How to Design Call-to-Action Buttons

Adding call-to-action on your website? Use this guide to design effective CTA buttons for more conversion.

by Editorial Team • 29 December 2023

Did you start a new online business and want to add call-to-actions on your website that will be effective? Well, you’re in the right place. We will take you through the steps of creating enticing call-to-action (CTA) buttons. You'll learn the science and art of writing compelling calls to action that:

  1. Get people to take action and 
  2. Increase conversions on your website.

What are Call-to-Action Buttons and Their Importance

Before we get into how to craft compelling Call-to-actions (CTAs), let’s clearly understand what they are and why you need to worry about them. 

Definition: Call-to-action (CTA) is a directive link that a website visitor can click to take a desired action, such as "Sign Up" or "Buy Now." Many times, CTA is hyperlinked and presented in the form of:

  • A button
  • An image
  • Line of text

CTAs can also be on your ad campaigns, such as when you’re directed to swipe up an Instagram story to be taken to a landing page. Some common CTA examples are:

  • Sign up for our weekly newsletter
  • Support our cause
  • Request a demo 
  • Share on social media
  • Subscribe to our premium content

For eCommerce website, some of the common CTAs are:

  • Add to the wishlist
  • Buy Now
  • Add to the cart
  • Checkout

Call-to-actions are an important part of marketing campaigns, as they guide the audience like a signpost to take action. Research shows that clear CTAs have increased conversions by 121%.  

A call to action makes it obvious to prospective consumers what they should do next, reducing resistance and moving them farther down the sales funnel.

Impace of cta on sales fullel

Image Source: conquestgraphics

If there is no obvious call to action (CTA), the user is less likely to complete the desired action (e.g., purchase or sign up for a subscription) and more likely to abandon the site. If the page's content encourages the visitor to take more than one course of action, you can also have numerous calls to action. 

Call-to-actions (CTAs) that are appropriately and strategically positioned throughout your advertising campaign can greatly boost client conversion. They are potent tools that may direct traffic to your landing page or provide shoppers with search terms that will lead them directly to your business.

The most successful calls to action are those that seem most natural. Your ad campaign will be more effective if you take the time to map out your calls to action ahead of time. Let us walk you through the steps to create effective CTAs for your online store.

Design Your Call-to-Action Buttons

The aesthetic appeal of your call-to-action button is the primary factor in getting a site visitor to click it. An effective call to action will capture the attention of your audience. Keeping that in mind, here are some fundamental guidelines for your next design:

Choose Colour Wisely

best color of a cta

Source Image: neilpatel

Research shows that the red CTA button performs better than the green one. This fact should help you understand that using the appropriate colors for your call-to-action buttons is crucial.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Users' reactions to and interactions with your buttons might be affected by your choice of color scheme.
  • For example, while red may represent urgency or excitement, green may indicate a sense of security or optimism. Try several color schemes to see which ones get the greatest response.
  • Pick colors that complement your brand's aesthetic while standing out on the web. When possible, choose colors with a lot of contrast.
  • Ensure the button color stands out from the page's backdrop or any images used there. It makes the button more noticeable. You can use a border, create a 3D effect, or give it more dimension. 

“Color usage does matter, sometimes a lot. But…What works on one site, doesn’t necessarily work on another. Visual hierarchy matters, and making your call to action stand out matters. So “green vs. red” is not so much about the color, but “does the important stuff stand out enough” and if not, how can we improve the situation.”

Fuhad Muhammad to Instapage

Using Graphics

You may provide visual context and assistance to your CTA buttons by including icons or images next to or in the CTA button. If you use graphics, ensure they elucidate the point rather than divert attention. 

It might be helpful to utilize icons like arrows, checkboxes, and shopping carts to convey the desired action to the user. For instance, using a shopping cart symbol in an "Add to Cart" CTA button emphasizes the importance of this call to action.

Protip: You can also consider adding special effects, such as animating the button when the cursor hovers over it. However, you must make sure not to overdo it. Here’s an example below:

Using Graphics to a cta

Image Source: dribbble (note that this image is GIF)

The Shape and Size Matters:

  • To maximize click-through rates, think carefully about the form and size of your call-to-action buttons.
  • Make sure your buttons' size is suitable for desktop and mobile use. Buttons that are too small might go unnoticed and buttons that are too big might come off too desperate.
  • While it's typical to see CTAs as rounded or rectangular buttons, doing something new may help your calls to action stand out.

