How to write a call to action that converts

?Crafting a stellar call to action (CTA) for a web page can be a real challenge. Of course, if it were easy, everyone would be selling their products or services to the perfect consumer every single time.?

To write a CTA that converts, you need to be able to write persuasive, convincing copy. You want to make your reader WANT to click that button.

The strength of your CTA also relies heavily on what's happening on the rest of your page. If your CTA is hidden because your page is saturated with irrelevant information, or it’s way down at the bottom of the page, the likelihood is that you’re never going to be able to convert.?

That’s why the success of your CTA is also down to layout. Things like placement, button size, button colour, mobile optimisation, and surrounding text make a real difference.?

However, good readability and convincing copy is #1.?

The secret ingredients for a killer call to action?

The actual copy you use in your call to action is often about psychology. Action words like shop, start, join, get, download all work well because they keep things concise and relate directly to what your consumer wants to do.

However, this is not always enough.

To write a CTA that converts, you should always incorporate:

• Value
• Relevance?

When it comes to value, use your CTA copy to give your audience something that they want.

A lot of this is rooted in psychology; for example ‘order’ is what you need to do, whereas ‘get’ tells you what you’re going to receive. In that sense, ‘get’ is a better choice of copy, because you’re making the consumer think about what benefit they will enjoy, rather than what they need to actually do to get that benefit.?

However, the act of conveying value alone isn’t enough - you must have a good value proposition. What are you offering?

By having something of real value on the other side of that click, you’re more likely to score conversions. An immediate pay-off acts as instant gratification for your consumer.

A good example could be revealing a coupon code that applies a discount at checkout, offering a free download in exchange for an email address, or providing an instant quote in exchange for some information.?

With all of this in mind, you can make these swaps within your copy based on what you’re offering:?

Secondly, relevance is about keeping things concise and clutter-free. This applies to both your CTA and the surrounding landing page copy.

Good readability and avoiding the use of any terms your audience won’t understand is key to creating a great CTA. However, don’t take a gung-ho approach to simplicity, because your consumer still needs to have enough information presented to them in order to make an informed decision.

If you don’t answer their questions in the surrounding copy, they’re likely to look elsewhere out of uncertainty. Optimise the landing page to reflect the CTA, which will in turn funnel the audience to that all-important click.?

Turn targeted visitors into guaranteed leads?

If you’re new to the CTA game, you may have to go through a period of trial and error. Figure out what works for your consumers, and what turns them off.

For some people, pop-up CTAs with a sense of urgency are an annoying onslaught that can make them exit a website, but for others, they are a handy reminder of where they need to go and so can act as a useful tool.

The bottom line is - don't distract from your CTA, but give your consumer enough information to make their decision. Keep things simple, but include all of the information that they need in order to make an informed decision.?

When it comes to your CTA copy, remember to shape it around the vital ingredients of value and relevance.