A call to action encourages website visitors to engage with the business, whether purchasing an item, subscribing to a blog, or participating in a free trial. Every time you visit a business website, you will likely encounter a call to action.
When designing a website for a client’s business or yours, you must incorporate calls to action to encourage visitors to convert or continue to engage with the company. Even simple call to action examples like “Call today” and “Contact us” guide website visitors toward conversion. Lead generation—the primary goal of website marketing—relies on these.
Whether designing a website for your own business or creating websites for many different clients, be sure to integrate effective calls to action. Let’s look at some examples of the best calls to action for website design.
The 14 best calls to action for modern web design
1) Subscription CTA
URL: https://getsitecontrol.com/p/1q00r93q
Whether you’re designing an e-commerce website that sells shoes or a site for a roofing contractor, subscription calls to action encourage visitors to become returning customers. Prompt your audience to subscribe to email updates, newsletters, or blogs, and they will automatically see the business’s name regularly.
For the most effective subscription calls to action, make the process simple. A visitor may choose to subscribe but change their mind once they see the long, detailed form they must fill out. Most people will provide their email addresses but hesitate to give out further information, so only ask for what’s necessary.
Make your subscription worthwhile. “Subscribe to our email list to get real-time updates on sales and promotions” offers an incentive for customer conversion, whereas a simple “Subscribe to our newsletter” does not.
2) Free resources CTA
Both current and potential customers appreciate getting things for free. More than that, offering free resources illustrates the business’s commitment to customers, not money. Show your website’s visitors that the business values people over profits by providing free resources relevant to the company.
Offering informative resources shows industry expertise, which raises the brand’s reputation and authority. Downloadable e-books and PDFs provide customers with guides, checklists, templates, and other valuable information. For example, a house cleaning company may provide downloadable PDFs describing the natural products they use instead of harmful ones.
3) Multi-button CTA
You can catch website visitors at every stage of the customer journey through multi-button calls to action. Offering two or three buttons as options gives the power to the customer to decide where they are rather than feeling forced one way or the other.
For example, a company selling an accounting software solution may list all three of the following CTAs as separate buttons:
- View Features
- View Pricing
- Start Free Demo
This example offers three options to the customer, each tailored to a different stage in the customer journey. An interested consumer may decide to view product features or pricing, while someone ready to convert has the option to start their free demo immediately.
Another way to meet your audience in the customer journey is to create different calls to action for each stage. For example, one call to action prompts visitors to download a free guide, another provides leads with a free trial link, and a third introduces a new product to current customers. Which CTA the audience sees depends on their category.
4) Learn more CTA
These call to action examples don’t need to include the words “learn more.” Any call to action that encourages visitors to keep exploring informative content falls under this category. You might link to blog pages, free resources, business affiliates, or authority websites to provide visitors with further information.
Include it on a relevant page to get the most out of a learn more call to action. For example, linking to a blog post about tree trimming on a lawn mowing service page does not make sense. Instead, link to this post on the tree trimming service page with anchor text like “Learn more about tree trimming from our expert arborists.”
Learn more calls to action work best when incorporated directly after providing a piece of helpful information. First, position yourself as the expert. Then, include a call to action that encourages the visitor to take relevant action or continue exploring the topic under your expert guidance.
5) Discounted product or service CTA
Just as customers enjoy free stuff, they also enjoy discounts and deals. Include percentage-off discounts and other incentives in your calls to action to improve the website’s conversion rate. Visitors convert more often when a sense of urgency exists, and offering limited-time discounts and deals provides one way to achieve this.
A few discount call to action examples include:
- “Get 10% off your next order when you subscribe to our newsletter.”
- “Schedule your first appointment, and get your second visit half-off.”
- “Get free shipping when you spend $100 or more.”
- “Shop this page for limited-time deals on your favorite accessories.”
Consider your options for deals on products and services for some effective calls to action.
6) Free trial CTA
URL: https://www.xero.com/us/online-accounting/buynow/
Offering free trials or demos allows customers to test the service or product without committing fully. This encourages hesitant consumers who may have clicked away to stick around because free trials often present little risk.
You can word these calls to action in many ways. For example, if the website sells payroll software, you might say, “Click here for a free trial.” If you have more space for the call to action, explain the benefit of trying the product: “Start your free trial to discover how our payroll solution can simplify your employee payroll.”
7) Specific action CTA
URL: https://www.cortes.design/
Consider what drives your organic traffic, and keep your calls to action relevant. When possible, use the business’s product or services to create specific, actionable calls to action. For example, a dental clinic website may prompt visitors to “Protect your teeth and gums with regular dental cleanings. Schedule your next cleaning with us.”
