As you build your website, you have so many questions in your mind. The most important question lies with the Call-To-Action or CTA in short. After all an optimized call-to-action is directly related to an improved conversion rate of your site. What size it should be, what colour, where do you place it and the query list never ends. As you have lots of hope for your visitors, therefore, your website should be able to direct your visitors to ‘what to do next’ very smoothly.
Call-to-action is a response you want your users to complete. But the obvious question is how do you encourage your users to act? It is simply through an effective call-to-action to achieve optimal success. Driving visitors through a website and down the conversion funnel is where you should invest your effort. Therefore, as an
Your call-to-action page is just like the start of a funnel that will direct your visitors only in one direction. You can give tons of navigation links in your main website but of course not in the CTA page. If you at all include links to other areas of your website, consider how to reduce the chance visitors will click on those links. Links should only be included if there are any authentic reasons as someone or the other would likely to click on those links.
Is the page simple enough to understand?
There is only one specific goal in a call-to-action page – to obtain visitors to perform a specific action. And the rest is superfluous if they are directly not contributing to achieve the goal. However, this does not mean the page has to be minimalist. What matters is the visitors trust in the page, their understanding of the content and their positive influence. Your site should make the value clear to them. Remember, visitors are only interested in how something benefits them and, not just the features it has. So, your page should tell them how you can benefit them and not simply what it does. A strong headline coupled with a renowned organization can automatically make the value apparent to the visitors.
Are the six variables of your page correct?
# 1. Button size
If the buttons on the page are noticeable, more people are likely to click on them. But that does not mean the page demands flashy buttons- the buttons should be large enough to be seen easily and does not get lost among other elements on your page.
# 2. Text
It is not just the button that is imperative, but the button text should clearly communicate the next step once the button is clicked- people shop with emotion and then follow it up with logic. For instance, for a less tech savvy consumer the phrase ‘buy now’ simply means, their credit card will be charged immediately once they click on the button. Similar is the phrase ‘Add to cart’ which contain no reference to the benefit consumers. The best alternative would be-
BUY NOW and SAVE on SHIPPING.
ADD TO CART- SAVE 10% today.
# 3. Position
Positioning every element of your website is crucial. So is the call-to-action page. Typically, it should be placed high on the page and in the central column. However, in some cases, a page, especially a sales page can convert better if your call-to-action page is positioned below the content to explicitly explain the offers.
# 4. Colour
Colours play an important role in your page. It is best to use contrasting colours so that the button and the area around it do not blend with the background. Most importantly, do not use the colour RED for your call-to-action button. Red is often associated with stop signs, stop lights, aggression or danger. Therefore, why on earth the designer should use this colour while inviting the visitors? Not only the colour but the white space around is significant to draw the attention of the visitors. The overall noise of the page should be in control to avoid call-to-action clutter.
# 5. Special effects
Make your call-to-action button performs better with graphical effects. It is very important to make the buttons and the texts interactive. Pay attention to small elements such as gradients, arrows, drop shadow, the shapes and the overall effects of the graphics.
# 5. Active language
Your page should clearly tell the visitors what you want them to do. Therefore, integrate some user-friendly terms such as
- Register
- Buy
- Donate
- Subscribe
- Call
- See plans and pricing
- Sign up
- Learn more
All these active words encourage the visitors to take an immediate action.
Are you asking for too much information and commitment?
Besides, it is equally important not to ask for too much information as well as too much commitment as that can take away your potential user away from a web page. It is human psychology –people react adversely to call-to-action page if it bombards them with information more than they can digest.
Moreover, do not force your visitors to extract something valuable whenever they visit your site. Rather, use several steps to funnel your visitors in the right direction. This can be more effective than trying them to immediately make a decision. As said earlier, the right phrase let the visitors know exactly what to expect next.
Wait! This is not the end of your responsibilities. Do not forget to test your pages. Therefore, run A/B or multivariate tests before reaching the final version of your page. Check the results and put up the page that converts the best.
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