Help your web visitors on their journey through your website – write great calls to action.
What is a call to action (CTA)?
A CTA is about getting your web visitors to do something:
- Visit another page
- Apply for something
- Download a document
- Join a mailing list
- Make a donation etc
They are a snippet of text with a link – usually text, sometimes a button.
Here's some good examples that you will find on a University of Otago website:
- Learn more about our Christchurch campus
- Apply for accommodation
- View the University's wide range of branded clothing and gifts
- Chat online with an adviser
- Find out more about our ongoing research
Writing calls to action
Begin with a verb. The most important part of a call to action is the starting verb. People are unlikely to click on a link that is a noun, they want to be guided through your website. Rather than 'About our research' use 'Read about our research'.
It's all in the detail
Don't make your CTAs too short, eg. 'Read more' or 'Click here'. Neither are very informative or compelling to your web visitors.
It's important to tell your visitors what they can read more about or what happens when they click here. There should be no surprises for your web visitors. Writing considered CTAs also makes for great accessibility compliance and search engine optimisation.