CTA stands for call to action. On websites it is usually a button, though it can also be a highlighted link or a banner. Its job is to make it clear to the visitor what they can do now and what happens when they click.
A CTA matters outside the website too. In a newsletter or on the last slide of a social post you also have to tell the reader what to do if they are interested in what they have seen.
Weak CTAs are usually generic. A “Next” or “Click here” label does not say what follows the click, so the visitor becomes unsure and often decides not to click. A label such as “Request a quote” or “Book a time” says what the visitor gets and speaks from their point of view.
What makes a CTA work
- The label says from the visitor's point of view what happens after the click
- The colour and size of the button stand out from the rest of the page while still fitting the brand
- It appears where the visitor is ready to decide, for example after an offer has been presented
- There is one main CTA per screen, and the other options are quieter, as secondary buttons
Contrast matters even more than colour. A button has to stand out even when someone looks at their phone in bright sunlight or does not see colours well, so there has to be a strong enough difference between the label and the background.
The surroundings of a CTA count as well. A short sentence next to the button, for example that a quote request comes with no obligation or that we reply within one working day, often does more than the colour of the button itself.
On a longer page the main CTA can appear several times, for example at the top and at the end, so visitors do not have to scroll back once they have decided to act. The label stays the same everywhere, so the visitor knows it is the same step.
An A/B test shows which wording works better, and measuring clicks also shows in which place most people click.
