Why You Need Calls to Action on Your Website

Why do you want people to visit your website? It’s not just so you can share information, show them photos and perhaps teach them something. No, as a business you want the visitors to your website to either buy a product or use one of your services. Calls to action are the main way that large e-commerce sites convert lookers into buyers.

What is a Call to Action?

A call to action is an opportunity for a customer to do something, typically to buy your product or to find out more about it. Common examples are ‘add to cart’ or ‘buy now’ buttons, but calls to action can be more subtle. In TV adverts, a voice will often say something like ‘available from all good book stores’ or ‘agents are waiting to take your call’, giving the viewer a clear and simple path to getting the product shown, although there’s no way to take action immediately.

Ecommerce has an advantage over TV in that it’s a much more interactive medium. Rather than asking readers to remember a product next time they’re in town, an online store can show them that what they want is just a click away. If the call to action is well placed, clear and reaches the reader at an appropriate moment, they’ll click through.

You Need Customers to Take Action

Organisations of all kinds use calls to action across new and old media. As an example, when a church passes a collection plate, that’s a call to action. In online marketing, the most successful calls to action tend to be as simple and direct as passing the plate. It’s also important that they come at the right moment – a collection plate passed in as people were already leaving would probably be ignored.

As a result, most websites will have many calls to action tucked in different parts of the site. Some will be really obvious, perhaps large buttons on the front page with text like ‘buy now’ or ‘call us today’ or ‘we are waiting for your call’. Visitors who are ready to shop will follow these, while others will explore further.

A Call to Action is Not an Advert

Adverts often contain calls to action, with ‘click here’ probably being the most common, but calls to action are not adverts. They give visitors a path to follow, and you can’t force visitors to stay with you. While some ecommerce sites give a hard sell, most successful ones are more subtle. They make it easy for a customer to find what they want, provide information about that product, and suggest alternatives if the ‘buy now’ button doesn’t prove enticing.

While the online giants have perfected their technique, as a small or medium sized business, it’s a steep learning curve. If you’d like a helping hand from an expert team, call boxChilli today. We’re waiting to take your call.

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