You’re a business owner who has spent thousands of dollars on a new website. You can’t wait for all of the response and customers you’ll receive from said website. Months pass and …. nothing happens. Your website can’t be found on the internet; customers aren’t flooding your in box with inquiries; and the only people who have commented on your website so far are your employees, and your relatives.

Why does this happen? Most times it’s either A. your website is not optimized so it’s virtually invisible on the internet; or, B. there are no calls-to-action on the site. We’ll talk about SEO another time, today, let’s explore the almighty “call-to-action”.

What is a Call-to-Action?

Simply put, a call-to-action is the end result you want from your visitor. Many business owners don’t clearly define their website goals before the design process begins. This is a huge mistake that can cost even more of your already stretched budget to fix after the fact.

Before jumping into the design, ask yourself “what do I want my visitors to do when they land on my website?”

Some examples of a call-to-action are:

• Fill out a contact form
• Subscribe to a newsletter
• Register for an event
• Download a white paper
• Subscribe to your blog

Whatever the action is, the steps leading to that action also need to be very clear. Wording and color of a call-to-action are just as important as the placement. Make the action clear, visible, and enticing. Avoid phrases like: “click here”, “read more”, and “more”. Think about how many websites you have visited that have such lame action phrases. Do you ever click on them? Probably not.

Messaging Your Call-to-Action

The message in the call-to-action needs to be clear and simple, but not boring. Some examples of this include:

• Buy Now, Save 50%
• Receive SEO Tips Weekly
• Read Our Gardening Articles
• Download Software Whitepapers
• Get Started Now
• Free Instant Quote

Grab your audiences attention. Make the action appealing. The visitor has landed on your site for a  reason, make it easy for them to make the desired action.

Conclusion

A website needs to be more than just a pretty picture. Think about what you want your visitors to do on your webiste. Then, make it easy for them to do so. You’ll be happy you did.