Effective calls to action on webpages motivate visitors by providing descriptive labels, incentives to “click here”, and understandable directions.
How do you optimize links for search engines and people?
It begins by:
- Understanding user goals and user behavior.
- Establishing trust.
- Creating accessible, clearly labeled directions that inspire interest.
It sounds so easy in theory, but in truth, our webpages have been confusing our online guests since, well, 1992?
That’s right. Tim Berners-Lee wrote a style guide for link construction in 1992. Here are some bits of wisdom on why we do not click here:
“Let me urge you, when you construct your HTML page, to make sure that the thing-you-click is actually some kind of title for what it is when you click there.”
While You’re Here, Go There Now
The trick to optimizing calls to action is to present the action at the precise moment when your website visitor is most interested in taking the next step.
There has to be compelling content preceding the link, as well as an accurate description of the landing page.
If the landing is a dud, every time you present another opportunity to leave the page, your user may not trust that you are not wasting their valuable time.
In the example below, the call to action is clearly labeled. Even better, it is obvious designers understand their customers’ fears over money, ease of use, customer confidence and the use of color. – Read more
