The case for testing: Enhancing your Call to Action

Your call to action is arguably the most important element of your website. After all, without it there would be no reason to be online in the first place.

Your call to action takes visitors from the look-around-and-browse phase to the give-me-more-information or perhaps even the I’m-ready-to-buy phase.

If it’s going to do its job effectively, you need to know how to develop a call to action that supports your overall marketing strategy and communicates to your target audience. While plenty of experts will give you their opinions on how to do this, the only surefire way to know what works and what doesn’t is to test.

Observe What’s Working and Emulate It

Testing your call to action should be a regular part of your website evaluation process. Testing allows you to observe which of your website’s calls to action are generating lots of clicks and which ones aren’t.

If you notice a particular page that’s out-performing all the other pages in terms of conversions, it’s worth taking the time to pinpoint what’s different about that particular call to action. Remember that it may not be the call to action button itself that’s different. It could also be the placement, the surrounding content, the written copy, or even the amount of white space surrounding the button.

Observe What’s Not Working and Modify It

As you’re identifying the bright spots on your web page, you should begin pinpointing the dead spots as well. Pages that convert at a much lower rate than surrounding pages should prompt investigation. Consider testing some of the following elements to find out where the problem is:

●      Copy—Focus on action-oriented copy that tells the reader at a glance what will happen if he clicks the button

●      Placement—Keep calls to action above the fold and make sure they stand out from surrounding content

●      Ease of Conversion—Pare down forms and checkout procedure so the user can complete the conversion process as quickly and succinctly as possible without sacrificing too much personal information

●      Visual Elements—Color, size, white space, and contrast all play a part in making your call to action visible on the page. The viewer should never have to search for a way to take the next step; it should be a natural progression as his eye tracks down the page.

As a primary element of the conversion process, your call to action should be the subject of continual testing. As you continually observe the interactions taking place throughout your website, you can evaluate and modify your calls to action so that they remain engaging and compelling.