How to create buttons that tell your website visitors what to do next

Are you telling your website visitors what they should do next? If they’ve landed on a page where you want them to do something—begin a download, sign up for an email list, purchase a product, etc.—you’ll find far more success if you visually invite them to do it. In other words, you need a good Call to Action (CTA) buttons.

CTAs are crucial in getting the user to perform a desired action. Here are a few basic tips for creating effective CTA buttons for your website or blog.

Make your CTA stand out

The call to action button needs to command attention. Your visitors shouldn’t have to scan the page to figure out what to do next. It should be completely obvious that they need to click HERE to begin a download, add a product to their shopping cart, etc.

This doesn’t mean your CTA needs to be a giant, obnoxious, flashing button that says “CLICK ME NOW!!!!!!” That might turn users off and cause them to leave your site. But your CTA should be an attractive, inviting color that stands out from the rest of the page. Here are two great infographics from Fast Company and VisualNews.com that can help you choose a color for your CTA buttons.

This Firefox landing page is great example of CTA button design and placement:

Give your CTA a purpose

It’s easy to settle for a call to action button that simply says “Download” or “Sign Up” or “Order Now.” Instead of generic call to action copy, consider unique CTAs that compel the user to click. For example, imagine you’re trying to get your visitors to download a free e-book. Which CTA button is more compelling?

The button on the right seems pretty generic, while the button on the left clearly tells the user what they’re getting. It creates greater incentive and urgency to get the user to do what you want: Click!

Now let’s take it a step further. What if I add a section of contrasting color, as well as few simple icons?

That’s even better.

Test!

If you have the capability, run some A/B tests to see which CTAs perform best for your content. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, so the color and copy that is successful for one site might not work at all for another. Use data and analytics to your advantage!

Free resources

Not a designer? No problem! There are tons of resources all over the web where you can find call to action buttons for your blog or website. Stock art sites like iStockphoto and Shutterfly have tons of call to action buttons available for purchase. You can also find plenty of freebies online like this roundup of free CTA buttons and this nifty call to action button generator.

Just remember: create/use buttons that stand out from the other elements on the page, give visitors a good reason to click that button.

Make some money with your CTAs and the name.com affiliate program

If you’re looking to make some extra cash and show off your CTA button expertise, you should become a name.com affiliate. You’ll earn commissions by referring business to name.com from your blog or website. Let’s try a CTA button for that: