A Call-To-Action, or CTA, is a button or link on your webpage, blog, email or digital ad that drives the user to take a desired action. They can generate leads, invite sharing on social media, encourage registration for an event, and even close a sale.
CTAs are so important that most marketers perform A/B testing to identify the best performing versions. Here are a few guidelines for writing CTAs to see what works best with your audience.
to identify the best performing versions. Here are a few guidelines for writing CTAs to see what works best with your audience.
Keep it brief, too many words may negatively impact conversion rates. Try to limit it to between two and five words.
Use action words to encourage, well…action. Words like Register, Download, Contact, and Buy tend to increase clicks.
Be all about the user and make it personal. Use text such as Grow your Business or Start my Free Trial to convey that you care about their problem and can help solve it.
Just like the buttons in your wardrobe, CTA buttons can come in all shapes and sizes. Font size, shape and color all matter when it comes to getting the most clicks. Whether it’s squared or rounded edges, green or purple, here are a few other factors to consider.
Visibility – Your CTA should stand out on the page, even if the reader is just skimming. You may have more than one button on the same page. Consider making your other buttons monochromatic, with your main CTA being the biggest and brightest. Giving it some space and reducing the visual clutter that surrounds it, using a 3-D effect, or adding visual cues such as an arrow or a shopping cart can make the CTA stand out.
Location – Depending on the natural flow of the web page, email or ad, the optimal placement of the CTA could vary – from sidebars and at the end of page, to within a pop-up or in the navigation bar. Try not to make the user backtrack in order to find it.
So what’s a good conversion rate on a CTA? Incorporate and test some of these suggestions to see if you get a lift…a good conversion rate is anything better than you had last month.
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