Creating a Strong “Call to Action”

Every website design should have a strong call to action, period. The objective is to get online visitors to complete something on your website, whether it’s placing an order, signing up for your newsletter, contacting you, or completing a survey, it’s the call to action that will get them there. Having a clear call to action on your site allows you to better measure the effectiveness of your site and is the foundation to a successful marketing campaign.

A Call to Action offers:

• A way to measure your site’s objectives
• To bring focus to your site
• A roadmap for your users

A Call to Action requires:

• An easy to use process
• Creative visual design
• Strong writing

 

Below are key areas that should be considered when developing your “Call to Action”:

1. Create a reason for an action - Give your visitors a reason why they should respond to your call to action. Explain the problem, present the solution, show the reward.

2. Location location location – Locate your call to action in a clear and open area. The better the location, the better the chances of the user using it. Usually the higher up on your site the better.

3. Make it pop – Location is one thing, but making your call to action pop makes it all the more apparent.

4. Make it big – Give it size and show it’s value. Size does effect the power of your call to action.

5. Give it space – Do not crowd your call to action with a bunch of text around it. Let your call to action stand by itself allowing your audience to easily find it.

6. Repetition – Add your call to action on as many pages of your website design as you can. With Google sending users to various pages on your site, it’s not always a guarantee that they will land on your home page.

7. Choose your words carefully – Clearly word what you want your visitor to do and add a sense of urgency to it. For example: “-Register- …This offer expires August 31st.”

8. Bonus – Not expected, but always a good option, would be to offer a “reward” for completing the call to action. It can be a give-away or gaining extra credits, whatever is relevant to you business.

9. Keep the process simple – Show your visitor that what you want them to do is a simple process that you have perfected for ease of use. People don’t want complicated processes.

10. Once you get them, don’t ask for too much – People are always reluctant to give away too much information, so only ask for what you absolutely need and nothing more.