3 Steps to Creating Website CTAs That Really Work

There’s nothing quite as frustrating as trying to find a company’s contact information, only to realize their website was designed without any consideration for UX. 

And with a plethora of other options out there for nearly every good and service, people aren’t likely to spend long looking for ways to reach you – they’ll simply move along to the next best thing. 

Related: 6 Easy Ways to Optimize Your Financial Advisor Website

That’s why website CTAs (otherwise known as a “call to action”) are so important. They ensure that your website visitors always have a next step – and when crafted correctly, can even boost your engagement and website ROI. 

Today, we’ll be exploring what makes a great CTA, as well as three tips you can use to get started. 

What is a CTA?

A CTA is a “call to action,” or a prompt for your readers to take a specific action – it could be scheduling a call, downloading an ebook, filling out a form or something else entirely. CTAs give your site visitors direction in the hopes that they’ll engage further with you. Every CTA should act as a nudge further down the marketing funnel.

For example, imagine someone in your area googled “how to create a Roth IRA” and ended up on a blog of yours on just that topic. What happens when they get to the bottom of the blog? With a strong CTA in place, they would (hopefully) book a call with a member of your team to learn more.

Just look at the Three Crowns blog: Each and every post will have at least one CTA near the bottom, and many include others sprinkled throughout. The goal is that no matter where a site visitor scrolls to on the post, they have an opportunity to move closer to contacting us.

Each page of your website offers ample opportunity to place CTAs, but it’s important to think through how, where and why they belong to get the biggest impact. And the best part? They’re free and simple to create!

How to Craft Compelling CTAs for Your Advisor Website

1. Understand your audience and your goal

CTAs aren’t one-size-fits-all, and each one should be created with a thorough understanding of who your audience is and what action you want them to take.

For instance, if your target audience are busy professionals hard-pressed for time, a CTA on your contact page with a direct link to your Calendly might be more suitable than a CTA for them to give your office a call. That way they can schedule a consultation right away without having to worry about your business hours. 

Also keep in mind that your CTAs should align directly with whatever content your audience is engaged with. If the visitor is reading a blog about tax filing tips, a CTA to download your retirement planning ebook might not be relevant to their needs at that moment. However, a link to your tax season checklist would fit perfectly. 

As you embark on your CTA journey, look at your website page from the perspective of your audience. Consider:

• What information your viewer wants to learn
• How the CTA could help them further accomplish that goal

2. Keep it short, actionable and direct

There’s several pieces of literature out there about the psychology of CTAs (including this cool roundup from Search Engine Journal). One piece of consistent advice from several of these sources: Create urgency. 

You can do so by using active language, like “Start now” or “Secure your financial future today.” It’s best to begin your CTA with an action verb, while also keeping the text short and simple. 

A few other tips for your next CTA copy brainstorming sesh:

• Use positive language
• The more specific you can get, the better. For example, “Schedule a meeting” would likely fare better than a vague “Get in touch.”
• Remember that what works for one firm might not work for another. Don’t be afraid to experiment, gather data and make changes as necessary. 

3. Consider positioning and visibility

Visual cues are just as important as the words you choose for your CTAs. Often, it’s a good idea to use colorful boxes, bolded text and larger font sizes to draw attention to these points on your webpage. 

Beyond visibility, consider where your CTAs would work into the larger webpage most naturally. You want to guide your visitors without overwhelming or annoying them. Find a spot on each page where a CTA makes sense – for many, that might be toward the bottom of the content. On the other hand, “Home” and “Contact” pages might call for CTAs much higher on the screen. In some cases, a pop-up CTA might even be most appropriate!

Remember, your CTAs are all about guiding your prospects further down the marketing funnel. With these three tips in mind, you’re on your way to building a website that keeps visitors engaged with your firm. 

Score a Complimentary Website Consultation with Three Crowns

Our team can help you strategize, design and build your firm’s dream website. Click here to schedule a free consultation with a Three Crowns team member today.