The Importance of Buttons and Strong Calls to Action

Whether you are trying to convert targeted visitors to buyers, or curious web surfers to “FREE” members, the recipe you will usually need to follow when constructing your landing page is the same: that is, you must strive to have an unambiguous and clear call to action on your web page.
Some Internet Marketers like to use the term “primary call to action” to refer to the most important action which you would like any person viewing that page to perform.
There are also other levels of call to action types which are sometimes referred to as “secondary call to action” and “subordinate call to action” but these are lower down on the importance scale when compared to the primary call to action.
The primary call to action is the ultimate goal of your landing pages and it defines the purpose of why you have that page on your site to begin with.
A primary call to action should generally be represented by some kind of button although this is not strictly always the case.
Human beings surfing the Internet seem to be psychologically drawn to buttons and people are almost instinctively compelled to click them if they feel that the situation calls for it.
This is why well designed and strategically placed buttons are often the best tools you can employ for your primary call to action.

Qualities of Effective Buttons and Button Copy

The button representing your primary call to action must be easily identifiable and its purpose should be clear and unambiguous.
The information below is an outline of what to look for in the qualities of your button in order to make it achieve its intended purpose of getting people to perform your primary call to action.
1) Button Text and Copy
You should always aim to be specific with the words that you place inside your buttons rather than generic.
Being specific, concise and clear with the button copy leaves no doubt in the visitor’s mind about what they should expect when they click your button.
For instance, some examples of effective button copy are shown:

• “Sign Up For Free”
• “Get Your Copy Now”
• “Start Creating Today”

You may notice a pattern in the above statements.
They all start with familiar verbs (Get, Sign, Start) and they all contain either a statement of value (ie, Free) or a promise of instant gratification (Now, Today)
2) Using case in your button text
Internet Marketers have found through their research that the way you present the text in the button can also make difference as to how noticeable your button is to the people reading your web page.
Using title case, where the first letter of each word is in capitals, is one easy and effective way to make your button appear more eye catching and readable to your visitors.
3) Good button design and placement
It seems that some buttons are better than others when it comes to effectiveness.
This is why choosing your button design can mean the difference between a conversion or a lost sale.
But what makes one button better than another?
Below are some good button design characteristics which you might want to consider when selecting your buttons:

• Use an eye-catching color which stands out:
  Some colors which are pleasing to the eye include green, blue, orange.
  The color red can sometimes be used too but remember that it can also tend to be associated with some kind of warning or danger.
• Your button should be large and bold:
  Because your button will often be associated with a primary call to action, you should make it noticeable and large enough that it stands out and is not obscured by the content on your page.The definition of large can vary from site to site, but your button should be at least as big if not larger than your logo.
• Placement of your button:
  The positioning of your buttons is another important factor which can affect your landing page’s effectiveness.In general, you should position your primary call to action button within the first few hundred pixels of the top of your page.
  If your landing page contains a lot of copy and the reader will need to scroll at least more than a page’s worth of content, then you should also consider placing your button at least one time on your page.
  For instance if your landing page is long enough, your primary call to action button may appear near the top of the page, then somewhere in the middle and lastly at the bottom of the page.
  By placing your call to action in several places you are making it easy for your readers to buy if they want to.

Using Click Triggers to Enhance Button Effectiveness

In some cases a button needs some kind of a catalyst to convince somebody to click it.
This is where some Internet Marketers use what’s known as click triggers with their buttons.
A click trigger is basically a message or piece of text which is placed near or inside the boundaries of a primary call to action with the aim of persuading somebody to go ahead and click the button.
The click trigger message usually serves to alleviate doubts somebody might have before purchasing something.
Examples of effective click triggers which you could place near your button are:

• “Risk Free”
• “Free Shipping”
• “No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee”
• “Save 50% – March Only”

Quite often you’ll see many web sites with multiple click trigger messages placed near their primary call to actions and buttons.
Don’t be afraid to apply click triggers liberally to your call to actions.

Secondary and Subordinate Calls To Action

We mentioned earlier that in addition to your primary call to action, you might also have secondary and subordinate calls to action on the same page.
A secondary call to action is usually represented by a large text link or even a button, but it is designed to serve a secondary purpose to your primary call to action.
For instance if someone wanted to “Find Out More” about your product or service, then this is a great example where you would create a button to serve as your secondary call to action.
You should strive to differentiate your secondary call to action button from the primary by making it smaller in size and/or a different color.
The subordinate call to action is almost always represented as a text link and is even further down the list of importance but can still serve a useful purpose.
This type of call to action can be used to help navigate a user to another page where they might seeking some related information.
In summary, applying the above information and techniques to your landing pages is the best way to learn what works for you. Remember that each site and niche might have its unique quirks so don’t be afraid to experiment.