Calls-to-action (CTA) are important to a successful website, but they are often overlooked. The average website has information about what the business does, contact information, nice photos, and in some cases helpful content, but that’s not enough.
Basic CTA
If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. We’re talking about simple, ground-level calls to action. The most common CTA might say, “If you’re looking for _____, call XXX-XXXX today!” These can be viewed as a final instruction that ends the conversation, so be careful where they are used.
CTAs that do more
A stronger CTA is one that promotes more interaction or continued contact. Here are a few examples.
Download:
Send the visitor or potential customer down the rabbit hole of information on your website. Make your CTA an offer where you request their contact information so that they can download a document or white page on a particular topic you’re an expert on. Require their first name, last name, company, and email address. Knowing this information will help you decide if they are a qualified lead to be converted into a sale.
Once the lead has downloaded your white page, thank them for downloading and offer them more content or the chance to try out your product with a new CTA. A button that says, “Give ____ a try!”, might be just the ticket.
Pop-up question:
Offer to evaluate the reader’s process or give them a free report on what they can do differently. This can come in the form of a pop-up that asks them for their URL, email, or more details. You’ll be able to take a closer look and use the opportunity to sell your services.
Subscribe:
Ask the reader to submit their email address to receive updates or a newsletter directly to their inbox. Be clear on the value of the service.
The deal:
Go in strong and offer a deal for your services right away. Your button could say, “Get unlimited service for $199 $109.” Direct and to the point is one large way to close the sale. You’re ultimately making the prospect feel like they might miss out and we’d hate for them to do that!
Exit CTA:
Use an exit intent pop-up to get the visitor’s attention when it appears they might navigate away from your website. These pop-ups do a really good job anticipating behavior and intervening before it’s too late. Offer the potential client a discount or a coupon to catch them off guard. Some websites even have two buttons … one that says yes to accept the offer and one that says “no thanks” in a guilt-inducing way.
We hope these CTA examples inspire you to ask your website visitors for more. The main point is to get them to do something and become qualified leads. Best wishes on updating your website!