Getting people to take specific desired actions on your website can require a little push. Using calls to action (CTAs) can help create points of interest to encourage users to interact. But what is a CTA? For most, it's just a website button or an email telling people to do something (learn more, schedule an appointment, buy now, etc.). But it can be much more than just a button.

In this article, we’ll discuss five ways you can use a call to action to get users to take action on your website.

There are many ways to tell someone what you would like them to do. I believe being direct is best. You need to be clear about what actions you want a user to take. A common CTA is “Learn More,” but it can be very limiting. Is "learning more" the objective if you want someone to buy something? This is why the first tip is to focus on the language you use in CTAs. Language plays a key role in calls to action.

Let's look at some options that might help create an effective CTA:

• Learn more: This is a very soft approach. It tells users they may get answers by clicking here. This is best used when your goal is to provide information, not to close a sale.
• Contact me/us: This is a soft approach. It asks a user to do something without a commitment and provides a way to ask questions before purchasing or booking a service.
• Subscribe: This CTA asks for someone to provide contact information such as a newsletter or email list. It’s asking for a commitment to stay connected without any strings attached.
• Book appointment/Book today: This CTA is asking for someone to commit to signing up for a service or to spend time talking with you. You can use this for paid services as well as free consultations. Tip: This shouldn’t be the only form of getting someone to connect with you. You should also allow people to submit questions through a contact form.
• Buy now: This is a very committed and direct approach to closing a sale. You are encouraging the user to purchase a specific item or service. This should take a user directly to the final stage of your sales funnel, where they can enter payment information, no fluff, and get directly to the point.

As you select CTAs for your website and marketing, think about how you ask users to take action. You may get better results by taking the time to review the CTA's language.

An effective way to get people to take action is to put something in front of them that they can’t miss. Pop-ups do just that! They get in your face, and you must interact with them or close them to keep going. 

You can choose when pop-ups display. It can pay to wait for a pop-up display until a user engages with your website instead of immediately.

Pops-ups are great for presenting opportunities such as:

• Savings: You can create a coupon code that people get by giving you information, such as their email address.
• Newsletter subscription: You can encourage people to sign up to receive your emails, including inside knowledge of upcoming promotions, tips, or other exclusive content.

Pop-ups are an excellent tool for sharing CTAs.  

Explore more tips for using pop-ups

Highlighting something actionable on your website via a banner image with an embedded button can make it stand out as something important you want someone to notice. This can help people notice content even more than a standard button. Check out these CTA banners we created for our blog posts. 

They are crafted to stand out, and they feature large CTAs and buttons to capture your attention. 

The images you select make a difference too. Think about the color of the images and text, and you want CTAs to stand out while still aligning with your site branding. High-contrast images/ads tend to get more clicks. So take advantage of making something that stands out to encourage a user to take action.

Direct email marketing is a great way to drive people to your website. You can send emails promoting events, services, and products for sale to your list of existing customers and leads. They are a captive audience that you know is interested in what you have to offer, so now you just need to craft something that will make them click. Calls to action in emails can use either a soft learn more approach or a direct, buy now option. Whatever you choose depends on your goals. If you are hosting a sale, be direct, include links to products or services with a buy now or book now option. And if your offer is time-sensitive, make sure to say so! 

Then once you get people from your emails to your website, keep them going through your sales funnel with a continuation of clear calls to action, so they know what to do once they get to your website.

Learn about more ways to use email marketing

As wonderful as CTAs are, having too many CTAs can confuse a user. 

“Which one is most important, should I learn more, or should I buy now? But if I buy now, didn’t I find out more?”

Having too many CTAs can send people in a loop that might make the sales funnel ineffective. 

When creating CTAs, I believe less is more, and you need to ensure each page of your website is cohesive. For instance, here’s an example of CTAs to feature on a homepage:

• Top Banner CTA: Book your event today

• Middle section CTAs: Sections with skimmable information that drive you to “Learn more” options

• Bottom CTA: Final appeal, book, or contact option

As we look at a sales funnel, less is more, and you hear that repeatedly, but having a clear message and direction is vital to a successful business. 

We hope these tips and ideas empower you to refine the CTAs on your website. If you need help setting up a call to action on your PhotoBiz website, call us at 866.463.7620 or log in to your account to live chat. We’ll be happy to discuss options for your website!