Boost Your Landing Page Conversions: 7 Essential Call to Action (CTA) Best Practices

Did you know that nearly 70% of businesses overlook the importance of an effective call to action (CTA) in their marketing strategies?

Sadly, most visitors to landing pages won’t take action without a clear and compelling prompt guiding them.

With years of experience in helping businesses design high-converting landing pages, I’ve found that a well-crafted CTA is essential for transforming casual visitors into loyal customers.

Since effective CTAs are vital for boosting conversions on your WordPress website or online store, they must be precise and encourage immediate action.

In this article, I will outline the best practices for CTAs that guarantee increased conversions on your landing pages.

I will discuss several key topics in this post. Here’s a convenient list so you can navigate directly to the section that interests you most:

1. Include Only One CTA Per Page to Provide a Clear Direction for Users

Let’s begin with the most crucial CTA best practice: typically, you should feature just one call to action on each page.

To motivate your WordPress website visitors to take action, it’s essential to clearly define that action and communicate it effectively.

Resist the urge to include multiple calls to action on a landing page, as this can confuse your audience and make it hard for them to choose.

This phenomenon is referred to as choice paralysis. When presented with several options, individuals often hesitate because they are uncertain about which choice is the best. The way forward becomes unclear.

In my experience, concentrating on a single CTA per page significantly boosts conversion rates more than any other element. In fact, restricting your landing page to one CTA can lead to a 371% increase in clicks and an astonishing 1,617% rise in sales.

Ensure your landing page features a single, clear call to action. This creates a straightforward path for users to follow, leading to increased conversions. If your page is lengthy and requires multiple CTAs, make sure they all convey the same message.

2. Utilize Powerful and Persuasive Language to Inspire Action

To encourage your visitors to respond to your CTA, employ actionable language that explicitly indicates what they should do next.

This involves using strong action verbs like ‘get’, ‘start’, ‘shop’, ‘download’, and ‘subscribe’.

I believe that action verbs instill a sense of confidence and authority. They clearly instruct users on the desired action in a direct and assertive manner.

Here are some effective examples of strong CTAs:

• Gain Exclusive Access
• Begin Saving Today
• Browse New Arrivals
• Download Your Complimentary Guide
• Sign Up for Free Updates

Keep your CTAs concise and impactful to ensure they are easily scannable and understandable. For instance, ‘Get a free reader’ is an excellent example of a brief, action-oriented CTA from Square.

Whenever possible, incorporate urgency or scarcity language. This leverages the fear of missing out (FOMO) and motivates the user to take immediate action:

• Claim Your Discount Before It Expires
• Act Fast, Limited Time Offer!
• Take Advantage of This Exclusive Deal!
• Secure Your Spot Today (limited availability)

Always tailor your call to action to fit the specific campaign. Customized CTAs can convert 42% more visitors compared to vague, generic ones.

3. Use Benefit-Focused Language to Motivate Users

Incorporating benefit-focused CTAs with emotional appeal can spark a desire that drives users to take action.

When crafting your call to action, emphasize the benefits you provide and clarify what users will gain by engaging. If they understand the value, they’ll be more inclined to click.

To achieve this effectively, it’s important to grasp what inspires your target audience. Additionally, consider using action-oriented verbs like ‘unlock’, ‘discover’, ‘boost’, and ‘save’.

For instance, if your current CTA simply states ‘Download Now’, it informs users of the action but lacks motivational appeal.

A more compelling call to action would be ‘Download Your Free Guide Today’. This emphasizes the benefit and creates a sense of urgency.

An example is Aura’s landing page, which features the benefit-driven CTA ‘Get Protection Now’.

Pay attention to the text just above the call to action. It emphasizes the benefit of saving 70%, while the word ‘today’ creates a sense of urgency. Later in this article, I will guide you on how to enhance your CTA with effective supporting copy.

Here are additional examples of benefit-oriented CTAs that can inspire you:

• Access Exclusive Discounts
• Enhance Your Productivity
• Save Big Right Now
• Develop Your Skills

Incorporating benefit-oriented language like this directly addresses the user’s needs and desires. This transforms your call to action from a mere instruction into an enticing invitation.

4. Use a Button for Your CTA to Increase Clicks

Positioning your CTA on a button is an effective method to enhance conversions. Buttons are highly visible, easy to customize, and clearly indicate an action to be taken.

