Tips For Effective Call To Action Button For Your Blog

Tips For Effective Call To Action Button For Your Blog
Sign Up Concept. Button on Modern Computer Keyboard with Word Partners on It.

There is always something more you can do get your visitors stay longer. Or at least you want there to be always something more you can do to make them stick around – to motivate them to follow you on Facebook/twitter; to have them leave a comment; to tempt them to register with your site; to egg them on to download/buy a product you have on offer and so on.

More likely than not, you use buttons or some design element to call the visitors’ attention to take an action that you want them to take. Let’s take a look at if you are doing all that you can. There are three main factors to consider while tweaking things around your call to action buttons.

Call-to-action Button Text

There are a few things you can to do to come up with good phrases. You have to pick a combination of these tips for the best call-to-action phrase.

Keep it short and simple. The text on the button is usually something that the reader is glancing over rather than spending to much time on. So it should be easy to understand and quickly readable. You have to agree that “Click here to download the 60-day free trial” sounds unwieldy when “Download free 60-day trial” could work better.

Induce action or interest. “Click”, “Submit”, “Enter”, “Go” are tame words that sound like you would be OK even if the reader didn’t take that action. Instead go for words that are more direct and sound actionable like say “Book”, “Reserve”, “Register”, “Share” and so on. Else, you could pique the reader’s interest by a non-standard word/phrase – “Gift yourself” instead of a “Buy” or “Satisfy yourself” rather than a “Try” or “Interact with like-minded people” instead of “Comment” and so on. Note that this is in a way contradicting the first tip. So you have to strike a balance.

Include a tag line. While you want the button to have crisp text, you can’t keep away information that might make a reader stick around. Or sometimes, the tagline can be used as a benefit that the visitor is seeking – “No registration required” for a “Comment” button or a “Lose weight the right way” can be followed by “And stay healthy too”.

Use “Free” or benefit. If you have something free to offer, use the word. If you don’t have something “free” to offer either look for something free to offer or think of what the reader will gain from clicking on that button – a deal, a discount, a tip, a trick.

Create urgency. This might not be the handiest tool if you there is no real urgency. But if you are offering something that will not be available later make sure you highlight that. Some of these kind of call-to-action examples would be “Order now to receive free gift” or “Offer expires in 2 days” or “Win early bird discount”.

Call to action Button Design

The whole idea behind having a call to action button is that the visitor’s attention should get attracted towards it. So, it should Should certainly not blend with the design of the site. At the same time you don’t want it to stick out like a sore thumb. So, the key word, like in everything else is balance. The things you don’t want too big-too small, too bright-too subtle; the things you want just right are –

  • Size
  • Color
  • Shape
  • Text font and size

Add appropriate graphic elements: It is a good idea to add an icon or some visual element to the button or around the button which explains where the button will lead. Like a “save” or a “download” icon which is standard enough without the actual text on it.

Call-to-action Button‘s Position on Blog/Site

While it is true that you want all the information that you’d like the visitor to pay attention to without scrolling down – above the fold, there is a right place for everything. It would be absurd to have your “Comment” button before the reader has read your blog post. At the same time you want the social media share options on the screen all the time. So you want the comment button at the end but the social media share buttons on a floating bar in the sidebars.

Give the button a clutter-free environment. Whatever your choices might be for placement it should be clear of any other distractions. You know an important person is passing by when the roads have been cleared for them. That’s exactly how you want to treat your call-to-action button.

Multiple buttons. If you cannot avoid multiple call-to-action buttons, highlight the one you want the visitor to click the most.

Like any sale, none of the above will work without thorough pre-sale and post-sale work, a before and after. So make sure, you have laid the ground work for the reader to empower him to take the action you are trying to get them interested into. And keep testing different words, designs and layout placements. Track the numbers and analyze them well to figure out what will work for your unique blog.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Have you used a tip that has not been included above? Do let us know!

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