It isn’t by magic that visitors to your site contact you and allow you an opportunity to make the sale. Something on your site attracted them and prompted them to act. This something usually involves a little button, or banner on the site which clearly invites them to go further, get more information, purchase something, register or interact in some way. These prompts are referred to as “call to action options.” The call to action option should be strategically placed in an obvious location so no one will miss it.
Why do visitors need a “call to action” option when visiting the site?
Visitors to your site are normally there to do one of three things. They either want to know more about your offerings, are just searching around and browsing the web, or they are ready to purchase your product or service. Visitors come to your site with a goal in mind. If the site is informative and offers clear steps to proceed, the visitor will take the actions necessary. However, if you have not done your homework, if there are no prompts, no call to action options, the goal quickly slips out of the sight. This is when the visitor becomes frustrated and leaves the site.
In deciding what option to use, include more information explaining the offer. For “Now Available” for instance, you might put text beneath explaining how long the offer will last or the expiration date. A free offer is always considered. Who wouldn’t want to get something for free so a “special offer” button might just do the trick? We are always careful to cover our bargain shoppers. Some of those folks insist on some type of savings before considering any purchase.
Whatever offer you show off on your site, remember this, if you leave the visitor with unanswered questions, it might result in those not wanting to sign up, register or take advantage of a great savings. None of us will be prompted to act if we feel there are facts missing.
How do “call to action options” affect site conversion rate?
Wikipedia explains the meaning of “conversion rate” as the amount of action taken by the visitor to the site in proportion to the casual browsing and leaving the site. In other words for “conversion” to occur, the visitor must be prompted to act or do something above and beyond just browsing the site pages. This is where the call to action elements shine. As we develop a new website, this information is taken into account. Conversion percentage these days is very low. Because of this, we pay special attention to placing at least one call to action prompt on the landing page for every site we build.
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Article by: Jean Holland-Rose,
Chief Creative Officer & SEO Strategist
