Image via Wikipedia
Here’s a roundup of examples of call to action buttons. Does size matter? Or color? Check out the links and find out.
25 convincing call to action buttons
Call to action buttons and examples
Image by alancleaver_2000 via Flickr
When you’re putting together your new web site, or even just a new landing page, there are several things you should review on your site before you hit “publish.”
You want your visitors to know exactly what you sell, how you help them, and what they need to do to buy your product (or services).
If they are confused, or can’t read your site – they’ll leave (this means no sales and a high bounce rate – no good).
So, here’s a quick website review checklist
What color is the background? A dark background with light type may look slick but it’s really hard on the eyes. Try to keep it to a minimum (if at all). Also check the font size. Small type can be difficult (especially if your audience is older).
Are there big blocks of type? Do you have subheads (to break up the text)? How much space (leading, back in the day) is there between the lines? The rule of thumb is roughly 10% more than the size of the type. So, roughly 14 pixels between lines for 12 pixel type. Have you centered a lot of text (this also makes it harder to read).
Is it immediately clear what your site is about? Whether you’re selling something? Or just giving information? Have you had someone else look at it?
Assuming you are selling something, have you asked people to buy? For example, is there a big shiny, call to action button? Did you ask more than once?
Where are you sending people? Did you create a landing page or are you using your home page to make sales?
The same page can look different depending on which browser your visitor is using. Internet Explorer in particular is notorious for fouling up code. Run a check with browsershots (or make sure your developer does) to make sure your site looks right in the major browsers.
Want a more in-depth checklist, and step by step instructions for reviewing your website? Click here.
Image via Wikipedia
I talk a lot about getting inside your readers’ heads, and offering solutions to their problems, rather than yours. Sometimes, though I need to read my own advice. I was looking at one of my Squidoo lenses (which were sort of one page mini-sites) and saw that while it got traffic, the click through rates were terrible. I was trying to figure out why that was and how I could increase them.
The page was about Thomas the Tank Engine coloring pages (in honor of my nephew, who loves Thomas). I had lots of links to coloring pages for all the different characters, but none of them were converting. We got paid based on visits, clicks, sales, and other interactions with the pages, so clicks were important, even if they didn’t lead directly to selling something.
As I looked at it, I realized that I had all the links in a big block. There were about 20 of them, one right after the other. Sure, the page had exactly what my visitors wanted (pictures of each train character), but that big block of text was awfully intimidating. You’d have to carefully read through all those links to find the engine you were looking for. It was too hard. So, nobody clicked.
So, I reorganized. I divided the links into categories, by character (Thomas, James, Henry, etc.) I put a big headline on top of each one so they were easy to spot. Now all my visitors had to do was scroll down to find the right train. Clicks shot up from 1% to 24% over two days. An increase of 2300% for a few minutes work. Go look at your own pages. Would a little redecorating make a big difference? Try it and find out.
Image by Horia Varlan via Flickr
When you’re ready to launch a new product, you’re pretty excited. You’ve been living and breathing this for a long time. You want everyone to love it as much as you do.
But how can you share that excitement? And how do you get others excited too?
The formula for effective landing pages is actually pretty simple.
Something that makes them stop and take a second look. Pull them in with a headline that seems strange, such as Marketing Lessons From My Cat. Or, try the curiosity approach: Celebrities: See Them Bare All (thank you Bill Jayme), or those “one weird old tip” ads.
Show them you understand their problems. “Have you ever struggled with….?” “When my computer broke…” If you had a problem (and solved it), talk about how frustrated you were, and your joy when you discovered the solution.
Remember that problem you had in step two? Tell them what happened when you fixed it. How you saved time. Or earned more money. Or got more sales on your web site. Have a specific audience in mind. Don’t write a job search guide for everyone, create one for older workers looking for a new job.
Get some testimonials. Make them easy to spot in your copy (bold or quote). Add photos if you can. Or, highlight how many other people have already used your product (if it’s not new).
Don’t be shy. Ask straight out. Make it absolutely clear what you want people to do. Call. Click here. Fill out this form. Use a big button that’s easy to see and stands out from the rest of the page. The harder it is (the more friction) the fewer sales. There’s a reason why paypal and amazon buttons are bright orange.
P.S. This works in print too. Shhh, don’t tell the online marketers.
Image via Wikipedia
Today’s edition of Tuesday Travels focuses on content marketing: challenges, tips, and help from an unlikely source.
How Often Do You Need to Update Your Blog? Is it necessary to post every day? Is once a week enough?
Social Media Content Marketing Lessons from Warren Buffett I knew he was a stock picking genius, but a social media whiz too?
Attract Clients with Content Marketing How Chris Garrett uses content marketing to get coaching clients.
Ignore SEO and Just Produce Good Content Should you ignore SEO entirely? Keep it in mind? Fixate on it? Or something in-between?
5 Common Content Marketing Challenges And Simple Solutions Just getting started? Or afraid to start? Here’s how to get over the bumps in the road.