Spindustry Blog

Improve Website Conversions by Using Calls-To-Action

Posted by JoAnn Seeman on June 25, 2014
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What's your Call to Action?You’ve worked hard to get people to your site, but what’s next? Use clear and compelling Calls-To-Action (CTAs) to gain inbound leads. If you’re not sure where to get started, we’ve outlined the steps to create great CTAs:

1. Define Audiences. Your website’s visitors will range from those who just learned about you to people ready to become customers to your existing customers – and your Call-to-Action buttons need to address those various audiences. If you haven’t already done so, take a few minutes to write down your different audience types and what information they need from you.

2. Write Offers. With your audiences in mind, make a list of specific offers that would address their specific needs. Think about the information you want to provide for them, as well as the questions they may be asking.

3. Create Buttons. Make your CTAs into buttons – not just text links – to make it very clear where people should click. Use a color and font that will stand out from the rest of your website and be eye-catching. Add compelling, concise wording – questions and challenges often work well. Make sure the button is big enough; HubSpot suggests around 225 pixels wide by 45 pixels high.

Here's an example of this size:
CTA Button Example

4. Prepare Next Steps. Review the landing pages where your CTAs link. Make sure the content fulfills the promise you made in your CTA. Similar wording on the CTA and the landing page helps people confirm they’re in the right place. For example, if your CTA offers “Download a spring planting prep checklist,” make sure your landing page uses similar wording and has the checklist available for download after they complete a form.

5. Review. Ask someone else to check out your CTA buttons and tell you what their expectation is when they click on the button. If they’re confused, your target audience will likely be confused too.

6. Place Buttons. Use your website analytics to determine the pages people view most often, and be sure to place a CTA button on all of those pages. Choose the CTA that’s most applicable to whichever audience is most likely to view that page. Place it “above the fold” (the visible part of the page that can be seen without scrolling) to make sure people see it even if they don’t read the entire page. It’s not always necessary, but sometimes it makes sense to give two options – for example, “Learn More” and “Buy Now” buttons.

7. Test & Refine. Use A/B testing to see what works best for each CTA. Run a test with two different variations and see which works better. Try varying your wording, the button’s colors, placement on the page and even the offer itself. Use tracking from tools like HubSpot or Google Analytics, and let the analytics data tell you what’s working best – and change your CTA buttons accordingly.

This process will help you improve conversions on your website through the use of CTAs. What other tips have you found work well for CTAs on your own site? Share your comments below.

Want a reminder of this list? Download our tip sheet, perfect for posting on your office wall.

Download CTA Tip Sheet

Topics: content marketing, business development