So, you’ve got a good website with good content, but few people seem to be responding. Maybe you’re missing this one, small but important thing that can make all the difference:
A clear, compelling call-to-action.
We all see hundreds of articles, web pages and ads every day. We process them very quickly. And what do we do with the vast majority of them?
Nothing.
We move on to the next thing.
That’s because with every piece of information we read, we ask ourselves…
2 questions…
- Is this for me?
- If so, what’s my next step?
If we can’t answer both questions immediately, we simply move on.
Think about your own experience. Think about the last few ads or articles you’ve seen. Maybe you didn’t consciously ask yourself these two questions, but sub-consciously isn’t that what you were looking for before you either moved on or decided to take action?
Now, that you see it from the perspective of a reader or consumer, let’s turn that around and look at it from the perspective of a writer, publisher or marketer.
If you want to dramatically increase the number of people who take action after reading your webpage, help them out by answering those 2 questions for them.
Is this for me?
A great way to help people with this is to start a sentence with “If you…”
What’s my next step?
A call to action should be very specific. “Contact us” or “Let us know” is not specific. Who specifically should I contact? How do I contact you – phone, email, smoke signals?
It should be something the person can do immediately.
Examples
- If you are a married couple with young children and you want to strengthen your marriage, we are providing an evening of childcare at the church for only $10. Complete the form below to reserve a place for your child (or children).
- If your website is ugly, difficult to update or not producing the results you’re looking for, call us at 727-723-2454 to speak with a website specialist who will listen to your goals and circumstances and point you to a solution that is a good fit for your organization.
Or… If you have a website, read this! 😉
Discuss
- How important do you think it is that every web page on your site have a clear, compelling call to action?
- Have you intentionally written your web pages to include a clear, compelling call to action? Or is it time to review the pages on your site and add calls-to-action where there are none?
Oh, and one more call to action… if you found this article to be helpful, please click the Tweet, Like, and/or G+1 buttons at the top to share the article and help your friends. Thanks!
3 Comments
A call to action is a clear statement, instructing your visitors what to do or how to reach a goal, whether it be trivial or important. With a strong call to action, you tell your visitors, “Do this,” as overtly as a giant, blinking demand or as subtly as the wording of a menu option.
No matter how eye-grabbing your website design is, if there is no proper content, then it will not ensure web page stickiness. So ensure that along with the easily navigable and captivating web design, you do not give a miss to quality content. It is only well-written, fresh and informative content in your website that can increase the credibility of your website. [link removed by moderator]
That's true, Brad. Thanks for the comment. In the future, please refrain from including spammy links in your comments. Thanks!