A call to action is exactly that. Something written on your website that tells someone the action they need to take next.
Typically, a call to action is the button you see with text written on it.
Call now
Book a free call
Schedule a call
Buy now
Shop the range now
Book your appointment
Download today
Why do you need to guide people through your website?
You need to guide people because you know the way! They don’t. You’re the guide. Your job is to transform the person with a problem into the hero of their story.
Imagine what would have happened if Haymitch said to Katniss (Hunger Games movie) … “oh, just fight them!” Blood bath.
We’d be without a whole host of Yoda memes if he didn’t give Luke Skywalker actions to take.
You know what people need to do on your website to engage with you. Tell them. Don’t leave them hanging.
How many calls to action should I have on my webpage?
Use call to actions to lead people on a guided journey through your website.
You may have different calls to action buttons on different pages, calling them to take the next action step to engage with you.
But try to only have one call to action per page.
But there are a couple of exceptions (of course!)
- When you’re giving people to option to download a free resource and go onto your mailing list (your opt in). It’s okay to have this call to action in addition to your other ONE call to action.
- When you’re highlighting your services or product categories on a page and you want them to click through from that point.
How to write a call to action that people act on
A call to action that people act on has two parts: an introduction and the call to action.
The introduction sentence is the transformation or success they want to achieve.
The call to action is what they need to do to achieve this.
Here’s an example …
I own a Personal Trainer studio.
When people read my website home page or blog and see that I can help them solve their problem I want them to book an appointment to have an assessment and join my subscription home-gym experience so they can exercise from home and still meet their fitness goals.
The goal of my website is to increase my home-gym subscription clients so I have less free appointments.
My call to action is
- (introduction sentence) Meet your fitness goals when you can’t get to the gym
- (action they need to take) Book an online assessment today.
- And the button links through to the booking page
How to format your call to action button for most clicks
- Green and orange buttons generally out-perform buttons of other colours
- Not in your colour scheme (or totally clashing?!) – use a vibrant contrasting colour from your visual branding plan
- Test button shapes. Does rounded corners work better than square for your clients? Rounded are often considered more feminine (go figure), so can often perform better in the wellness space
- Make sure your call to action button is large enough to be read!
- Make sure there’s plenty of space around your button so it really stands out
What to do next with your call to action button.
Put on the kettle and grab a cuppa.
While you’re drinking it sit down with your website and look at your call to actions. How many do you have on each page? Are you giving your clients too many choice? How can you rewrite the calls to action to make sure they take the focused step you want them to take?
Want your website to get more clients to take action and call you? Let’s talk