Designing your call to action buttons (CTAs) effectively could be the difference between a customer conversion and a bounce. In fact, ensuring your CTAs are opitimsed for conversions can greatly support the success of your company online. Following these design techniques can improve the likelihood that your visitor will follow your call to action and convert:
Wording:
It is vital your wording is right when encouraging users to convert on your webpage. CTA’s should be kept between two to five words maximum, simple and to the point. Variations such as ‘Join now’ or ‘Subscribe’ can be more successful at persuading your users to follow your call to action than detailed instructions. Avoid being vague with clear instructions such as ‘Read more’ or ‘Contact Us’. Ultimately, wording should be simple and clear so users know exactly what to expect when they click the button. Additionally, it is a good idea to start your call to action with a verb in order to be orientated around an action.
Another technique is to include a value proposition within your CTA in order to entice your audience. This could be including the word ‘free’, ‘bonus’ or ‘instant’ to foreground the benefit for your customer. You could create a sense of urgency surrounding your CTA with statements such as ‘50% off today’ or ‘For a limited time only’. This should be featured near your CTA button. To further mitigate user uncertainty, it might be worth including smaller text to clarify your CTA’s such as ‘Cancel Anytime’, providing more clarity for your users in regards to their conversion.
Accent Colour
Your accent colour should be used for your CTA buttons which contrasts with your primary and secondary colour choice. Ideally, this should also tie in with your logo in order to support consistent web design and branding. CTA buttons need to stand out on your page and draw your reader towards them when they scan your page. 79% of users scan a web page rather than reading it word by word according to Nielson Norman Group Therefore, highlighting your CTA buttons with a contrasting colour is important to direct your customers and encourage conversion.
Gradients can assist in highlighting your CTAs and we would recommend using a blend of two bold colours or the same colour in different shades. Banana Bus, for example, use dark and light green to highlight their CTAs. This ties in well with their jungle theme and colour scheme used for their branding. Placing your CTAs on white space can also help make them stand out to your users and reduce the number of distractions on your page.
Location:
The location of your CTA buttons is very important in encouraging a consumer conversion. It is vital a call to action is placed in your hero and above the fold to immediately attract your user. Additionally, users respond well to web design optimised for user experience and providing an opportunity to convert above the fold ensures easier navigation. Your CTA should then be repeated throughout your web design at each section, with the words changing relevant to the content. Removing the need to scroll for a CTA will again improve UX and have a positive impact on your conversion rates.
Simple:
Despite the need to catch your user’s eye, CTAs generally need to be kept simple in order to be effective. Overcomplicating your design with features such as animation can evoke a negative response from your audience. Your button does need to be big enough to be easily found by your visitor, however, avoid overshadowing your text and content. Rounded rectangles are the most obvious and preferred shape for CTAs. Users tend to prefer organic shapes and according to Basement Blog, rounded corners are preferred by users.
A/B Testing
A/B testing can be used to determine which CTAs worth better for your website and audience. By trying out two variants of designs, statistical analysis can reveal which method is the most effective. A/B testing removes the need for guesswork and provides solid evidence of which design is better for your conversion rates.
Final Thoughts
Although only minor details of web design, CTA button design is a crucial aspect in relation to improving your conversion rates. CTAs are an opportunity to invite your audience in and encourage them to perform the desired action. Nailing down your design can be the make or break for influencing consumer decisions.