Follow 5 Proven Steps for Writing an Effective Call to Action to Boost Your Conversion Rates

byBrendaMZ

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Updated 1 year ago

(cover image: Call to Action Buttons for Websites.)

Follow 5 Proven Steps for Writing an Effective Call to Action to Boost Your Conversion Rates

Writing a call to action (CTA) is a powerful tool that can transform passive website visitors into active and engaged users. It boosts your conversion rates when you write and prompts them to take the desired next step. The steps are getting them to purchase, signing up for a newsletter or an email list, and requesting more information.

It's not enough to slap some text on a button and hope for the best when writing a compelling CTA. Writing an effective call to action requires planning. There is a need for strategy, creativity, and careful planning to engage our audience and increase conversion rates.

This post will walk you through six proven steps for writing a compelling call to action to boost your conversion rates. I discuss steps 1-5, defining your goals, understanding the critical elements of a good CTA, optimizing placement, and testing different approaches.

Step 1: Figure Out Your Goal to Write An Effective Call to Action

Setting a clear goal is the first step toward writing an effective call to action that drives conversions. Before crafting a compelling CTA, you need to determine what specific action you want your audience to take.

1. Define Your Objective: Do you want your target audience to sign up for your email newsletter list or purchase something from you?

2. Who is your Target Audience: If you have a clear idea of your target audience, their needs and wants to solve a problem will help you figure out your call to action plan.

3. Look at the stages of the buyer's journey. Some may be want to read your article but not ready to buy; some are ready to buy, and your call to action can urge them to make a decision

Example of My Goal to Write an Effective Call to Action:

1. I aim to have my target audience sign up for the Wealthy Affiliate program.
2. My target audience is people who want to build a thriving business and make money online. They want to learn how to build a business and need a training program to help them learn how. I solve the problem by encouraging them to sign up for the Starter plan with the Wealthy Affiliate platform.
3. My target audience is looking for a training course that costs less. I will write a persuasive call to action explaining the cost is very affordable at low prices monthly compared to other systems that cost $995.00.

These three factors will help you to define your goal. This foundation is for creating a compelling call to action that resonates with your audience. That ultimately boosts conversion rates. So please take some time at the beginning of each campaign or project to figure out precisely what you'd like to do with your call to action.

Step 2: Elements of a Good Call to Action

When crafting a compelling call to action (CTA), several vital elements can make all the difference in boosting your conversion rates when writing an effective call to action.

Let's examine these elements and how they can help you create compelling CTAs.

1. Clear and concise language: In your call to action, you should use simple, straightforward language that is easy to understand and conveys the desired action quickly.

2. Compelling copy: Make your call to action irresistible by using persuasive words and phrases that evoke emotion or urgency. Could you highlight the benefits of taking action?

3. Strong visuals: Incorporate eye-catching design elements into your CTA, such as buttons or banners, to attract attention to encourage clicks.

4. Strategic color choice: Select colors that stand out from the rest of your page's design but still complement its overall aesthetic. Choose contrasting hues that draw attention without being overwhelming, and use the color button green, blue, yellow, or orange.

Color Psychology Button Screenshot 1:

6. Clean layout: Keep your CTA visually appealing by avoiding cluttered designs or excessive text surrounding it. A clean layout will help direct focus solely on the desired action.

Example Screenshot of a website showing different elements showing an excellent call to action.

Screenshot 2: This is a landing page I created on my paid-per-click ad website

Screenshot 3: Another landing page on my paid-per-click website

Remember, each element is crucial in making your call to action effective, so pay close attention when incorporating them into your post.

Step 3: Writing a Compelling Call to Action

Writing a compelling call to action requires you to think about using powerful emotive words that encourage your audience to take action. Your call to action should also be clear, concise, and specific about what you want people to do.

It should be visible and stands out from the rest of your message. You can use bold lettering or a different font size or color. This will help draw attention to your call to action and increase the chances that people will take the action you'd like.

