Design - Call to Action Items

what makes for a good "call to action" Item?

A Call to Action item is an element of your website that encourages the user to take action.

call-to-action-itemsA Call to Action item may be a simple button or a form found on the page, but regardless of what and where, having effective Call to Action items is important for your website success.

What makes for a good Call to Action?

  • It should be simple and clear.
    A good Call to Action should be something simple. A button or a simple form are great places to start.  A Call to Action should also be very clear in what will happen. If the user wants to sign up for a newsletter,  the Call to Action should indicate that the user will get that result. Nothing is worse that vague and meaningless action items.
  • It should be immediate.
    Have you ever been to a site and clicked a button to purchase a specific item, but been taken to a general sales page with other items for sale? Frustrating! After all,  you were ready to buy the item. Why did they make you have to search for that item again? Even with a simple form, the Call to Action should be immediate. Get the minimum information needed to get something started,  and then let your salesforce take it from there. Don’t make the mistake of using your website as the salesforce.  Long intensive forms rarely get completed!
  • It should be positioned properly.
    A Call to Action item located in the wrong place will net very little results. At the same time,  putting it in the user’s face may turn them off. Knowing where to place them takes experience and testing.
  • It should be planned.
    Some websites seem to treat Call to Action items as an after thought. Just randomly thrown about the page. But careful planning of your Call to Action items will help provide better results right from the start.

A good designer will understand the aspects of effective Call to Action items. If you are unsure of the designer’s understanding,  ask them to explain what Call to Action items are, what they advise and why. The answer will provide you with great insight.