The All-Important Call To Action

As we said last week, driving traffic to your site is all very well and good, but it’s not enough to secure a conversion.

What is a conversion?

It’s when your site visits convert to interest and then to sales, or to another Call To Action. For example your visitors can:

1. Click on an order link
2. Enter contact information
3. Pick up the phone and call
4. Register, or opt-in

To get your visitors to take this all important next step you need to provide them with an effective Call To Action. This is where you tell your reader what it is you want him or her to do.

It’s important to realise that an effective Call To Action has to be used in conjunction with a well written website. It is not going to be very effective in isolation, so your site must achieve a few milestones first.

• You need to make sure your personal or business message is loud and clear. Online visitors can only focus on one thing at a time. So although you may have a lot of great stuff on your site find a focal point and make your key message as clear as possible.
• Focus on your target market and make every word on your website count. Give your readers what they want. Satisfy their needs.
• Give your visitors something to do. Allow them to connect with you and like-minded readers by contributing to a forum, commenting on your blog, or signing up for a newsletter. Don’t forget to offer them an incentive for their information like a free report or other useful information.
• Give your visitors a reason to return to your site. The best way to achieve this is by offering fresh and insightful content, updating your site regularly and offering free information.

With your site ticking all these boxes, the chances are your visitors are ready to take the next step.

The Call To Action can take many shapes or forms. Here are a few of the more common ones:

1. Order Button


2. Email or Newsletter Signup (notice how this person has offered a free guide as an incentive for signing up to his newsletter).

3. Query Form
A query form is similar to the form above, but it allows you to enter a comment or query before submitting.

Your Call To Action should be stated clearly with no ambiguity.

It’s always a good idea to position a Call To Action button at the top of your page. This is where visitors tend to look first. Make sure it’s noticeable and uncluttered. For example, if your Call To Action is to get your readers to follow your blog, then make sure the Blog link is easy to find.

Make sure your contact details are clear, up to date and on every page of your website. You want to make it as simple as possible for an agent or publisher to locate your contact details.

I’m sure you’re getting the picture.
Focus on these Call To Action techniques and you’ll be well on your way to maximising your website conversions!

Yours in successful online marketing,
Louise Rose-Innes
Author and Web Marketing Consultant
Email: