Calls to Action - What They Are and Why You Should Use Them

Think about all the times you've signed up for things in your life. When you downloaded an app, made a purchase online, signed up for an email newsletter, or even when you left a review for a product you bought or a restaurant you visited. Each one of these was likely to be a result of an effective call to action. 

 

If you hadn't been drawn in by the copy or design of the CTA, or been guided so effectively through your sign-up process, you would probably use a lot fewer apps and websites than you do now. 

 

Some of the places you will see these types of CTAs is at the end of a blog post, in the header of a website, at the end of a section of content on a web page, and on a pop-up box on a website. To be successful, these CTAs should be eye-catching and effectively communicate the value of clicking on it. Visitors should know exactly what to expect when they get to the landing page the CTA points to. 

A call to action can refer to any request that you make of a user on the site, so a CTA can take many forms depending on the context. It can be a closing statement in a blog post, a line in an email, or a CTA button on a website. Examples include:  

An effective call to action clearly communicates what the user can expect when they click on a button or take the next action, which can improve click-through rate. 

To be effective CTAs should be short and strong. Use a few key words to draw attention to what matters most, and make sure your CTA is relevant to your product or service, and clearly states the action you want your website visitor to take. If you're selling luxury goods, you might try 'Buy now' or 'Shop now'. If you're a restaurant, it could be something like 'Order online' or 'Call us now.' 

 

'Buy Now' is a good example of a strong CTA that we're all familiar with. Because we're used to seeing the word 'buy' on ecommerce sites it draws people in. We know what it means, and if we want the product, we don't hesitate to click on the 'Buy Now' button. 

 

'Download this ebook now' is another example of a strong CTA. The word 'download' is a little less familiar than 'buy', but it still works. It's clear what it does. People know why they'd download something. And using 'now' adds urgency to the CTA. 

Now you know what makes a good call to action, and why they are important for your website, we hope you are inspired to create your own CTAs for your website. And when you've done so, we would love to hear about your CTAs in the comments below.  

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