A web page’s headline and images compel users to take action, but a good call-to-action design tells them how. This is especially important for e-commerce websites and services-based businesses that need to reduce friction at the conversion stage.

Incorporating urgency into a CTA is effective because people value what they can’t have or will lose. Wistia uses this strategy by embedding a CTA into their videos.

Creating a Sense of Urgency

A great call-to-action tells users what to do next, whether that’s signing up for an email newsletter, downloading a whitepaper, or making a purchase. It’s an important part of the customer journey and can help drive conversions. However, a weak call-to-action can confuse and discourage users from taking the action you want them to take.

Creating urgency is one of the most effective ways to encourage conversions through your calls-to-action. It activates the notion of FOMO (fear of missing out), which can be very powerful in convincing your audience to act now. Urgency can be real or implied, but it should always nudge your audience to action.

A well-designed call-to-action can create a sense of urgency by using a variety of tactics, such as highlighting a limited time offer or emphasizing the importance of taking action now to get the best results. This can be done through text, graphics, or both. Many banks, for example, uses a combination of both in their email subject lines to encourage customers to be prepared for tax season by following their CTA.

Another way to create urgency is by leveraging time-oriented words in your call-to-action, such as “now,” “today,” or “tonight.” For example, most Facebook ad uses multiple elements, including exploding colors, alarm emojis, and multiple CTAs, to urge Facebook users to sign up for its language learning service.

Adding a sense of urgency can also be done by emphasizing that your product or service is unique in its market. For example, mentioning that your product or service offers features that competitors don’t can make potential buyers feel like they will miss out on a big opportunity if they don’t act now.

Adding urgency is only effective if it is used in conjunction with other best practices, such as building trust and offering a clear value proposition. In addition to encouraging conversions, creating a sense of urgency can help reduce the number of abandoned carts or canceled payments on your website. However, it is essential to only use this technique in moderation as overusing it can lead your audience to ignore your messages altogether.

Using Persuasive Language

The call-to-action is a key element of a website, blog, or other online content because it provides a clear direction for users to take the next step in the buyer’s journey. Without a clear CTA, users may be unsure what to do next and could end up leaving the page or site completely.

Good web designers encourage users to take the desired action, such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase. The best way to make your call-to-action effective is to use persuasive language that appeals to the user’s emotions and motivations. For example, using phrases like “act now” or “limited space available” creates a sense of urgency and increases the likelihood that the user will click on the CTA.

In addition to using persuasive language, you can also make your call-to-action stand out by using a compelling design. For example, using contrasting colors and large text can help draw the attention of the viewer. Also, placing your call-to-action above the fold of the page can increase its visibility.

However, it’s important to remember that not all calls-to-action will work the same for everyone. For this reason, it is essential to experiment with different options and see what works for your particular audience. For instance, a freelance CRO consultant named Michael Aagaard found that placing his CTA above the fold resulted in a 304% increase in conversions, but this may not be the case for other businesses.

It’s also worth noting that your CTA should be short and powerful, which can help it stand out from the rest of the page. A good rule of thumb is to start with a verb (e.g., buy) and then add an adverb (e.g., now) or subject (“ebook”) to give it some extra oomph.

Finally, you can also try adding a video to your CTA to make it more engaging. In fact, one study it was showed that a CTA within a video got 380% more clicks than an equivalent CTA in a sidebar. So, if you’re looking for an easy and effective way to increase your conversions, consider trying out some new calls-to-action!

Using Multiple Call-to-Actions

A call-to-action can take many forms, from a closing statement in a blog post to a button on your web page. All calls to action deserve close attention during conversion optimization, and even small tweaks can improve click-through rates. By leveraging psychology, experimenting with best practices, and learning from analytics and data, marketers can make effective calls to action that drive more conversions.

A key call-to-action design rule is to provide users with options for signing up. This can be accomplished through the use of multiple call-to-actions on a web page or by providing the user with more information on what they would need to do to sign up. The key is to not overwhelm the user with too many choices; doing so may cause them to get “decision fatigue” and not convert at all.

For example, designers have a large primary “Sign Up” call to action with a smaller secondary text link that simply asks the user to “find out more”. This is a great way for the company to increase their conversions by offering potential customers more information before they commit to making a purchase.

It’s also important to keep in mind that your call-to-action buttons should be appropriately sized. This is to ensure that your most important call-to-action buttons are easily noticeable and stand out from the rest of the content on the page. In addition, you should use color to differentiate your CTA buttons from other page elements. For example, using bright colors or contrasting colors will help to draw the eye to your call-to-action button.

The final aspect of a successful call-to-action is to clearly state the value that the user will receive by clicking on your button. This will help to overcome user hesitations that they may have about the cost or time commitment of your product or service. For example,  the “Sign Up Now” call to action button explicitly states the time commitment as zero (free).

While there are many opinions about the best call-to-action buttons, one thing that all marketers can agree on is that your buttons should be enticing and direct. Keep these tips in mind when designing your next call-to-action and you can see the results for yourself.

Using a Secondary Call-to-Action

You may hear a lot of advice about having one call-to-action per page or that you should only have one primary CTA. While this is often true and should be your main goal, there are some instances when a secondary call-to-action can help you achieve your conversion goals.

When used correctly, a secondary CTA can help increase your conversion rates by providing visitors with an additional option that they may be interested in. This could be a lower-risk offer, such as a free trial, or it could be a more in-depth explanation of a product feature that is available through your service.

It’s commonly accepted that people like options. After all, variety is the spice of life! So why not take this same philosophy and apply it to your marketing? Secondary calls-to-action are an excellent way to give your visitors and leads a choice of what to do next.

Secondary CTAs are designed to complement your primary call-to-action and should not compete with it in any way. The copy, design, and size of your secondary call-to-action should all be clearly differentiated from your primary CTA so that users can easily determine which action you want them to take.

Video chat and voice call service Skype uses a complementary secondary call-to-action to encourage site visitors to stay engaged on their website. The wording of the text on their call-to-action is compelling and creates a sense of urgency that makes visitors more likely to click through.

When designing your call-to-action, be sure to use plenty of white space to make it stand out from the rest of the page. This helps to make it easy on the eyes and makes it more readable for your audience. It’s also important to make your call-to-action button a distinct color from other elements on the page, as this can help to draw the viewer’s attention to it and reinforce its importance. A good rule of thumb is to use a brighter color for your call-to-action button than the surrounding content so that it stands out against the background and draws the viewer’s eye.