The difference between turning visitors into sales or palming them off to your competitors.
A Call to Action or (CTA) in conversion optimisation is a term used to describe elements in a website or web page soliciting the user to click and continue down a conversion funnel.
We are often asked by both our clients and web developers “What is the best call to action?”. There is no ‘one stop’ verb or sequence which is going to ultimately cause a user to convert into a sale. Each and every website will have a completely different effect on the user. This is why we recommend A/B split testing.
Below we have complied a list of basic Call to action verbs we often use when split testing (in no particular order).
1. Click here – The classic obligatory example call to action used throughout the internet.
2. Read More – Informs there is more information available.
3. Buy Now – Straight to the point and can be used many different ways.
4. Download Now – People love downloading things and People like immediacy. This delivers on both.
5. Join Now – Works well for any membership sites. Creates inclusivity.
6. Get a Free.. – Open ended and straightforward. People love free stuff, and offering free incentives is just another motivate them to do anything you want.
7. Offer Expires – Giving a date creates urgency. Visitors will have incentive to take immediate action.
8 Satisfaction Guaranteed – Visitors love Satisfaction and Grantee. This simply puts them both together.
9. Money Back Guarantee, No Questions Asked – Shows visitors you have full confidence in your product and service.
10. Free Shipping – Nobody likes paying extra for their goods. Absorbing the costs will result in more conversions.
11. No Strings Attached – Puts visitors minds at ease knowing there are no addons or additional fees.
12. Add to Cart – Who doesn’t like shopping? ‘Add to cart’ is just one step closer to closing in on a conversion.
14. While Stocks Last – Again, creates urgency.
15. Best Value/Top Rated – Creates trust with the visitor. They will more likely convert if they think other people have gone down the same road.
16. Talk to An Expert – Shows credibility about your product or service on hand.
At the end of the day, your optimal call to action may not be listed here. Be creative and see what works best on your website. Large companies like Dell have increased their sales by millions of dollars each year by changing the smallest of words in their web pages. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, split testing is the only bullet proof way of determining which CTA will have the highest number of conversions.