Some examples of powerful words to use in a call to action include: "Now, today, don't miss out, get yours now, hurry, and join us." Words usage should be persuasive and evoke emotion.

Use strong verbs that encourage action, such as "Buy Now," "Sign up Today," or "Learn More."

1. Writing a Meaningful Call to Action includes these familiar words (as seen in Screenshots #2 and 3).

1. Get Started Today
2. Learn More
3. Reserve Your Seat (for Webinars)
4. Take a FREE Test Drive
5. Subscribe Today
6. Buy Now

2. Create urgency in your CTA: Give your audience why they need to act now rather than later. An example is limited-time offers or discounts to help them take action.

3. Personalization: You can tailor your call to action for different audiences based on their interests or needs.

4. Keep it simple: Keep the call to action short and straightforward so that it’s easy for your audience to understand and take action.

As you can see, making your call to action visually appealing with contrasting colors that catch attention is relevant. Test different sizes and placements until you find what works best for driving conversions. Following these steps, you can write a clear, compelling call to action, increasing your business's chances of converting visitors into customers or leads.

Step 4: Placement of Your Call to Action

Most people need help with where I should place my call to action on my blog post. Is it in the beginning, middle, or end?

Where you place your call to action can significantly impact its effectiveness. The key is to ensure it's easily visible and is noticed among other elements on the page.

There are three effective strategies:

1. You can place your call to action at the beginning of the blog post. This helps draw the reader in and makes them aware of what they should do next.

2. Place your call to action at the end of the post: After you have provided all the necessary information and explained why a reader should take action. This way, readers will feel like they are being sold something after they've had a chance to learn about it first.

3. You can also experiment with placing calls to action within the middle of your content as an anchor text.

I use all three combined on one post page. I put my call to action in the beginning and at the end. I will have a call to move in the middle as an anchor text. This can help capture readers' attention who may have yet to make it down the page but are still interested in taking action.

Screenshot 4: My Call to Action in the Middle of the landing page. Take a FREE Test Drive that's on my paid-per-click website.

Position it strategically to catch users' attention without being intrusive or overwhelming. Experiment with different locations on each page until you find what maximizes conversion.

Keep in mind that placing your call to action in different placements may work better for different audiences and industries.

Step 5: Boosting Your Conversion Rates with Testing

Testing is a crucial step in creating a compelling call to action. It lets you gather data and decide what works best for your audience.

The way to do this is to conduct A/B tests; you can compare different versions of your call to action and see which one yields higher conversion rates.

I started with the page color buttons, using Blue, then changing to Green or Mauve. I found this to be effective for paid-per-click ads. I noticed the blue button gave me better click-through rates early in my ads compared to the green one (shown in Screenshot 3)

You can have two different landing pages with two separate button colors, green and blue. You test which button gives you better conversions.

1. Start by testing small changes, such as the color or wording of your call to action button. Monitor how these variations impact user behavior and conversion rates.

2. Keep track of critical metrics: In GSC and GA4 for click-through rate, bounce rate, and conversions.

3. Data information to refine your call-to-action by testing elements such as page placement, font size, font style, button sizes, or shape of buttons or other incentives.

It's an ongoing journey, so don't hesitate to take risks and explore novel strategies. After all, making decisions based on data research yields better outcomes. Testing and optimizing your call to action may require some time, but the result will be worth the effort.

Final Thoughts

Writing a compelling call to action is essential for increasing conversion rates and upping engagement with your audience. With a definite goal in mind, creating an effective CTA will be less of a challenge. Words are concise but potent, emphasizing the benefits people will get by interacting with your CTA. Establish an emotional connection with them via powerful words that touch upon their particular problems or needs, making it clear that taking action right away will address those issues or wishes. Finally, keep in mind the position of your CTA; try different versions of it and use A/B testing to decide which one delivers better outcomes so you can refine its performance over time based on actual data.

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