What Is a CTA and What Purpose Do They Serve?
CTA stands for Call to Action. They are words and/or phrases used to prompt the reader to take action. While all marketing copy is meant to entice, engage and inspire, a CTA is the power punch, and end point to the copy leading up to it. CTA’s tell the reader what to do next and how. Knowing how to use CTAs on your website can not only help you sell your book, but can boost your SEO.
CTAs can be as simple as a directive, such as a Buy Now or Subscribe Today button, and as complex as a subtle play on the emotions. Does this mean CTAs can be a bit manipulative and pushy? Well, yes. Sometimes they can. But they work best when they aren’t obviously that way. Of course, all of your website copy should be well-crafted, clear and concise so that your website visitors WANT to take action. But the CTA needs to helpfully guide them to what to do next.
Where and How to Use CTAs on Your Website
Because they are meant to be the power punch to the rest of your marketing copy, CTAs can be thought of as a conclusion. Use them at the end of your copy, mostly if that copy is in shorter form. This style of CTA is usually used on sales pages and the other landing pages of your website. A creative CTA used to prompt them to click those Buy Now buttons is also more effective than just having that same button as your CTA.
Though you can, and should, use them throughout longer blocks of text to prompt the reader to continue reading, reflect and examine, or to guide them to further information and to landing pages on your website.
Where you can use CTAs
- On your landing pages
- In your blog posts
- On other web pages
What you will use them for
- Prompting readers to buy your book
- Enticing visitors to sign up for your blog
- Keeping readers engaged in your blog posts
- Directing visitors from one page to another
It’s commonly thought that a CTA is used just to sell something. But they serve a larger purpose, especially when it comes to SEO strategy, and their use will always depend on your goals and the intent behind them.
How to Use CTAs on Your Website Effectively
Before you start crafting your CTAs, you should consider how they will work with the whole of your copy. You need to take into account the tone and style, your audience, and the intent behind your CTA. For example, do you want your audience to buy your book? Do you want them to sign up for a blog, or do you want them to simply click a link that takes them to another page on your website?
Your Audience and Intent Matter
Because the user experience is becoming a focal point in web design and for search engine algorithms, all online content needs to focus on that too. When websites function well, make sense to the user, and have clear, useful content, they stay on the page and engage longer. This tells search engines that your website is quality and therefore, that it should rank higher in search engine results.
So, knowing how to use CTAs on your website and in the right context and place isn’t just important for conversions, it also helps with your SEO.
Using CTAs on Your Website in the Right Context is Key
Knowing that the user experience is so important, you need to consider your audience, their needs, and their intentions when navigating your website. Below are some examples so you can better see how to use CTAs on your website in the right context.
On your landing pages
On your landing pages, such as your Book page, your About Me and your blog, you will use a more direct style of CTA. Because the copy on these pages is limited and should be structured for clarity and impact you can use more direct and succinct CTAs.
Of course, enticing, informative and relevant copy should all be a lead up to the CTA. You want to grab the reader’s attention and then prompt them to action.
Examples of landing page CTAs
- On your About Me: Find out more…
- To sign up for your blog: Get weekly inspiration straight to your inbox
- Your book Page: Support your local bookstore
These are short and punchy and let the reader know exactly what they need to do! Of course, you also need to add the links and the Buy Now buttons and they need to be right there waiting for them to click.
On Your Blog and other Informational Pages
When there are longer blocks of copy such as on your blog and informational pages, the goal is to keep them reading, or to click through to another page on your website. These CTAs will sometimes be more subtle.
It depends on your level of creativity and what you want your audience to do.
But within your blog posts, and in longer blocks of copy in general, you want to not only write engaging text that flows logically from point to point but also prompts them to keep reading. Because another, more direct CTA will often come at the end of all this copy.
In blog posts, subtle CTAs can look like this
- Keep their interest, prompt them to read more: I’ll explain that in the next section. Keep reading to find out why…
- Ask Questions: Guess what that means? Did you know?
- Encourage engagement: Leave your thoughts in the comments
- In your backlinks: Read more about *subject* here
When you know how to use CTAs on your website for more than just selling, or to use a CTA that’s a bit more than just a Buy Now button, you help boost your SEO and your conversions as well.
Try it Out and See What You Come Up With!
Are you starting to feel a little more clear on how to use CTAs on your website?
Remember, the copy leading up to the CTA needs to be building towards the conclusion. Also, keep in mind that not all CTAs are meant to sell. Some are more subtle and simply prompt readers to keep reading, or to click through to another page on your website.
This all helps your SEO. Whether it’s through conversions, or click through rates, or time spent on site, CTAs prompt the reader to an action. All this equals search engines interpreting your website as top quality, which then helps it appear higher on those search engine results pages!
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