If your website is not generating the enquiries or sales you expected, the problem might not be your design or your traffic. It might be that your visitors do not know what to do next. A call to action, commonly abbreviated as CTA, is the element on your page that tells visitors exactly what step to take. Getting your CTAs right can dramatically improve your website's ability to convert visitors into customers.
What a Call to Action Is
A call to action is any prompt that encourages a visitor to take a specific action. On a website, this typically takes the form of a button or link with clear, action-oriented text. Examples include "Get a Free Quote," "Book an Appointment," "Call Us Today," or "Download Our Guide." The CTA is the tipping point between someone browsing your site and someone actually engaging with your business.
CTAs appear throughout your website, on your homepage, on service pages, in blog posts, and on your contact page. They can be buttons, text links, banners, or pop-ups. The form matters less than the clarity and relevance of the message.
Why CTAs Matter
Without clear calls to action, your website is like a shop with no checkout counter. Visitors might browse, but they have no clear path to becoming a customer. You are relying on them to figure out what to do next on their own, and many simply will not bother.
Good CTAs reduce friction in the customer journey. They make it obvious what the next step is and make it easy to take that step. This is especially important for local businesses, where the goal is usually to generate phone calls, form submissions, or appointment bookings.
Elements of an Effective CTA
Action-Oriented Language
The text on your CTA should start with a strong verb that tells the visitor exactly what will happen when they click. "Get," "Book," "Download," "Start," and "Claim" are all effective starting words. Avoid passive or vague language like "Learn More" or "Click Here," which give the visitor no compelling reason to act.
Clear Value Proposition
Your CTA should communicate what the visitor will get. "Get Your Free Quote" is better than "Submit" because it tells the visitor what they receive in exchange for their action. Whenever possible, frame your CTA in terms of the benefit to the visitor.
Visual Prominence
A CTA needs to stand out visually on the page. Use a contrasting colour that draws the eye, make the button large enough to be noticed and easy to click, and surround it with enough white space so it is not lost among other elements. Your CTA should be one of the most visually prominent elements on the page.
Strategic Placement
Place your CTAs where they make the most sense in the visitor's journey. A CTA at the top of the page catches early interest. CTAs after compelling content capitalise on engaged visitors. A CTA at the bottom of the page catches visitors who have read everything and are ready to take action. Most effective pages include multiple CTAs at different points.
Common CTA Mistakes
Too Many Competing CTAs
Having too many different calls to action on a single page can paralyse visitors with choice. Each page should have one primary CTA that represents the most important action you want the visitor to take. You can include secondary options, but they should not compete with or distract from the primary CTA.
Generic Text
Buttons that say "Submit," "Send," or "Click Here" are missed opportunities. Every CTA is a chance to reinforce the value of taking action. Take a few extra seconds to write something specific and benefit-driven.
Hiding CTAs Below the Fold
If visitors have to scroll significantly to find your first call to action, many will leave before they see it. Make sure a CTA is visible near the top of every key page, without requiring any scrolling.
Testing Your CTAs
Small changes to your CTAs can have a significant impact on conversion rates. Experiment with different text, colours, sizes, and placements to see what resonates best with your audience. Even changing a single word on a button can measurably affect how many people click it.
Track the performance of your CTAs through your website analytics to understand which ones are driving the most conversions. Use this data to continuously refine and improve your approach.
Start Improving Today
Review your website with fresh eyes and look at every page. Is there a clear, compelling call to action that tells visitors what to do next? If not, adding or improving your CTAs is one of the quickest and most effective changes you can make to increase your website's effectiveness.