Website Call-To-Actions
When you’re in business, failing to have a clear call-to-action (CTA) on the home page of your website, will mean you could miss out on new leads and converting them into sales. 
 
If you want to generate revenue, you’ll need to take the time to consider the best phrasing of your call-to-action. According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, a CTA is “something such as a speech, piece of writing, or act that encourages people to take action about a problem.” 
 
A poorly written CTA, or no CTA at all, will mean all of your hard work and the marketing that you’ve done to encourage shoppers to visit your website in the first place, has been wasted. Shockingly, up to 70% of small businesses are not using CTAs effectively. 
If you want your website to gain you new leads and sales, then learn what makes a successful CTA by reading it’seeze’s recommendations below. 
 

Why do CTAs work? 

As human beings, we are taught to follow instructions from birth and consumers have come to expect them. Your CTA on your website should instruct your reader about what to do and should motivate them to take action immediately. 
 

Why do CTAs work? 

The phrase you use in your CTA should appeal to your target audience with a few short words of instruction, like ‘register’, ‘book’, ‘click’ and ‘explore’. 
 

Increase the feeling of urgency 

Prompt your readers to take action. According to marketing experts, if you add the word ‘today’ and have a countdown timer it can increase conversions by as much as 147% because it increases the sense of urgency. 
 

Spell out the benefits of taking action 

When devising your CTA, aim to highlight the advantages of following the instruction. For example, use ‘Book your seat’ for reserving a seat at an event with limited numbers, ‘Claim your discount now’ for making a purchase of a special offer or ‘Download now’ to access a free guide, white paper or free content. 
 

Be personal 

The best CTAs are personalised according to a new study. A blog on Hubspot said personalised CTAs perform 202% better than basic CTAs. Try using phrases like ‘Grow your business by downloading our free guide’. 
 

How long should your CTA be 

There is no hard and fast rule as to how long a CTA should be, it depends on the context of your page. A strong CTA should generally be succinct and should have clear, concise directions on what you want your reader to do. 
 

Test and measure 

It’s a good idea to test and measure different types of CTA to see what works best on your website. It may also be a good idea to include two CTAs on a page with different desired effects, one at the top/middle and one at the bottom. That way you have a second opportunity of capturing a new lead, if a user ignores your first CTA. 
 

Nothing beats a button 

Using a button CTA instead of a link within the text is likely to increase your conversion rate by up to 45%  
Your CTA button needs to be very noticeable, so using a contrast colour and larger font for your CTA button is advisable. Also, red buttons are reported to work best 
Surrounding your CTA buttons with white space is also thought to ensure a better response by up to 232% 

Button up, middle or down? 

Where you place your CTA button on your website is open for discussion as some experts think it should be on the fold of your page, while others believe it should be at the bottom of your copy. We would advise you to give your visitors enough information to motivate them to click your button and this will depend on the context and visitor’s experience. It has been reported that placing two CTA buttons on a page can increase the conversion rate by about 300%. 
 
We would suggest you try different places for your buttons and different quantities, then check your data to analyse to discover which gets the best response on your own website. 
 

To summarise 

To gain the best results with your marketing and to gain maximum conversions, it is vital to include a CTA in your marketing campaigns. Effective CTAs engage your visitor and compel them to take the action you intended. 
 
If you are looking for more marketing tips to grow your business, read our other blogs. If you would like a smartly designed, fast-loading, secure website, get in touch with us today. 
 
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