It can be rather easy to get set into the mindset of a business website being effective only if it looks good. And certainly, a good-looking site helps the client get conversions from the website, but just the appearance and how it functions isn’t the only variable in play for an effective business site.
In today’s tips on increasing websites conversions, we’ll take a look at the importance of a strong call-to-action as part of a sites development.
What is a Call-to-Action?
If you know anything at all about marketing, which is necessary for web design, you’ve at least heard the term ‘call-to-action’. But there can be some misconceptions about what it actually means and encompasses.
While it’d be nice to be able to put the customer into a position where every browser makes a purchase, it’s even more important to put the client in a position where they can play the long-game with a potential customer. This nets longer-term customers for them, as well as makes it more likely that a website visitor will turn into a customer.
This is why we recommend moving away from a direct purchase call-to-action and into system that gathers contact information. This provides the client with the ability to reach-out to market to people who have already demonstrated some interest in their product or service, which is a wonderful step towards getting them converted into paying customers.
Tactics for Implementing a Call-to-Action
Of course, you can’t exactly demand an email and mailing address from every visitor, and just having a form in one of the side panels won’t likely get too much attention.
One wonderful tactic for getting a user to follow a call-to-action is by putting a little ‘treat’ on the other side of the action. Perhaps a generous deal on the product or service, or even offering something for free. If they want to get that special offering, they must first put-in contact information. This tends to make people more willing to release contact information.
Color is Important
When designing a call-to-action, one of the most important aspects is the color. Our minds look at colors and think of very specific things. Blue suggests trustworthiness (see Chase bank, for example). Green, aside from suggesting eco-mindedness, suggests being good with money.
Black is an example that frequently suggests exclusivity or luxury (see the Dolce and Gabbana logo for an example). With call to actions, though, it’s a little trickier. According to Paul Olyslager, a writer who runs a blog dedicated to web design and optimization, a call-to-action should be based on the background coloring of the page.
Testing
When you’ve decided on a design for the call-to-action, it’s critically important that the method be tested. This allows you to ensure that this detail, arguably one of the most important aspects of the website so far as success goes, works as intended and gets the results you’re looking for.
To do this there are a few options, dependent largely on your budget. First off, and the most reliable means, is through market research. Several companies offer affordable testing options to gauge results. This allows you to take a look at how a variety of different types of people react to the call-to-action and can even indicate why those that aren’t following-through are refusing to.
By combining a great color, testing, and a nice tactic to attract a web user to the call-to-action, you can help ensure that you’re providing your client with a website that not only looks good, but one that gets them the results they’re looking for.
To learn how we can help you bring that perfect website to fruition, contact us today and we’ll walk you through how we can be of assistance at an affordable price.
