One of the quickest ways to increase your websites conversion rates is to place a strong call to action above the fold of every web page. Online sales are driven just like traditional retail sales – you have to ask for the order to close the sale.
A compelling call to action should contain the following elements:
1. Clearly stated actual action you want your site visitors to take
2. Carefully chosen wording to encourage them to take the desired action
3. Well designed format that’s visually appealing (font size, color selection, page placement, etc.)
Always craft your call to action based upon the benefit to your visitor. In other words, don’t just tell your visitors what to do. Tell them what’s in it for them. Use action words and eliminate distracting fluff.
Design your calls to action to immediately lead your visitors to the action you want them to take. Convert your visitor on the current page if possible, or at least within one click. Keep in mind that the more a visitor has to click to reach your desired point of conversion, the higher your abandonment rate will be.
Design all calls to action to be clearly visible. Calls to action that tastefully blend into the background will not convert as well as clear buttons or graphics. Make them stand out on your web pages and immediately catch your visitor’s eye.
Although you want your call to action to be tasteful, you cannot be shy. When designing your call to action, think bigger, brighter, and larger fonts that are easy to read. Also, make sure you provide enough white space around your call to action to ensure it stands apart from the rest of your web page design.
Take time to plan effective cross-sell items in relation to your calls to action. You always want to provide a variety optional paths to convert your visitors. Also, make sure that you are clearly offering other conversion tactics – prominently display your toll-free-number, or your ‘click to chat’ function.
Increasing conversion rates doesn’t happen overnight. However, if you continually test and refine your efforts you will make improvements. Make your call to action changes one step at a time, and watch your web analytics to make sure you’re heading in the right direction. Not only will your conversion rates increase, but your visitors will appreciate how easily they can get where they want to go.
