Call to action (CTA) in a website, and UX (user experience) is a term used for elements in a web page that compels the user to perform an activity on your website. The most famous manifestation of call to action in web interfaces comes in the form of clickable buttons that, when clicked, will direct you to another web page with additional information (e.g., “Learn more…”) or perform an action ( e.g., “Buy Now”, “Subscribe”, “Contact Us”, “Click to Call”, “Sign Up,” etc.).

Each CTA has a different priority because not all of them are created with the same type of priority. Some are more persuasive and develop a sense of urgency in user behaviour. At the same time, others are not that inviting to the user.

In 2021, as users are becoming more and more knowledgeable, common type call-to-action triggers will not probably give the desired result. Certain aspects are there that need to be followed.

1) Design User Interface and User Experience (UI and UX):

Proper planning is required to design the perfect call to action button on a website. It has to be a part of the design architecture of the website. First of all, there are mainly three types of screens that are used to display a website, and they are PC, Tablet, and Mobile. With keeping this in mind, the CTA needs to be designed, tested, and optimized.

• Colour: Choosing the proper colour of the CTA button is important as this button will be the most visible part of the website and will grab the attention of the user while they visit the webpage. The colour of the buttons is used to make the CTA more noticeable for the user to click. There is a vital condition that should be kept in mind while choosing colours for CTA: Creating a proper contrast in buttons and background colours is necessary. They should be put in such a way that the CTAs would be prominent enough from the other UI components. For example, for layout, if a designer uses a blue colour palette, it would be better to use red or yellow colour for CTA buttons.
• Placements: Placement of the CTA is as important as colour; while keeping the UX in mind, the place of the CTA should be prominently positioned in a distinguishable area for the user to notice it first and then click it.
• Using icons: In web designs, icons have always been used till they reach their fullest potential, all because of the touch input. Icons have to be functional, understandable, and intuitive to fit in some small spaces like mobile phones. Icons overcome language barriers and should be understandable for international users, holding universal meaning. Using icons (e.g., directional arrow marks, download icons, mail icons, etc.) helps the user to understand more about the CTA.
• Button shape and size: There can be different types and sizes of the CTA buttons, and to properly check which button type works best (e.g., Rounded, Rectangular), A/B testing should be performed. The size of the button should be eye-catching for the user. It should be large but not too overwhelming. Usually, CTA buttons are 20% larger than the logo for the user to notice it first, as the large size of the button tends to draw the attention of the user rather than the surrounding elements.
• Space and Extra Information: CTA buttons should have an ample amount of breathing space surrounding them. So that it will be easily noticeable from the other contents of the website. While adding extra information with the button helps the user to understand the benefits a little without creating anxiety.

2) Using Direct Approach: 

Users should know what they will see or do after clicking the CTA. So it should be clear and concise. In other words, let’s just get straight to the point. Instead of using phrases like “Our latest ABCD product is available,” use words like “Buy our latest ABCD product now,” which is more direct, informative, and, compelling. In other words, what’s the benefit of it for them? Will it help them do their jobs better, save money, or lose weight?  This will tie in heavily with your value proposition or unique selling point (USP). Sometimes users think that doing certain actions is difficult, time-consuming, and costly. So by telling users that doing this action is easy leads to more clicks.

3) Creating a Sense of Urgency:

Using words that provoke the user to click the CTA is a must as the audience will be more enthusiastic by reading the CTA. A combination of curiosity, anticipation, and psychological study is required for a good CTA. If you pursue your call-to-action message in such a way that you can create the desire in your audiences to know what’s on the other side of that CTA, they’ll be more willing to click and know, which will give you the lead generation you want.

Using the principle of FOMO ( fear of missing out ), or usually, a cliffhanger, makes the user more curious about the CTA. These are good motivators for the user. When people think they might lose an opportunity that might not come around again, For example, “Only ten products left in the stock”, “Limited-time offer,” etc., it creates a sense of urgency for the user to click.

4) Using creativity in CTA:

CTAs should be creative. They should be fresh rather than boring old texts; they should have a little bit of creativity. A/B testing is a proper way to find out which creative words in the CTA bring more clicks. For example, instead of using “Click here to call us and get more information.” we can use something like “Want to know more? We are just a phone call away.”

Using numbers in a CTA helps the users to get more details from very few words. Usually, discounts, prices, and promotions have numbers in them that help the user determine whether it’s worth it or not. A CTA such as “Shop today for Mobiles under ₹15,000!” not only shows a user how little they will pay for a mobile, but it also hits on the FOMO.

Also, by using persuasive words such as Free, Bonus, New, Instant, Now, Because, etc., users give more attention to the CTA.

CTAs are an important part of a website. CTAs should focus on and aggravate a certain problem and offer a solution that will satisfy the user, customer, or visitor. After you identify a problem, users should know about it, and they should be anxious about it. Then it will create a sense of urgency. They might not know about this problem before, but you must let them know about it. Usually, it is done by the extra information provided along with the CTA buttons. After that, when an easy solution is offered to the user, they will be more inclined towards clicking the CTA for the solution.

Your landing page, contact us page, the sales page will help you get customers and more revenue for your business when your call-to-action button is clicked. If you can convince a bunch of people to do that every day, you’ll see consistent sales, visitors, subscribers, etc.

There is no proper rule for writing a compelling CTA. It’s only by testing various ways and making sure what works