A Call To Action (CTA) is a way to get your reader to complete a task or reach a business goal on your website.
It might be as simple as a hyperlink or it could be an embedded form that you want them to fill in.
The words you use and the placement of the content will all influence whether you get the results you want.
Here are our top 5 tips to make sure a CTA works for you.
1. Think about where you place your link text
We recommend adding links to further content at the end of a page, paragraph or sentence.
That way your reader has understood what you had to say and can make a decision whether to follow your link or not.
If you embed the link at the start of a section they don’t know whether to click first and come back or read first then go back to follow the link. Either way, you’re making them work harder.
Bad example: We have a Conference Team who provides help with managing and planning conferences.
Good example: We provide help with managing and planning conferences: contact the Conference Team.
2. Make your call to action stand out
You could also use a different style or design for CTAs. We use buttons to help highlight them on the University website:
If you are using something that’s designed like this, be consistent with its placement. Our link buttons could become intrusive if we used them everywhere.
3. Make sure your call to action is relevant to the page
Don’t include lots of links ‘just in case’ someone might find them useful. Think about what you want your reader to do next.
If you have a clear next step in mind and you add lots of extra links – you are reducing the effectiveness of your CTAs.
For example, on a page about booking to attend an event, imagine if you included all these links:
- Book your place (essential)
- Watch a video (a distraction at best – they might forget to sign up)
- Find out more about the event (this link should be further up the page)
- Contact us (why? The aim is to get them to book at this point)
4. Be active and descriptive
Make sure the language you use encourages people to complete the action. Use words they’ll be familiar with and include a verb if possible.
Examples:
- Call us now: 000000000 (a call to action might not be a hyperlink)
- Fill in our application form
- Watch our student services video
You should also make sure that the text you hyperlink is descriptive. This helps with Search Engine Optimisation. Google will rank your content according to the words you hyperlink. I’m guessing you don’t want to be top for the word ‘more’:
Bad example: Learn more about research opportunities at Newcastle.
Good example: Learn more about research opportunities at Newcastle.
Click Here for… and Click Here for… are particular pet hates of mine. Don’t do it! We’ve a blog post coming up on why click here is the worst call to action you could use.
5. Measure success
Decide how you will measure the success of your CTAs. Did your carefully crafted words work? Did your readers pick up the phone, book their place or fill in your form?
The University uses Google Analytics to track use of the University website. We assess where people went after reading our content. How many people left straight away without following our links? How many people completed an action?
You can also try out different combinations of words to see which ones are most effective. Why not try a link called “Fill in our application form” for part of the week and then swap it to be: “Apply now” later? Which one has the highest completion rate?
Get in touch
Do you write your Calls To Action like this? What sort of success have you had? Let us know in the comments – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Read more
You might like to read about how micro content (often used on our CTAs) can improve your website.
