What is a Call to Action?
Did you know that 70% of small business B2B websites lack a great call to action?
That's mind-blowing. Especially considering call to actions are one of the most effective ways to boost conversions for any business in any industry.
Think about your own website for a moment. What's the goal? Do you want people to buy your product or service? Schedule a consultation? Download a guide? Sign up for your newsletter?
Once you know what you want your website visitors to do, you can create a call to action that encourages them to take that next step. But if you've never seen good call to action examples before, you might not know where to start.
TLDR: A call to action (CTA) is a clear instruction telling visitors what to do next on your website - like "Buy Now" or "Schedule a Call." Without effective CTAs, visitors leave without taking action, costing you conversions. Good CTAs are clear, concise, action-oriented, visually distinct, and guide visitors toward your business goals.
What makes a good CTA? And how can you create one that actually works for your business? Read on to find out.
What Exactly Is a Call to Action?
A call to action (CTA in the marketing world) is an instruction to your reader, telling them exactly what they need to do next to achieve the desired result.
A call to action (CTA in the marketing world) is an instruction to your reader, telling them exactly what they need to do next to achieve the desired result.
A CTA can be as simple as "Buy now!" or "Sign up for our newsletter!" But it can also be more detailed, like "Visit our website to learn more about how we can help you reach your goals."
The critical thing is that a CTA is clear, specific, and leaves the reader with an obvious next step to take. No confusion. No guessing. Just a clear path forward.
While CTAs are most commonly used in marketing and advertising, they show up everywhere. Blog posts, articles, emails, social media - any time you want your reader to take a specific action, a CTA helps make it happen.
Why You Absolutely Need to Use a Call to Action
Why is it important to use a call to action? Because without one, you’re just allowing peoHere's the hard truth: Without a call to action, you're just letting people wander onto your website and leave without taking any action at all.
They read your content. They browse your pages. Then they disappear. No purchase. No contact. No conversion. Just gone.
A strong call to action motivates your visitors to take the next step, whether that's signing up for a newsletter (make sure you're offering something valuable in exchange for their email address), making a purchase, scheduling a consultation, or anything else that moves them closer to becoming a customer.
Your call to action needs to be:
Clear - No ambiguity about what you're asking them to do
Concise - Short and to the point, not a paragraph
Easy to understand - Use simple language anyone can grasp
Easy to identify - It should stand out visually on your page
That last point is crucial. If you have a WordPress website, this often means working with a designer to create a visually-appealing CTA button that stands out in contrast to the rest of your site. Your CTA shouldn't blend in - it should jump off the page and demand attention.
The Real Benefits of Using CTAs Correctly
First and foremost, an effective call to action boosts conversions by providing a clear and direct path for users to follow.
By telling visitors exactly what you want them to do next, you guide them through the conversion process and dramatically increase the chances they'll take the desired action. Think of it like giving someone clear directions instead of a vague "it's over there somewhere."
CTAs also boost engagement by prompting users to interact with your content in specific ways. If you want visitors to watch a video or read a blog post, including a CTA encourages them to do exactly that. You're not leaving it to chance - you're actively directing their attention.
Finally, CTAs serve as a measurement tool for your content's effectiveness. By tracking how many people take the desired action after seeing your CTA, you get valuable insights into what's working and what isn't. This data helps you refine your approach and improve your results over time..
Great Call to Action Examples
Now that you understand what a call to action is, let's look at some examples that work.
Before we dig in, keep these guidelines in mind when crafting your CTAs:
Make it clear and concise. Don't make people work to understand what you're asking.
Keep it relevant to the product or service you're selling. A furniture store shouldn't have a CTA about software.
Make it actionable. It should tell the reader exactly what they need to do next.
With these principles in mind, here are proven examples:
Example 1: The Furniture Sale
A furniture store having a big sale uses this CTA: "Come in and save!"
This works because it's clear, concise, and tells the reader exactly what to do next. It's relevant to the product (furniture) and the offer (a discount). As an added benefit, it tells the customer exactly how they'll benefit - by saving money. It's a value-based offer that's hard to turn down.
Example 2: The Travel Website
A travel website uses: "Book your dream vacation now!"
Again, this is clear and concise. It tells the reader what to do next. It's highly relevant to the product (vacation packages) and creates urgency with the word "now." It also appeals to emotion by mentioning "dream vacation" - not just any vacation, but the one you've been dreaming about..
Use Action-Oriented Words
When you're learning how to write a call to action, the most helpful tip we can give you is this: use action-oriented words.
Why does this matter so much?
Action-oriented words create urgency. They make it clear that the reader needs to act now, not later. "Buy now" is more powerful than "Consider buying."
They focus attention on the desired outcome. By telling the reader what they should do, action-oriented words make it more likely they'll actually do it. You're removing the thinking and decision-making friction.
They increase conversions. Studies prove that CTAs with action-oriented words are significantly more effective at getting people to take action than CTAs without them.
Here are powerful action words to consider:
- Get
- Start
- Discover
- Learn
- Download
- Schedule
- Join
- Try
- Claim
- Reserve
Each of these words implies movement and progress. They tell the reader to do something specific right now.
So if you want your CTAs to be successful, make sure you're using action-oriented words. The difference in conversion rates can be dramatic.
Why Are Calls to Action Important to Your Small Business?
From signing up for newsletters and downloading ebooks to making purchases or filling out contact forms, CTAs offer small businesses a powerful opportunity to guide customers down the right path toward conversion.
They provide clear instructions and actionable steps that make it easier for potential customers to take desired actions on your site. Without them, you're hoping visitors will figure it out on their own. That's not a strategy - that's wishful thinking.
With well-crafted CTAs, you can increase customer engagement by providing a personalized experience. You're engaging users in conversations and walking them through different stages of your sales funnel based on their preferences and behaviors.
This drives conversions by turning casual website visitors into willing participants in your purchase flows or signup processes. You're not leaving money on the table - you're actively collecting it.
For small businesses competing against bigger companies with massive marketing budgets, effective CTAs level the playing field. They don't cost anything extra to implement, but they can dramatically increase your conversion rates. That's money in your pocket without spending more on advertising.
Your CTA Action Plan
Ready to implement this on your website? Here's what to do:
Identify your goal. What specific action do you want visitors to take?
Write a clear, action-oriented CTA. Use strong verbs and make it specific.
Make it visually distinct. Use contrasting colors and prominent placement.
Test different versions. Try different wording and see what converts better.
Track your results. Use analytics to measure how many people take action.
Refine and improve. Use your data to make your CTAs even more effective.
The businesses that win online are the ones that guide visitors clearly toward conversion. Don't hope they'll figure it out - tell them exactly what to do.
Need Help With Your Website?
We know that running a business and managing your own website can be stressful and overwhelming.
You're juggling a hundred different things. Website optimization, content creation, technical maintenance, conversion optimization - it never ends. And every hour you spend wrestling with your website is an hour you're not spending on growing your business or serving your customers.
If you're looking to offload the technical side of your website so you can focus on what you do best, we can help.
At Your WP Guy, our maintenance plans take care of all the technical details - including making sure your website is optimized for conversions with clear calls to action. We handle the updates, the security, the speed optimization, and yes, even helping ensure your CTAs are working effectively.
You focus on running your business. We'll make sure your website is fast, secure, and actually converting visitors into customers.
Ready to stop stressing about your website? Schedule an appointment today. We'll create a maintenance plan that gives you peace of mind and frees up your time to invest in what really matters - growing your business.
Your website should be working for you, not adding to your workload. Let us handle it.
