Here are 13 helpful ways to improve your calls to action: follow simple steps, make them more effective, and explore different types, such as Call-to-Action buttons, Exit Calls to Action, and addressing the Lack of a Call to Action. Remember to prioritize accessibility and mobile-first design to reach more people.
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Getting quality traffic to your website and turning visitors into paying customers are the two main keys to modern marketing success.
Bringing in lots of visitors, even a million, only matters if they actually engage with your business by buying, booking, subscribing, or asking for a demo.
After thorough testing and adjustments, I’ve found that small, deliberate tweaks to your calls to action (CTAs) can greatly improve conversion rates.
Here are 11 proven ways to boost your conversions without having to redesign your website completely:
Strategy 1: Try Duplicating Your Buttons
What should your button say? Common phrases such as “click here,” “buy now,” “add to cart,” and “order now” appear on many websites.
But using generic language alone usually doesn’t boost conversions.
If generic buttons seem to work, it’s often because of other factors like how much people trust your brand, how easy your site is to use, or how clear your offer is.
Just copying another company’s button text, like 37signals’ popular “See pricing and plans,” won’t guarantee the same results for your business.
Differences in pricing, target audience, and what users want all affect how people behave, so you need to keep these in mind.
For example, Crazy Egg found in their own tests that using that phrase actually lowered conversions.
Again and again, generic verbs don’t work as well as specific, outcome-focused phrases like “Show me my heatmap,” “Start my free 7-day trial,” or “Generate my report.”
Takeaway: Your button text should clearly tell users what will happen next.
Use first-person language when it fits, like “Start my trial.” Choose clear verbs, and help users feel comfortable with phrases like “No credit card required.”
Strategy 2: Color Matters
When it comes to CTA buttons, color testing works best when you focus on contrast and visibility, not just picking a popular color.
A button that visually distinguishes itself from the rest of the page attracts attention and receives more clicks.
It’s important to follow accessibility standards. Make sure your site meets or exceeds the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
For example, these guidelines suggest a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 for things like button borders and 4.5:1 for regular text near CTAs.
The Appeal of a Red Button:
Takeaway: Focus on making your button stand out, not just on picking a certain color.
Make sure your button text is easy for everyone to read and stands out on your page.
Strategy 3: Placement of Location Matters
Where you put your CTA on the page makes a big difference.
Try placing secondary CTAs further down the page, and test whether your main CTA works better above or just below the fold.
Sometimes, putting a CTA too early can backfire because users might need more information before they’re ready to act.
For example, on NeilPatel.com, the main CTA performed better when placed just below the fold.
This improvement happened because users wanted to see more details and benefits before taking action.
Takeaway: Don’t assume that putting CTAs higher on the page is always better.
Instead, place clear CTAs after you’ve given visitors enough information to help them decide.
Repeat your CTAs at key points on longer pages, such as after you present features, pricing, or testimonials.
Strategy 4: Design Matters
In A/B tests with this online web traffic system, we found that a simple “add to cart” button didn’t work well when users weren’t sure what they’d get.
Adding small design touches, such as an icon, a short list of benefits, or a product image, significantly boosted conversions.
These changes made the offer clearer and more attractive to buyers.
Using these strategies helps your CTAs stand out and perform well, turning unsure visitors into loyal customers.
User survey feedback showed that many people found our deliverables unclear and confusing.
To address this, we improved the Call to Action (CTA) section of our interface, as it is vital for user engagement.
The results were clear. User engagement increased significantly after we added helpful microcopy and visual cues.
Phrases like “Instant access,” “Downloadable templates,” and “Ships free” helped users understand what to do and made the offers feel more valuable and urgent.
These words made the actions clearer and more attractive to users.
This taught us that the CTA block is where users focus most, so it’s important to make its purpose clear.
To make things easier for users, we need to consider button sizes and shapes, icons, and clear messages about delivery times, security, and refunds.
Strategy #5: Time Is of the Essence
Waiting to show the call to action until after explaining the benefits can work really well.
Our analysis showed that conversions often went up when users saw the benefits before the CTA button.
This approach helps make sure users are interested before they click, leading to better engagement.
However, we need to use this strategy carefully. We should respect users’ preferences for less motion and offer short summaries or transcripts for those who like to skim.
We should also avoid interrupting users, especially on mobile, when using long videos that lead to a call to action.
The main lesson is that the order of information matters a lot. Ask users to act only after giving them enough details.
Try showing the CTA at different points, such as after scrolling, after certain sections, or at the end of videos. This can teach us a lot about how users engage.
Strategy #6: Be Creative
Calls to action don’t have to be just buttons. Trying new formats can boost user engagement.
Methods like inline links, prompts at the end of posts, tooltips, slide-ins, or in-video overlays often work better than static sidebar buttons.
CTAs that appear while users are interacting with related content usually get more clicks than static CTAs.
The takeaway is to use the user’s current momentum by placing requests where they make sense.
For example, a prompt like “Try this in your account” works better inside a tutorial than as a lone sidebar button.
Strategy #7: Instructing Them Not to Click
Using reverse psychology can work well. For example, saying “Don’t click here if you’re lazy” can pique curiosity and boost engagement.
This approach has worked for some brands with a fun, casual style, sometimes even better than the usual “Click here.”
