Part 2 of 2: An exercise to identify Calls to Action.

(Part 1 of 2 is here.) In part 2 of 2 for our Calls to Action article, we explore key elements to great calls to action.

Let’s recap, shall we? Calls to action…

Create direction for visitors. Calls to action clarify the direction your visitors need to go, simply. Too many directions to go and you muddy the waters. 3 is best. Put a verb in there to make sure that visitors understand there is something to do. Use plenty of space around the calls to action to ensure visibility. Use color to your advantage.

Create incentive to continue clicking. Entice your customers with action phrases and a clear benefit to continue clicking.

Example calls to action:

See if you can identify some of the components of this great ‘call to action’ page.

See if you can identify the great elements of the Calls to Action on this page.

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… The answers are below… no cheating!

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Check your answers.

How many did you get? We counted 7:

How many elements of great calls to action did you get? The numbers on the image correspond to the bullet points below.

1. Value clearly stated. Note that the benefit of ‘signing up’ is clearly stated and stands out well. This benefit is used for the ‘overall’ benefit of using this product, but it works here for identifying value.

2. Negative space around buttons. ‘Negative space’ is the same thing as ‘white space’ – which makes things stand out from everything else easily. That way, things don’t get ‘lost in the sauce’. Note the large amount of green area around both the benefit and the buttons.

3. Use different colors to punctuate things. Note the use of the orange color for “Watch the Video” – probably a great selling point for signing up! Video is big right now, and enticing. But the color stand out draws the eye.

4. Incentive. Note the ‘free 30 day trial’ language right next to the sign-up button.

5. 2-3 buttons, max. More choices is not necessarily a good thing. Too many buttons and your visitor will get confused as to what to do next, even if they have identified the calls to action.

6. Buttons are big. Especially in relation to other elements on the page. Other than the logo, they are THE biggest objects on the page.

7. Action language compels. Using verbs with ‘time’ language is good. “SIGN UP” and “TAKE” are both verbs, as is “WATCH” (the video). And it’s not just “SIGN UP,” but “SIGN UP NOW.”

It’s not that hard, is it?

This exercise might have prompted you to look at your website in new ways. We sure hope it did! It’s not that hard to streamline the calls to action, if you know what you’re doing.

Your CALL TO ACTION, right now:

But that’s not all…