Lead Your Web Visitors By the Hand with a Clear Call To Action
Never leave them wondering!
Your business is not a part of some top-secret society. If you’re selling purses, of course you should ask people to buy purses. Still, a surprising number of websites forget to include a specific Call To Action.
It doesn’t matter whether you are soliciting donations, building readership, or selling a product or service – you have some type of goal in mind, an action you want visitors on your website to perform. Make your intentions clear by building effective Calls To Action into your site using the right text combined with appropriate design elements that will guide people along the path toward the specific action you desire.
Obviously, it’s a good idea before you launch a site to make sure that you have clear cues set up for visitors, but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t continually go back and reevaluate the Call To Action on your web pages. Check that your “ask” is well-defined and that people understand and respond to the cues you’re giving them. If you aren’t getting the responses you expect, it’s time for some tweaking.
As tempted as you might be, don't bother being too clever or too subtle. Tell them exactly what you want them to sign up for, click on, or buy. If you ask them to make a decision and they choose “no,” provide a follow-up choice that requires less commitment. If they aren’t ready to buy, ask if they want to learn more. If they won’t schedule an appointment, ask to set up a reminder.
When people complain that they can’t make sales from their website, one of the first things we look at is their CTA. An astonishing number of sites feature long descriptions of all the services or products they offer, but they never actually ask for the sale. As they say, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” so take that shot! Make sure that Call To Action is clear and enticing.
The Sprocket Websites team can help you formulate better CTAs based on search terms, website analytics, and other technical tools. Just give us a call to get started. (See what I did there? Ended this post with a Call To Action!”)
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
This article is an update to “Does Your Website Have a Clear Call to Action?” dated 2/12/2014.
Breanne Bannon
Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.
Other posts by Breanne Bannon