Pick Your Call-to-Action Text

A call-to-action button's purpose is implied by its name: to prompt the user to take some kind of action. Your call to action words must be convincing if you want the user to click the CTA button. Some advice is as follows:

  • The writing on the CTA buttons should be bold and persuasive. 
  • Action-packed terms like "grab" and "reserve" should replace less interesting ones like "buy" and "subscribe." 
  • In addition to the text on the button, you can provide a few lines of additional information that elucidate the value proposition. Look at the example below.
  • If you’re having a discount on your custom clothing store, using terms like "limited time only" can make consumers feel like they need to act now, increasing the likelihood that they will click on your call to action.
  • Create an appeal to greed with terms like “smarter,” “happier,” and “richer,” or attract with frugality using terms like “free,” “affordable,” and “lowest prices.”
Creative ctas

Image source: makewebbetter

best texts for a cta button

Source Image: neilpatel

Select All the Needed and Important Elements

Designing a call-to-action button involves considering more than just the button's appearance. Let's go through some important elements one by one so you don't overlook them: 

Whitespace and Alignment 

Always provide some decent white space around the call to action button. The white space around the button makes it easier for the user to focus on it, and it also makes the button stand out from the rest of the content on the page. Don’t believe us? Look what a UX study had to say:

Good use of white space between paragraphs and in the left and right margins increases comprehension by almost 20%.

You must consider:

  • Consistency in margins around your CTA buttons
  • Consistency in alignment with other page elements
  • Centered alignment for strong focus in standalone CTAs and off-center alignment for complementary CTAs/multi-step CTAs.

Keep the Placement in Mind

Your call-to-action button positioning is crucial. It must be the first thing users notice when it appears on a page. Place them where users are most likely to interact with them. Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding on the placement of your CTA button: 

Calls to action (CTAs) are often placed in three primary areas: 

  • At the page's top 
  • Within the main content
  • After articles or product descriptions.

Decide what placement makes the most sense based on what it’ll take for the viewer to take action. For example: 

→ An ideal spot for a 'sign up' button is just after the consumer has finished examining your offer. If the CTA button is put before the user has had a chance to read the full description of the offer, it will be useless since the user will not know what to do with it. 

CXL reported that by moving the call to action button to the bottom of a lengthy landing page, conversion optimization specialist Michael Aagaard improved conversions by a whopping 304%

Pro tip: If you want your call to action to stay in sight even as the user scrolls down the page, consider employing a sticky or floating CTA.

The tone of your Text

The abundance of information available on the web readily diverts customers. You will need to set the right tone of your CTA for different kinds of actions on your custom products website to: 

  1. Get their attention and keep them interest 
  2. Lead them logically and confidently through the steps of taking a desired action.

For example:

  • Expressions like "We'd love to hear from you" and "Join this community" are great conversation starters and may help you get people involved and sign up for a newsletter. 
  • When promoting a sale, 'Don't Miss It' and similar words create a sense of urgency and urge customers to respond to your call to action.
  • You may add a quotation from the blog article you're discussing with a 'Read More' link if you want to tell a story or provide some background information. 

Responsiveness

The placement of your calls to action (CTAs) on mobile devices is crucial in this age of mobile commerce. You should:

  • Keep CTAs thumb-friendly, meaning they are easy to tap on even with a tiny screen. 
  • Consider dimensions to match those of the device's display. 
  • Keep the number of widgets to a minimum, such as share buttons and links in the footer so readers can focus on the call to action.
  • Make your CTAs stand out by giving them plenty of space and adding white space around them.

Try Out an A/B Testing

There isn't a one-size-fits-all call to action that works for every audience. There is no assurance that one call to action will perform better than another. Therefore, it's crucial to conduct tests using call-to-action buttons. 

Even simple modifications to the call-to-action buttons may have a significant impact, so if you haven't done any A/B testing previously, this is a wonderful place to start. Run an A/B test using the A/B testing platform to validate: 

  • Button Color
  • Size
  • Text
  • Placement
  • And other elements

Do an Analysis of the Call-to-Action Buttons’ Performance

Once you’ve published your CTA, keeping track of its performance is important. This data will help you make necessary adjustments to make it better and more effective. Some of the metrics to gauge CTA performance are: 

  • Views
  • Click-through rates
  • Positioning of the CTA
  • Post type
  • Bounce rates
  • Conversion rates

Conclusion

Working with a print on demand provider considerably simplifies the order production and fulfillment process. You will be saving a lot of time and money in starting a new business. Use those resources in building a website with stunning User Interface (UI) and great User Experience (UX) to attract more audience and convert them into paying customers. 

When it comes to conversions, never underestimate the significance of a well-designed and well-placed CTA button. It's a crucial step in generating leads and closing transactions. Calls to action may be used for a wide variety of purposes, including but not limited to:

  • Growing an email list, 
  • Creating a social media campaign, 
  • Promoting a sale, 
  • Publicizing an event, 
  • and so on. 

The knowledge and tools you've gained here will help you craft compelling call-to-action buttons that will motivate your target audience to take the steps you want them to. So what are you waiting for? Start creating CTAs for your website, test them, analyze them, and watch your conversion rate increase!


Editorial Team
AUTHOR

With diverse backgrounds and expertise, the Dorik editorial team is committed to producing high-quality, informative, and engaging content for our readers. Whether you're a long-time reader or a new visitor, we hope you find our content valuable and informative.

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