If the website’s business offers a niche product or service not offered by many other companies, use this to create relevant and unique calls to action. For example, PickFu.com offers insights through polls and click tests, and one of its main calls to action is the action phrase, “Test your business name now.” This call to action proves compelling because it’s unique, specific, and actionable.
8) Anchor text CTA
URL: https://www.impactplus.com/
Calls to action with anchor text link visitors to other pages where they can perform the suggested steps. In-line links prove effective because they guide visitors toward conversion without interrupting the flow of the page. Keep considering your organic drivers to get the most out of your interlinking efforts.
Many in-line linking opportunities exist when creating calls to action, such as linking to:
- Contact pages
- Quote pages
- Service pages
- Product pages
- Blog posts
- Resources
Even if the website page includes a sidebar button for the same action, using in-line anchor text ensures anyone who reads the page will easily find the link.
9) Question and answer CTA
URL: https://www.dominos.com/en/
Experiment with interactive call to action examples to engage more effectively with consumers. For instance, you might ask your visitors questions and provide answer options via separate links or buttons. This model directly engages the visitor by leading them to the content most relevant to them.
For example, a company that supplies graduation robes may include a homepage heading that reads, “What are you shopping for?” followed by two button links, one for “Teacher robes” and one for “Student robes.” This question-answer call to action brings each shopper to what they’re looking for without opening the website menu.
10) Unique selling proposition CTA
URL: https://feedly.com/
Include the business’s unique selling proposition (USP) in your calls to action to give customers a reason to convert. Perhaps your plumbing service offers 24/7 emergency support, or your law office provides free consultations for all new clients. “Call us to schedule your free consultation” results in more conversions than a simple “Call us today.”
The call to action examples above include fairly standard USPs, but the more unique you can make yours, the more effective it may be. Does the company bake gluten-free snacks or donate a percentage of profits to charity?
Reference your mission, product ingredients, or another factor that sets your business apart. Get as specific as you can for a genuinely unique call to action.
11) Social media CTA
URL: https://www.pinterest.com/
Most business websites include links to social media profiles at the top or bottom of every page, but the little Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn icons may not be doing enough to push customers to connect with you. Social media plays a huge role in brand visibility, so take advantage by sending your visitors there directly.
To encourage website visitors to follow your social media pages, link them there through calls to action. For example, prompt visitors to “Connect with us on Facebook” or “Follow us on social media for brand news and updates.” You might even design a whole page dedicated to linking customers to the business’s various profiles.
12) Share this CTA
Sharable content improves brand awareness and visibility, so include some calls to action that encourage visitors to share what they’ve seen or read. This might take the form of a Click-to-Tweet model or even just a link they can copy and paste. Whatever method you choose to share website content, make it easy for the customer to share.
Shareable website content includes resource links, videos, quotations, and products. Include a share option on product pages so that customers can send links to their favorite items to their friends and family.
13) Find a product CTA
If you’re designing an e-commerce website, help potential customers find the products they need with a call to action. For example, if your online store sells home decorations, create a three-box call to action that links visitors to certain product categories like candle holders, baskets, and pillows. Choose your three best-selling product types or link to sale pages.
Many apparel websites feature these types of call to action examples. Sometimes, a full-page image will guide visitors to featured collections or brands.
14) Animated GIF CTA
URL: https://www.tumblr.com/explore/trending?source=homepage_explore
Animated GIFs as calls to action have grown in popularity in recent years. Many websites conclude blog post pages with branded GIFs that call customers to act. If these often silly animations suit the website you’re designing, consider using one or two to test the waters.
Businesses from various industries have used this tactic to improve RPM, session length, and page views and reduce bounce rates. That being said, ensure you don’t use too many. A web page with several GIFs can become overly stimulating, cluttered, and disorganized.
What makes a great call to action for web design?
As a website designer, you already understand that the words aren’t the only important aspect of a good call to action. The best calls to action are placed well, eye-catching, and concise. They focus on the customer, function correctly, and have proven their worth through testing.
Placement
Did you know that the majority of visitors will make up their minds about your website in three to five seconds? Consider placing an eye-catching call to action on the homepage, visible when the customer first lands on the page. This may prove unnecessary for pages like blog posts, but main content pages should include several calls to action in various locations.
Page top
Include at least one call to action at the top of every page, so visitors can see it right away no matter what page they land on. This might be a simple “Email us” button linked to the business email or a vibrant half-page banner highlighting a key product, service, or fact about the company.
