When someone visits your website, you want them to stay and take action. But most visitors only spend a few seconds looking around. That’s why having a clear Call to Action (CTA) is so important.
A CTA is a simple message that tells visitors what to do next, like signing up for your newsletter, booking a free consultation, or reading more about your services. Without it, you might lose a chance to connect with them. With a clear CTA, you guide visitors and help grow your business by turning them into leads or customers.
What’s a “Call to Action” (CTA)?
A “Call to Action” is a phrase or prompt that encourages the visitor to take a specific action. It’s often referred to as a CTA for short.
It’s one of the most important parts of the website because it gives the visitor an actionable next step. Because you’ve made your “Call To Action” simple and obvious, it’s easy for them to follow the directions and proceed in the direction you want them to go—into your marketing funnel.
Your Website Visitors
When planning your website, it’s critical to consider the following: “What do you want your visitors to do?”
As business owners, we imagine our visitors spending several minutes pouring over the home page and clicking on our About page to virtually “meet” us. Then, they visit our services or product pages, examining each offering to decide if we can meet their needs.
This is how many website owners envision the process. After all, we’ve spent hours perfecting the home page, bared our souls on the About Page, and polished our Services/Products pages to be clear and compelling.
The Truth…and I’ll Make This Quick!
Nope, sorry. The scenario above is imaginary. This is not how the average user interacts with a website. So, what DOES happen when someone lands on your website? First, they don’t want to have to think too hard.
According to Steve Krug, author of the book Don’t Make Me Think,
“What they actually do most of the time (if we’re lucky) is glance at each new page, scan some of the text, and click on the first link that catches their interest or vaguely resembles what they’re looking for. There are almost always large parts of the page that they don’t even look at.”
And how much time do they spend glancing, scanning, and clicking? Mere seconds! That’s why having a prominent Call to Action on each page is essential.
Why Do You Need A “Call to Action” (CTA)?
What’s the purpose of your website? Is it to build relationships with potential clients and ultimately grow your business? Then, having a clear “Call to Action” is essential to your success! Here’s what a compelling Call to Action can help you do:
- Gain clarity on the overall purpose and goals of your website
- Gain clarity on the purpose of each page on your website
- Keep your visitors on your site longer by making it clear where to go next
- Grow your email subscriber list
- Build a larger social media audience
- Convert visitors to leads and then customers
- And ultimately increase sales
The average time a visitor spends on a webpage is 54 seconds, according to the Contentsquare 2021 Digital Experience Benchmark report. As a result, you have a very brief window to grab their attention.
Try One of These CTAs
CTAs can vary in size, shape, design, text, and placement. Most importantly, your Call to Action should be clear, straightforward, and obvious on each page. Here are some effective CTAs.
- Book a Discovery Call/Free consultation
- Sign up for our newsletter
- Share this on social media
- Leave a comment below
- Read more articles on this subject
- Schedule a free consultation (“Call us on the phone”)
- Download this free gift
- Start your free trial
- Enter to win
- Click here to learn more
- Sign up for one of our programs
Other Examples of Call to Action
Below is an example of a Call to Action on my About page. It encourages visitors to get a free report after they read the page.
Final Thoughts
Giving your website visitors clear directions on what to do next will help grow your business. A clear and obvious Call to Action is one way to lead your visitors and build a connection with them. Remember, website visitors are there for a brief time, and they don’t want to think too hard. Consequently, your Call to Action must stand out among the other text and images on your web pages.
There’s no one-size-fits-all Call to Action. Your CTA will depend on your business goals and website design. You can start small with a simple link. Your CTA doesn’t have to be a fancy button or opt-in for a free gift. However, those are great if you are feeling ambitious! The easiest way to start is to encourage your visitors to leave a comment on a blog post.
Leave a message here to let us know what kind of Call to Action you have on your website!
[Originally published Oct. 2022. Updated Oct. 2024]
