Rebecca McComb | 22 Jul 2010

It is fair to say that everybody would like their website visitors to actually DO something rather than just come and go. It could be said that many website designers pay too much time focusing on the design, content and SEO aspects of their website, without much consideration of their visitors and how to attract and engage them.

A visitor to a website takes just a few short minutes to decide if they want to stay and explore, or leave and try an alternative website. A clear call-to-action supports a visitor in making this decision. Calls-to-action provide a focus to a website and if implemented correctly, give direction to visitors in carrying out what they ultimately want from a site.

To achieve an effective call-to-action there a number of techniques to adopt, as essentially the success of your website is directly related to how you make your visitors complete the action.

The positioning of a call-to-action button is critical in achieving an effective campaign and attracting the attention of the visitors who find their way to your website. An action button should be located either in the centre of your webpage or above the fold. Users appreciate simplicity, therefore guiding users through your website with a sequence of events rather than individual pages will be greatly respected. Visitors are more likely to follow the path you want, if you make the path obvious for them. The size of a call-to-action button is a significant aspect to SEO strategy; it should be larger in size in comparison to other elements of your website so that it stands out, this will attract visitor’s attention easily and quickly.

Before taking action, visitors want to understand what their needs or goals are and if they can be satisfied after taking this action. Therefore you need to surround your call-to-action button with persuasive surroundings. This serves as a huge ‘push’ factor to the users who are pondering the decision of taking the action. Examples of persuasive text are as follows, ‘free consultancy’, ‘free subscription’. In addition, persuasive text can be coupled with phrases that add urgency, such as ‘short time only’, ‘offer expires in…’ or ‘get….free when you register now’ this further entices users to take action.

A crucial part of a call-to-action strategy is the selection of words chosen to implement the action taken by users. Using the right words associated to your website will drive visitors to take action, using the wrong words can distract or ultimately cause visitors to leave your site. The button should tell users exactly what you want them to do, for example ‘buy’, ‘subscribe’, ‘discount’, this encourages users to take action.

A call-to-action button is necessary for an efficient SEO campaign, great content with a clear call to action is important to achieve successful results for your company. If you need assistance in implementing this action strategy on to your website, feel free to contact us at Eden Light Web Design Manchester.

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