A quick Google search will show that there are anywhere from dozens to hundreds of acronyms that a website owner should know. SEO is the most well-known. Good Search Engine Optimization enables potential customers to find your site. One acronym sometimes overlooked but just as important is CTA: Call to Action. Once a prospect has made it to your page, enticing them to interact with you is the next goal. Here are some CTA considerations to help make that happen.
CTA Placement
Every website is unique and has different considerations about where to place a call to action. Some strategies are easy: use color and size to make your CTA button stand out, use specific language to let a customer know what you are offering. Other considerations require more thought. Where should the call to action be placed on the screen? Putting it above most of your content might seem desirable since it could attract some people to click right away, but it will also put off others since they don’t know much about your products or services yet. Placing the CTA after your content (sometimes referred to as below the fold using old newspaper terminology) could mean that it will be missed. The approach that will work for you depends on the design of your site and who you are targeting.
CTA Testing
Something as significant to your business as how to utilize call to action cannot be decided on fleetingly. A/B testing is a vital way to help you understand how to best design, word and place your offer. While it might be tempting to test multiple things at once, better results come from assessing only one parameter at a time. To use a simple example, don’t try to figure out if a red or blue button works better at the same time you are determining if it makes sense to put the CTA above or below the fold. Iterative testing will take longer but will also provide actionable data you can use to optimize your site.
CTA Offers
As with placement, determining what to offer your customer is critical. It can be tempting to incentive a potential buyer with multiple options. This is a mistake. The call to action presented should be specific and targeted to a particular behavior. Giving a prospect alternatives actually decreases the chances they will take any action at all. Consumers better respond when the choices they are presented with are easy to make. Even something as basic as asking a visitor to opt-in to your email marketing and also subscribe to your blog in the same space can be too much. When in doubt, you should utilize A/B testing to determine what works best for you.
Think Like a Salesman
A popular saying among car salesman is that a customer doesn’t walk onto the lot unless they are ready to buy. The same is true for any business website. Consumers are looking for something specific when they find your page. Convincing them that what you have to offer is worthwhile is job one. Effective use of Call to Action is an essential tool to achieve this goal.
Are your CTA strategies working? If not, MosierData can help. Contact us here or call 863-687-0000 to find out more.