All successful web sites
have one element in common:
an effective Call To
Action (CTA).
Basically, a CTA
answers the question “What
is the one thing I want my
visitors to do on my web
site?” while answering your
visitors question of “What
can you do for me?” Without
an effective CTA, visitors
quickly lose interest and
you lose a potential
lifelong customer.
Your Call To Action is the
foundation around which your
site is built, and every
page on your site should be
geared toward achieving your
CTA. In addition, you should
have a secondary CTA in
place in case your visitor
does not respond to your
primary
CTA, you have a backup
option for them as well.
Here are a few Call to
Action examples:
For a Professional
Services Firm
-
CTA – filling out your
contact form or calling
you to learn more about
your services
-
Secondary CTA – signing
up for a free report or
newsletter
For a Non-Profit
Organization
-
CTA – making a donation
(either online or
offline)
-
Secondary CTA – filling
out your contact form
for more information
For a Product
Company
-
CTA – Buying one (or
more) of your products
-
Secondary CTA – signing
up for your weekly
newsletter that includes
product promotions and
sales
Unfortunately, many web
sites today are just
designed to look good,
without giving much thought
to the web sites primary
goals or measures of
success. People searching
for solutions, information
and products are goal
oriented, and the easier and
faster you can help them
achieve their goals the
better.
What is the best way
to set up a Call To Action
for your
web site?
Start by asking yourself
these questions:
-
What do I want my
customer to do on my web
site? What is the goal
of my web site?
-
How can I help my
customers achieve their
goals with my CTA?
-
How can I measure the
effectiveness of my CTA?
-
How can I improve my CTA
for better results?
Once you have identified
your primary and secondary
CTA, it’s time to organize
and start writing (or
rewriting) your web site
content. Print out your
CTA’s and keep them in front
of you to remind you that
everything on your web site
is geared to achieving your
Call To Action.
For example, your contact
form now becomes easily
accessible from every page
on your web site, or your
“Donate Now” link appears
more frequently on your
carefully written charitable
web site.
Please note, you are not
trying to deceive or trick
your visitors in any way.
You are helping them achieve
their goals as well as your
own. A true win-win
situation!
Finally, having an
effective Call To Action is
not enough
You must think a step ahead,
by having the necessary
systems in place to handle
when your visitors complete
your CTA. For a services
firm, this means replying to
requests for information
within 24 hours, if not
sooner. For a product
company, this means after a
customer submits an order,
you should be sending a
confirmation email with
their order details,
shipping/tracking
information and a customer
support phone number (as
well as shipping their
product!).
Making sure your web site is
built around a
measurable and effective
Call To Action is
the best way to build a
successful web site for both
you and your visitors.