But be careful with this tactic. It’s not right for every industry, especially those like finance, healthcare, or compliance, where trust is key.
Make sure your messages fit your brand’s voice, and use this tactic only when it makes sense to keep your brand’s integrity.
The main lesson is to surprise users only when it aligns with what they want.
Rather than using contrarian tactics just to be different, try testing small changes like “Don’t click unless you want X result” to catch attention.
Strategy #8: Special Effects
Adding dynamic elements like sticky bars, on-scroll reveals, subtle animations, or CTAs that follow the reader can really boost visibility and engagement.
When used carefully, these techniques usually lead to more clicks.
However, we should be careful when using animations. We need to keep an eye on Core Web Vitals.
Too much movement or sticky elements can hurt responsiveness (measured by Interaction to Next Paint, or INP) or cause layout shifts (measured by Cumulative Layout Shift, or CLS), worsening the user experience and search performance.
Always respect user preferences by using @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) to adjust the experience as needed.
The main idea is to get users’ attention without distracting them with too many effects.
Also, keep an eye on what happens after the click. More clicks are good, but they don’t always mean more sales or conversions.
Strategy #9: Exit Calls to Action
Exit calls to action (CTAs) help keep users on your site when they’re about to leave.
When a user’s mouse moves toward the back button, you can show a well-timed exit prompt with offers like exclusive discounts, helpful checklists, or useful lead magnets.
These prompts aim to re-engage users who might otherwise leave your site.
However, “exit intent” detection usually works less well on mobile devices. This can lead to pop-ups that interrupt users and hurt both SEO and the overall experience.
To make these offers work on mobile, they should be truly helpful and easy to close, and designed for small screens.
It’s important to follow Google’s guidelines so pop-ups don’t block key information, especially for people coming from search results.
The main point is to avoid surprising users with unwanted messages. Instead, look for ways to encourage engagement.
When using exit CTAs, focus on offers that matter, like cart savers, price-drop alerts, or free resources. Avoid aggressive pop-ups that can annoy mobile users.
Strategy #10: Embrace Whitespace
A simple and effective way to make CTAs stand out is to use more whitespace.
Clearing space around your calls to action helps users focus and makes them easier to read, especially on busy pages.
Begin by reducing distractions, such as extra links, badges, or long text, that draw attention away from your main message.
To make your CTA button stand out, avoid placing very bright or bold colors near it that could draw attention away from it.
Also, make sure your button meets the WCAG 2.2 size guideline of 24×24 CSS pixels. On mobile, aim for a touch target of about 44-48 pixels.
The key takeaway: clutter makes it hard to see what matters. If everything tries to get attention, nothing stands out.
Give your main call to action enough space so users can notice and connect with it.
Strategy #11: The Lack of a Call to Action
Is it ever a good idea to remove calls to action completely? Sometimes, making something scarce or using phrases like “Join the waitlist” instead of “Buy now” can actually increase demand.
For example, one merchant found that when their cart was turned off, more customers started asking about their products.
However, be careful with this approach. Hiding CTAs usually leads to fewer sales for most businesses.
If you try this strategy, always give users a clear next step, like “Notify me” or “Reserve my spot.”
The lesson is that exclusivity and scarcity can boost interest, but they shouldn’t make it hard for people to buy.
Always give people another option, like a waitlist, store finder, or email alerts.
Strategy #12: Prioritize Accessibility and Mobile-First Design
Since many users see your calls to action on mobile devices, it’s important to focus on accessibility and design for mobile first.
Make sure your buttons are big enough, easy to read, have clear focus states, and use strong contrast to stand out.
When designing forms, place the main call to action above the keyboard and ensure nothing, like banners or chat widgets, blocks it.
Following WCAG standards is key to accessibility. Keep a 3:1 contrast for interface elements, 4.5:1 for regular text, and a 24×24 CSS pixel target size, with allowed exceptions.
The main point is simple: if users can’t reach, read, or recognize a button, it won’t convert. Make accessibility and mobile usability a top priority from the start.
Strategy #13: Minimize Friction and Perceived Risk
Adding CTAs that lower friction and reduce risk can significantly improve the user experience.
Phrases like “Free shipping,” “Cancel anytime,” or “No credit card required,” plus clear trust badges and social proof near the button, such as “Trusted by 50,000+ teams,” can help ease buyer hesitation.
Make forms shorter, allow wallet payments, and display common pre-purchase questions in a single scrollable section.
Make sure these helpful features don’t get in the way of user actions. Keep an eye on key metrics, especially Core Web Vitals like INP, which became a response metric in March 2024.
The main takeaway: people often worry more about what happens after they click than about the act of clicking itself.
Focus on removing doubts right when users are deciding what to do.
In Conclusion
Remember, no single strategy works for everyone. Your conversion rates might not improve as quickly as someone else’s.
The best way to know what works is to measure what matters. Track not just clicks, but also sign-ups, purchases, and retention, and run thorough tests.
Set up a simple routine: find friction points, make clear hypotheses, run A/B tests with one change at a time, and keep testing until you’re happy with the results.
Always put the user’s goal first as you make changes.
The best calls to action are clear, helpful, and respect the visitor’s time and needs.
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