7 Proven Call to Action Buttons Missing from Your Website

You’ve got your website — professionally designed, professionally built. But what happens when people visit your site?

That’s where a call to action (CTA) comes into play. Traffic without movement creates limited value for a business website, but effective CTA can convert visitors into customers. For businesses, one of the best ways to visually communicate that CTA is through the use of a button.

On websites, buttons can come in many forms. In most cases, it’s a simple visual, usually with some text on it to communicate what the CTA  is. This text should be the trigger for the CTA, communicating an immediate message upon viewing. But what should that message be? Different CTAs apply based on circumstances and content. Here are seven proven CTA buttons to use throughout your website:

1. Read/Learn More from HubSpot

If you’ve enticed or teased the viewer with a headline, snippet, or quote, then the next step is to pull them deeper into your site. Using Read More or Learn More is an appropriate CTA in situations when you’ve used a short blurb to deliver your brand’s message. By taking the next step, the viewer can then learn the details that support the original statement.

 

2. Show Me from North Bridge Vending

Whether it’s a sample product or an example of a service completed, there’s almost always a way to entice users into clicking a Show Me button. For businesses, this is best used in conjunction with photos that demonstrate your quality and value proposition.

3. Download Now from HubSpot

One way to build a brand is to give away free downloadables, be they PDFs, podcasts, images, or other digital assets. A Download Now button prompts this action, and it’s not just a marketing gimmick. In many cases, people want the downloadable but may be confused as to how to actually get them. A simple Download Now button provides a strong CTA that’s as functional as it is enticing.

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4. Sign Up Now from Cyber School Platform

One of the most effective ways to build a customer database is to collect information via a sign-up form. In most cases, this is used for an email list. This CTA becomes particularly effective when the sign-up is incentivized with some value: free tips, downloadables, access, etc.

5. Schedule/Book Now from Vanderhoof Sports & Wellness

For businesses that take appointments for services, Schedule Now/Book Now may be the most important CTA button on a website. This can be used for both a general contact form and an integrated scheduling tool. Similarly, it can work on a general level or on individual specific services. Either way, it works as an entry point for customers to make their appointment.

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6. Social Like from Facebook

Social likes provide a gauge of popularity for a piece of content. Depending on platform, a social like may appear in a user’s feed as visible to the user’s network, exposing your content to a whole new audience.

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7. Social Share from Twitter

Social sharing, such as retweeting, is the main path for content to go viral. Once an item is shared, it becomes visible to the user’s entire network, opening the door for it to further propagate into more social shares. All of this can drive traffic back to your site, this delivering more clients.

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Maximize Your CTA Effectiveness

By selectively using buttons with specific call to action text, you can maximize your website’s conversion rates. Remember to tailor the button’s message to the specific offerings relevant to your business. Once you identify all of the potential ways you can deliver value to your audience, you’ll soon find that smart CTA usage can become one of the most effective marketing tools at your disposal.

Now that you know the 7 best call-to-actions to use on your website, download our free 50+ page guide on the 25 things every website needs to drive more traffic, leads, and sales.
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Marc Apple

Marc Apple

Digital Strategist

I like inbound marketing strategy, creative design, website development, analytics, and organic and paid search. That's what I write about.