We love a CTA (call to action). We encourage our clients to utilise them across all of their marketing efforts. Your landing page, digital ads, ebooks, content – all need a CTA. The user needs to know where to go next. What you want them to do.
Your website/landing page/ad simply won’t generate a lead or sale without a CTA (not a lot of leads, that’s for sure). We wanted to use this article to highlight the impact that CTAs can have on your conversion rate – because it’s not just about having them, but using them effectively.
So, let’s dive in…
What are CTA buttons?
We’ll get right down to basics for those who are a little newer to digital marketing.
A CTA is a prompt – a Call To Action. whether on a website, in an email, or in other digital displays like ads/blog posts, etc. It’s designed to induce the user to perform a specific action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, downloading a file, or redirecting to another webpage.
CTA buttons are typically distinctive and eye-catching and use action-oriented wording like “Buy Now”, “Sign Up”, “Learn More”, or “Get Started”.
Here are some examples:
Why do you need a CTA?
CTAs point your users in the ‘right direction’. Without them, they’re not sure what their next step is – where they’re supposed to go. You’re just gently nudging them in the direction you want them to go.
By making them stand out, you make them nice and easy to spot.
How your CTA can impact your conversion Rate
The best way to explain how significant an impact your CTA can have on your conversion rate is by showing you some stats.
We ran a collection of tests for our client, Norstar. They’re an established steel recycler with multiple locations around Victoria.
To monitor the efficacy of a new CTA, we ran two variations of a control landing page for commercial services.
In the control version, there were 3 CTAs
In the variation, the CTAs were reduced to 2 and the wording was changed
The results:
The conversion rate for this landing page grew from 3.19% to 10.98% – 244% growth!
We also ran a test for their residential services
- In the control version, the CTA was centred, blue and said, ‘Call Today 1800 4 SCRAP’
- In the first variation, the CTA changed colour, and the text was adjusted to ‘BOOK A PICKUP’.
The conversion rate for this landing page grew from 4.61% to 8.62% – 87% growth!
- In the third test, the content was adjusted alongside the new CTA
In this instance, the conversion rate grew from 8.62% to 17.12% – 99% growth!
If you’re keeping track (and we are), that’s a total growth of 271% increase in the conversion rate. Everyone involved was thrilled at the impact changing the content and the CTA had on the conversion rate and the business.
So, at the same advertising spend, the client is receiving 271% more leads! They could even halve their advertising spend and get more leads than they were previously!
It’s a reminder of how important your CTA is and how beneficial A/B testing can be.
Are you testing your CTAs? If not, you’re probably missing out. But, fear not. We can help. If you’d like help analysing your website for opportunities like this, our digital marketing experts are happy to help. And why not sign up for a complimentary 45-minute strategy session – obligation-free.
