According to a 2013 study auditing 200 small business websites, 70 percent failed to integrate clear CTAs, or calls to action, on their home pages.
Current data may tell a less disheartening story, but this seven-year-old figure only demonstrates that even marketing fundamentals like the CTA can go under the radar during the content development process and ultimately hinder your conversion rate.
Before getting into how you can improve your site with impactful CTAs, let’s quickly review their definition and utility.
What Is A CTA?
A CTA is a directive for readers to do something, whether that be to engage with a landing page listing on a search engine results page or fill out a form on your website.
Typically, CTAs will come into play as a prominent button, not unlike the one on PCG Digital’s homepage. Websites also integrate CTAs within anchor text or as part of other web design elements, such as images.
There are several case studies and data on the viability of each CTA method. According to Leighton Interactive, buttons earn the strongest click-through rate, followed by design and text.
Alongside picking your CTA element, the words you use to incite your desired action are crucial.
Three common examples of CTA copy:
- Shop Now
- Learn More
- Contact Us
What Is The Purpose Of CTAs?
Without clear instructions on how to proceed to the next step, your visitors either will not know how to capitalize on your services and leave, or they will become overwhelmed with their choices and leave.
The latter outcome is an all-too-common phenomenon that thought-leader Glenn Pasch warns dealership websites about in his insightful blog on how to optimize the digital retailing experience.
Neglecting to direct your users towards the next stage of the buyer’s journey with a CTA effectively nullifies all the blood, sweat, and tears you put into that deftly-crafted headline and enticing web copy.
Although capitalizing on a CTA is not as breezy as slapping a “CLICK HERE” button in the middle of the page, we outlined a few pointers worth following next time you seek to turbocharge your conversion rates.
4 Seriously Straightforward Things to Remember When Writing Your Next Call to Action
1. Use Action Words
Too often, I see buttons with no verb.
Even though it might seem abundantly clear readers would know when to press your button, telling them to take any action will greatly increase the probability of a conversion.
Many suggest sticking to power words, like “discover” and “kickstart,” to snag the reader’s attention, but even more subdued terms, like “try” and “get,” can seal the deal.
Want some examples of power words for inspiration? Here’s more than 400.
|
Our Inventory |
See Our Inventory |
👎 |
👍 |
2. Emphasize And Personalize The Benefits On The Horizon
Readers should not need to do mental gymnastics to realize how they will benefit by adhering to your CTA. By clarifying the value to come after they follow the designated action, you’re more likely to secure the conversion.
Ask yourself what the reader will get from trucking on. Savings? Insight on how to do something specific? A much-needed relief to their stressful problem?
| View Our Specials | Save On Your Next Car |
👎 |
👍 |
3. Bring First-Person Phrasing Into Play
Even though most web copy tends to talk at the reader, using first-person CTAs can escalate conversion rates. A simple A/B test conducted at Unbounce showed that changing the CTA from “create my account” to “create your account” resulted in a 24.95 percent worse conversion rate.
| Schedule Your Appointment | Schedule My Appointment |
👎 |
👍 |
4. Create A Sense Of Urgency
Utilizing FOMO, or “fear of missing out,” is another tried and true way to bolster conversion rates. Setting a timeframe both motivates us to act in the moment and plays into loss aversion, which asserts people would much rather avoid the pain of losing an opportunity in their grasp than seeking the pleasure of gaining one.
That’s not to say you should promote every product or service on your website as a once in a lifetime occasion. A 2014 study shows when readers perceive urgency as a cheap sales tactic, the strategy loses its legs.
Muted hints at urgency, like showing how much product you have in stock, often prove a workable middle-ground.
| Add to Cart | Add to Cart
2 Left In Stock |
👎 |
👍 |
Good CTAs Will Boost Your Conversion Rate
By mixing and matching these approaches into your CTA execution process, your website will advance towards optimal conversion rates and substantiate all the other efforts you put into growing your engagements.
Want to see other ways we at PCG Digital know how to bolster a website? Feel free to check out our case studies.