concise, and to the point. It’s also easy to understand and uses a strong action word to encourage visitors to take the desired action.
5. “Subscribe to our email list”
This CTA is effective because it’s clear, concise, and relevant to the page it’s on—a blog post about the benefits of meditation. It’s also easy to understand and uses a strong action word to encourage visitors to subscribe.
These are just a few examples of effective CTAs. The sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can include in your CTA, so get creative and experiment until you find something that works for your business.
The Bottom Line
Call-to-actions are important because they help guide visitors through your website and encourage them to take the actions you want them to take. When writing a CTA, be clear and concise, use strong action words, make it relevant to the page it’s on, use persuasive design, and test different versions to see what works best.
What are your tips for writing an effective CTA? Share them in the comments below or send us a message!
