Use our CTA examples as guidance to get one of the most pivotal aspects of your website done right. We’ll cover everything from what a CTA (call-to-action) is to how to choose the right one based on the context of the page. We’ve also included ten of our favorite CTAs with strategies to implement them down below.
What Is A CTA?
Call-to-actions are traditionally presented as distinguishable buttons and prompt people along your sales funnel. Guide customers to where you want them to go, then present the immediate next step for a customer to pursue your product, service, or information. A CTA should always be short and to the point. Normally, call-to-actions are used to decrease lead generation time as customers are not left to find sequential steps on their own.
Why Use A Call-To-Action?
So, why do you need a call-to-action button? Well, you may have already convinced the person viewing your site with your stunning business promotional video, and now you need to push them over the edge. A call-to-action moves customers towards making a sale while minimizing the actual sales work a representative has to do.
In order to gain the benefits of a CTA, it will need to be more than just a piece of anchor text. Grab the attention of your customers and lead them on a journey that directs them to the pages they would value most on your website. Not only do you need to tell your audience what they should do next, but also why they should do it. Oftentimes the “why” in terms of a CTA is a great brand, product, or service. Stem your CTAs from what makes your brand significant and that’ll likely serve as the extra push of motivation that users need to become patrons.
Appropriate CTA Length
Often your call-to-action button is only a few words long and less than a sentence. It can be longer if you want, but keep in mind what we talked about earlier with other marketing elements such as taglines and videos: Shorter is better. A customer won’t read a whole dissertation on why they should take the plunge with your company. CTAs are most effective when used to respond to a projected elicit response a customer would likely have. For example, a site user who finds your site through a sales page is expecting to see the next steps to buy something from you. CTAs must respond to the consumer’s desire when trying to buy. If your call-to-action button becomes too long, it’s more of an informational blurb. There’s a place on your website for information, but it isn’t a CTA.
CTA Examples
The best way to explain a good call-to-action button is through CTA examples. Here are 10 of our favorites.
1. Learn More
This simple, but effective, call-to-action button is used widely throughout the web. Oftentimes it is used when a shocking or interesting fact about your product or service has been stated. Your customers will then be searching your page for more information on this fact until they see the obvious learn more button. From here, they’re only one click away from discovering more about your brand and one step closer to purchasing a product or service from you. This can also be used in conjunction with sales. Everyone loves a good sale, so more people will be tempted to “Learn More” about the products in the sale you are hosting.
2. Shop Now
Similar to “Learn More”, this CTA is simple and to the point. Instill a sense of immediacy to your customers by explaining that an action must be done now, not later or in a few days. Users are instructed to click instantaneously, rather than wait and contemplate their purchases. This can also be an effective call-to-action button to place after a sale is mentioned. Your customers will want to feed into their desires right away and jump on a sale when it is offered. “Shop Now” gives them the immediacy needed to motivate a sale.
3. Let’s Talk
A more casual alternative to “Contact” or “Contact Now”, “Let’s Talk” invites site users to converse with a business without seeming forceful. This CTA is open-ended, meaning that users researching general inquiries on a business have a direct line to get all of their questions answered. Most of the time, “Let’s Talk” will link to an appointment scheduler or contact page. Using a scheduler such as Calendly helps to further the CTA by providing instantaneous next steps for the user after clicking.
4. Buy Now
Similar to “Shop Now”, this CTA also elicits a sense of immediacy for the customer. “Buy Now” is normally used to provoke a response for a specific service or item. Normally, this CTA is used at the bottom of sales pages. Since customers should have already learned and identified with the products or services you offer prior to reaching the sales page, all that is left for the customer to do is make the sale through a “Buy Now” CTA. Users will have already read through your sales copy, and those who are immediately presented with a decision to buy will be much more likely to actually purchase.
5. Sign On
This phrasing can sometimes be more inviting than “Sign Up”. This is because it makes you feel like you’ve been offered something. You’re “signing on” to a team, or so it feels, rather than just “signing up” for another product or mailing list. The simple change from “sign up” to “sign on” adds a strange humanity to a simple call-to-action.
6. Download Now
“Download Now” is a great CTA to use when giving away free resources or software to site visitors. This call-to-action is not just for SaaS companies, any business that provides something external can make use of it. “Download Now” is especially effective in direct response campaigns where marketers seek to give, give, give, then ask. To give to a business audience, normally a published product of value is downloaded at no charge.
7. Try It Free
Everyone loves a genuinely free deal. Even if your trial period is short, having one and advertising it in a call-to-action button can be a great way to start gaining clients and momentum. Often, customers will jump on a trial period and stay with the site even after it ends. This is an easy and risk-free action for your customers to take that will likely pay off dividends in the long run.
8. Get Started
The “Get Started” CTA leaves little time to think. You’re immediately thrown into the world of the site you’re visiting and encouraged to start using the website. This can be appealing to users because there’s no option to say no. Customers know that if they click the button, they’re in for the long-haul. This can be an enticing motivator for both parties to create a lasting relationship with one another.
9. Install
Simple, easy, and straight-forward. With this one word, customers are alerted that the next step is right there waiting for them. There’s also not a weight of monetary compensation on their shoulders. It costs nothing to click the button and see what happens.
10. Find (blank)
Whether this is “Find Jobs”, “Find Information”, or any other variation, this CTA tells your customers exactly what they’re looking for. Lead users directly to what they’re looking for and they’ll be sure to associate your business well based on the value and time savings you provided. By pointing users in the right direction, there is still autonomy in the transaction as the user is the one “finding” the information.
Which Call-To-Action To Choose?
Don’t Settle For Just One CTA Example
With so many CTA examples out there, it can be hard to just choose one. Luckily, you don’t have to. In fact, you should have more than one CTA on your page. Make sure there’s a call-to-action on your homepage. Since this is the first page your customers see, they will want some direction on where to go next. Also, have more CTAs on each individual page to act like a map throughout your site. Make sure to always lead to your customer through a proven funnel that works well for your business. Strategically placed CTA’s will increase your chances of a website visitor clicking throughout your site. Naturally our eyes are drawn to the top left-hand side of the screen when visiting a site. Make sure to use this to your advantage.
Try to make CTAs a part of the design of your website. Have a compelling home page with CTAs incorporated into the mix. You want the CTAs to stand out and be inviting. Use call-to-actions that blend in with your color scheme, but are distinguishable from other page elements. Call-to-actions are not bright red stop signs, instead they are inviting yellow signs that tell you to slow down and come this way. Design your CTAs as focal points that your audience will want to gravitate towards.
