A Cheat Sheet to an Effective Call to Action

I just found out my client increased her opt in conversion rate by 35% after we updated her call to action. As I wrote previously, you want to make sure your website visitor is taking the primary action you want them to take.  In this post, I am going to list five sites that do a great job with their calls to action using simple design and the right invitation.

Jonathan Fields

I am a big Jonathan Fields fan so I’ll start with his blog.  He invites his readers to subscribe to his newsletter at the end of each blog post. What is notable here are his bullets which are enticing.   I do this on my blog as well and it really does increase subscribers.

Yammer

Yammer.com, does a great job by placing the “Join Our Company’s…for Free” call to action front and center. It is the first thing your eyes notice when you get on the page. The Sign Up button has great contrast.  They explain what they do with one sentence and don’t distract readers with a list of features. They keep it simple and it works.

Constant Contact

The new Constant Contact home page is a major upgrade from the previous version.  They are communicating two important things: Grow with email marketing and it is FREE to get started. The messaging points to the call to action button with FREE reinforced.  The button also notes that no credit card is required which is a common objection.

 Gaiam

I love this idea for an ecommerce site.  Gaiam, invites you to sign up for their newsletter at the end of each blog post.  They are not only getting your email address but they are inviting you to shop by giving you a 15% discount on your next order.  You can do this for products or services.

Gina Nieves

Now, I know this example is my own site, but it really works! I increased my opt ins by more than 75% recently by adding this simple opt in form after each blog post.  My readers no longer need to scroll up to subscribe to my blog.   The increase was immediate and sustainable.  I am always testing different language and styles for this opt in box.

I encourage you to test different call to action buttons, language and placement on your website by measuring the conversion rate for each one because a lot of my clients have increased sales by changing their calls to action.

What’s your call to action?