One of the main objectives of having a website or an online store is to bring your brand closer to your target, wherever they are. To generate traffic you can use different strategies.
Once users reach your website, what is your goal? You may want to close sales, get subscribers or requests for information. Ultimately, your goal is to increase conversions.
These conversions are achieved by applying mechanisms that encourage your visits to meet the objective you have set for yourself. That is a CTA (call to action) or call to action.
In this post we want to offer you tips with which to find the best location for your CTAs.
We started.
What is a CTA or call to action?
A CTA is, as its name suggests, a call to action. It can be a text (for example, a link) or a graphic element (for example, a button).
These elements can be placed anywhere on your website, although you can also use them on your social networks, in your newsletters, on your video channel, etc.
Its function is always the same: that your buyer person takes an action. This action will be the one you have set as your objective.
The objective of a CTA can be to get users to leave their contact information, share your publications, make a reservation, buy a product or service, etc.
To achieve these conversions, visitors must immediately know where the CTA is like Children’s book illustration and what we want it to do.
What is the ideal CTA like?
The success of a CTA does not have a specific recipe. The strategy to get the user to take action depends on factors related to your sector and the profile of your buyer persona, among others.
To find out what works best in each case, it is best to perform tests (such as A / B tests) and measure the results.
However, there are characteristics that all CTAs have in common. The main ones are these:
- Brevity and conciseness
- Clarity in the message
- Visual differentiation
The call to action should invite the user to click. Therefore, we must use direct and clear words. It is best to start with an imperative verb. For example, “call now”, “contact”, “ask for an estimate”.
For the user to act, it is convenient to offer him something in return. This value proposition must be clearly and attractively explained.
The CTA has to be visually differentiated from the rest of the web both by its appearance and its location. Do something flashy but, yes, following your color scheme.
Here are some examples of call-to-action objectives:
- Generate traffic between the articles of your blog to increase the time of permanence
- Share your content on social networks to gain followers
- Get comments on your articles to increase your relevance
- Obtain contacts of people interested in your products or services to later carry out other actions aimed at selling
- Hire your services or purchase your products
One last piece of advice before moving on to the next point: you shouldn’t abuse CTAs. In excess they can overwhelm or distract the user’s attention.
Where to place CTAs to increase conversions?
So far we have seen what a CTA is and what characteristics it must have to really attract attention.
Let’s see which the best places on your website to insert them and increase your website conversions.
Fixed CTA in the header
One of its main advantages is that it is visible during all navigation. You can also locate it in the menu and differentiate it by giving it the appearance of a button.
This area is perfect for service websites, such as online courses or consultancies, although it can work well almost always.
Dynamic CTA in the header
Unlike the previous one, this CTA changes depending on the page the user is visiting. It is useful for generating specific related calls to action for the contents of each section.
CTA in the sidebar
The main advantage of placing the CTA in the sidebar is that it does not disturb the users, who can navigate without interruptions. The downside is that when scrolling, it is no longer visible.
CTA in a pop-up window
Pop-up or pop-up windows are opened when entering a website or when we have been browsing for a few seconds. The positive part is that they cannot be ignored as they are displayed in the foreground. The downside is that they are more intrusive.
Although it can be very effective, it should be used with caution.
CTA on the home page
The home page is the one that receives the most visits, so it may be a good idea to insert your CTA here. You can use it for different purposes: go to the blog, go to products on sale, and ask for information…
CTA at the end of the content
The end of your blog posts is a good place to insert your calls to action. You can place a CTA inviting to comment on the post or a promotion-type CTA that is related to the content.
For example, if you are talking about tax advice, you can add an offer to contract your services with a discount or a free trial.
For the user to see this CTA, they must have reached the end of the post, so you have to put the focus on writing quality content. If you are not very clear that the readers will reach the end, you can place the CTA after the first paragraphs.
Newsletter subscriptions usually work in this location. The visitor is reading about a topic that interests them and wants to be up to date with your publications.