Slide-in
Have you ever been scrolling down a page, and a call to action slides in from the right when you are near the bottom? This is a slide-in call to action. A slide-in creates the perfect lead generation opportunity, such as a contact button, a free trial or demo link, a chatbox, or a subscription prompt.
Slide-in calls to action catch the eye without popping up over the content the visitor is trying to read, so opt for these over popup boxes that cover up other content.
In-line
In-line calls to action link visitors to other pages from within the text on the page. Using these allows you to encourage your audience to take action without designing or incorporating a button.
As discussed above, in-line calls to action provide an excellent method for linking to other pages. If you want to prompt visitors to visit the testimonials page to read past customer reviews, you might do this as an in-line call to action in relevant contexts.
Sidebar
The sidebar section of a web page presents the perfect location for calls to action relevant to the business but not necessarily the specific page content. Use this placement for such calls to action on blog posts and reference pages.
Consider all of these placements to incorporate calls to action in multiple locations. To view a great example, visit a product page on Amazon. This single page includes several calls to action, including “Look inside,” “Add to cart,” “Buy now,” “Buy it with,” and “Add to list,” giving customers many options on how to proceed with the product.
Appearance
Although in-line calls to action often include links, their appearances match the text itself. On the other hand, banners and buttons rely on appearance to catch visitors’ eyes. Consider the following factors that can improve a call to action’s appearance:
Font
The font used may seem unimportant to some, but web designers understand the power of the right font choice. The best call to action examples feature fonts that complement the rest of the website but also stand out. Large font size draws the eye, but overly large words become more distracting than attractive.
Keep your font choices smart for the best appearance for the call to action and the website as a whole.
Image
If your call to action contains an image, consider how the colors match the website and whether the image quality is high enough. Mismatched or low-quality images may do the website more harm than good when driving leads and conversions. Stock photography provides many great options for high-quality images.
Color
A great website design uses color to draw the eye and create impact. Calls to action with bold, bright colors often work better than basic examples with little design quality.
For example, many businesses have found orange to be an eye-catching color that improves the performance of calls to action. You can also use color to emphasize certain words or phrases within a call to action section. Put terms like “free” or “limited time” in orange or red for more impact.
While color proves essential, you can overdo it. A naturally sourced supplement, for example, doesn’t need an overly bright website. Instead, colors like brown and green create a more appropriate tone. It’s also a good idea to avoid highly bright colors that are hard to read, such as yellow, cyan, and light pink.
Check out some of the best color schemes for your CTA and website here.
User-friendliness
The appearance of a call to action does not pose the most significant issue if the customer can’t complete the action as stated. A page link that leads to an error page or a mislabeled button may lead to potential customers clicking away.
If a customer visits the website and is ready to convert, they might change their mind if they encounter a call to action that is not user-friendly. Ensure all calls to action on the website function properly with no broken or incorrect links, spelling errors, or unreadable text that may turn visitors away.
For example, does your website cater to elderly visitors? Keep your calls to action large and easy to find and read. You may even share call to action examples with people in your life for opinions on which they like better.
Reader focus
A good call to action focuses on the reader by addressing them directly. It should present an opportunity for the reader or solve a problem they have. A reader should be able to form clear expectations based on the call to action.
For example, “Call us for window replacement services” does not boast the same reader focus as “Are your acrylic windows bowed and warped from sun damage? Call us for expert window replacement services.” The problem-solution model provides excellent results.
Let them know what they stand to gain from following the suggested action. For example, if you’re telling a customer to download a free guide on sprinkler system winterization, explain what they’ll learn from the guide and how it will help.
Trial and error
It’s not always easy to determine which call to action will provide the best results. If you’re unsure which wording will work best, which color to choose, or which landing page to link to, conduct A/B testing. As with marketing campaigns, often, the only real way to know whether one version is more effective than another is to test them side by side.
Once you know which call to action works best for that website, you can integrate this model throughout the site to improve overall conversion rates.
Great calls to action in summary
Well-crafted calls to action are essential to web design. They keep visitors engaged and guide them toward becoming leads and then customers. Incorporating effective calls to action can significantly improve a website’s performance.
Whether designing a website for a client’s business or yours, don’t settle for a dull, simple CTA on any page. Use free offerings, discounts, valuable information, and attractive, user-friendly design elements to entice visitors to stick around. Consider all of these call to action examples to improve your website’s click-through and conversion rates and ensure customers find what they’re searching for.