Research indicates that this approach is effective. For instance, Copyblogger reported a remarkable 45% increase in clicks after they transitioned to button-shaped CTAs.

You can effortlessly add a call to action button to your landing pages using the WordPress block editor or a page builder plugin.

For example, SeedProd templates allow you to create landing pages easily and come with a built-in call to action button.

Customizing the color, text, and appearance of your CTA to align with your campaign is quick and straightforward.

Before we proceed, I want to highlight my top tip for enhancing the effectiveness of your CTA buttons. Research indicates that adding an arrow icon can boost conversions by an impressive 26%.

In the screenshot below, you can see how we implement this strategy on our own website. We also create a sense of urgency by incorporating the word ‘Now’.

We enhanced the button’s visibility by using a contrasting color and placing it in multiple locations, which leads us to our next point.

5. Design Highly Visible CTA Buttons That Capture Attention

It’s obvious that no one will click a button that they can’t see. Fortunately, there are numerous strategies to ensure your call to action stands out.

To make your CTA button pop, use a bright color that contrasts with your landing page’s color scheme. Ensure the button text is large and easy to read.

You can easily adjust these settings in the block editor and landing page plugins like SeedProd.

Experiment with various sizes and placements for your call-to-action button to determine what is most visually appealing. Ensure the button is positioned high on the page so visitors can see it without scrolling.

For longer landing pages, it’s crucial to position your call-to-action at multiple locations throughout the content. This allows readers to easily access the CTA as they scroll, reinforcing its importance.

To maximize clicks on your call-to-action buttons, make them accessible to all users. Adding alt text to the CTA button ensures visibility for individuals using screen readers, which includes approximately 7 million people in the United States.

6. Enhance Your Call to Action with Additional Landing Page Text

Since a strong call-to-action button features concise and targeted text, it’s essential to provide additional information on the landing page to highlight its value.

Keep this supplementary text brief and position it close to the call to action. A great example can be found on the OptinMonster website.

Observe how their supporting text ‘Watch the video’ is placed directly beneath the CTA button. Video content is effective on landing pages as it delivers valuable information without overwhelming the page with excessive written content.

Ensure that all supporting text aligns with the call to action. This consistency enhances the user experience and strengthens the message of your CTA.

For instance, consider this benefit-driven CTA button:

The accompanying text could read, ‘Claim your exclusive 15% discount today,’ while the page title might state, ‘Black Friday Week: 15% Off Everything.’

By keeping your landing page content concise and straightforward, you can maintain focus on your call to action and increase conversion rates.

7. Utilize A/B Testing and Analytics to Enhance Your CTA

I recommend experimenting with various calls to action to identify the most effective version for your site. Consider altering the wording, trying different colors and shapes, and testing different placements for the button.

To determine which version of your CTA performs best, conduct A/B split testing. This involves creating multiple variations of your call to action and other landing page elements to analyze their impact on user engagement.

Always test only two variations of your call to action (CTA) at a time. This approach ensures your results are precise and meaningful. By doing so, you can easily identify which button style is more effective or which CTA wording attracts the most clicks.

For instance, Unbounce conducted A/B testing on two nearly identical CTAs. The first read ‘Start your free 30-day trial,’ while the second stated ‘Start my free 30-day trial.’ They were astonished to discover that the second version led to a 90% increase in click-through rates due to such a minor alteration.

You can conduct similar tests with various CTAs on your website. While you might not achieve a 90% increase, experimenting with different CTA options can reveal which one performs best.

I also recommend using an analytics tool or heatmap software to track how visitors interact with your landing page. This data reveals user behavior before they click the CTA, providing valuable insights for enhancing your landing page and CTA button.

Additional Resources

I hope these tips help you grasp essential CTA best practices to boost your landing page conversions. You may also find these CanadaCreate guides on WordPress landing pages and CTAs helpful:

• What is the Difference Between a Landing Page and a Website?
• Strategies for Leveraging AI to Enhance Your Lead Generation Efforts
• Effective Landing Page Examples That Drive Conversions
• Expert Tips for Optimizing Your WordPress Landing Pages
• Proven Techniques to Boost Your Landing Page Conversions by 300%

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