However, even though the call-to-action is one of the most basic concepts of marketing, many people don’t like to use them.  They usually have one of two standard excuses:

1. Call-to-action phrases are annoying.
2. Everyone knows what to do if they like your products.

Neither of these excuses holds up to scrutiny.  Putting a link to learn more about your product in a blog post isn’t annoying; it convenient.  It isn’t wise to assume that people know what to do if they like your products.  The last thing you want is for your article to prompt them to visit a competitor.  Your results will usually be better when you communicate clearly.

Building a Better Call-to-Action

Are you still unsure about defining your call to action?  Here are five tips that can help:

1. Make it Clear: Your readers should know what to expect when they click your call-to-action.  For example, the phrase “Click Here to Subscribe to Our Newsletter” is much better than just “Click Here.”  You are starting a relationship with your customer when they respond to your call-to-action.  Being clear is the best way to start this relationship on the right foot.
2. Make it Easy: Your call-to-action should not be complicated.  You might think a phrase like “go to our website, call us or visit us in person to learn more!”  gives your reader options, but it sounds a little desperate.  Keep it simple, and people are more likely to respond.
3. Make it Verifiable: Did anyone respond to your call-to-action?  If you’re not monitoring your traffic, you won’t know.  Measuring the impact of your call-to-action statements also lets you test a variety of options to see what works best.
4. Make it Universal: Your call-to-action belongs everywhere.  Every blog post, every printed mailer and every sales conversation should include a call to action.  You are in business to sell products and services; that’s not a secret.  If you want people to respond, give them the opportunity.
5. Define it in Advance: The most important tip of all is to define the #1 thing you want someone to do. Whether it’s to make a purchase, book an appointment, or something else, make sure you don’t get caught up in creating a call-to-action that isn’t in alignment with your number one goal.

The goal of all your marketing efforts is to promote your products or services.  Though it may seem old-fashioned and simplistic, the call-to-action should still be a crucial part of your website conversion efforts and overall marketing toolkit.  Define your call to action today!

Want more tips and insights from Cuppa SEO?

The post Website Conversion 101: How to Define the #1 Call-to-Action for Your Business appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

In this installment of our Understanding Online Marketing series, we’ll be focusing on conversion — for your home page and subpages.

Since this term may not be familiar to you, let’s start off with a brief definition.

What is Conversion?

Conversion is a strategy that takes a website visitor from where they are, to where you want them to go. For example, a visitor lands on your homepage, and the next step you’d like them to take is to call you. Or, as in the Dollar Shave Club example below, if you’re selling a product the next desired step might be for the visitor to make a purchase.

How Do We Do This?

More often than not, the way we can encourage these next steps is through the use of a call-to-action (CTA), which usually takes the form of a button.

For desktop sites, the optimal area to place a CTA button is somewhere within the “F-Zone,” which is where the human eye is naturally drawn on a web page. But as we saw in our recent article, Web Design & the Art of Conversion, this doesn’t always have to be the case.

Here are some examples of a solid conversion strategy for desktop and mobile homepages and subpages …

Desktop Homepage Conversion

In this example, Dollar Shave Club serves up a beautiful call-to-action. Just a few words clarify what the potential customer can expect. This is followed by a clear, easy to find button that says, “Do It.”

It’s interesting to note that in this case, the CTA button is NOT in the F-Zone … but the big, fat headline is. This headline, subhead and six words of copy all direct the eye to the call-to-action.

Desktop Subpage Conversion

In this subpage example, the button sits near the top of the page, within the F-zone. In addition to placing this button within a highly visible area, there are other benefits:

• It’s a good User Experience. If the user is ready to get in touch with Cuppa SEO, I’ve just made it incredibly easy for them.
• This button placement also translates well into mobile design best practices, so the hierarchy of the subpage can remain intact for a cohesive brand experience.

Mobile Homepage 

Mobile Subpage

We hope these best practices help improve the conversion on your website!

Want to learn more?
Sign up for our complimentary Holistic Approach to Online Marketing webinar.

Check out other articles in the series:
– Understanding Online Marketing, Part 1: Your Website
– Understanding Online Marketing, Part 2: User Experience (UX)

The post Understanding Online Marketing, Part 3: Conversion appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

In this installment of our Understanding Online Marketing series, we’ll be taking a look at the User Experience (UX), and its importance on your website.

What is UX?

The user experience is exactly what it sounds like: a positive, negative or indifferent experience a visitor has with your brand online, or in person.

When the UX is good, a visitor will stick around, and actually look forward to coming back to your site. In a way, good UX is similar to going to your favorite restaurant where you love the food, the wait staff and the atmosphere.

Let’s examine some key areas where user experience comes into play in your web design …

Navigation

When it comes to site navigation, it’s always a good idea to be as clear as possible. Like the Dollar Shave Club homepage example below, you need to ensure that your navigation makes sense and involves 0% guesswork. In other words, this is not the place to be cute or metaphorical.

Whenever possible, it’s always best to have ONE site navigation. For a large portion of websites, a single navigation with dropdown menus will suffice nicely. If you have a more complex hierarchy of subpages, it may be necessary to have a dropdown menu that drills down into a secondary dropdown menu.

You can also use mega drop downs, like Williams-Sonoma …

Or if you simply must have a secondary navigation, make sure it’s consistent on every page of your site like J. Crew does …

Typically, multiple navigation bars, or primary and secondary navigation bars can be tricky and difficult for the user to navigate — which means a bad user experience.

Homepage

In addition to successful navigation, the Dollar Shave Club homepage example above also provides a solid overall user experience. It’s clear, with just a couple of options to choose from: (1) watch the video; (2) click on the “Do It” call to action (CTA). The sparse copy above the CTA is clear, compelling — and expresses two great benefits, “a great shave, for a few bucks.” This is UX at its finest.

Mobile Homepage

Here are a few UX best practices for a mobile homepage:

Subpages

Just like your homepage, subpages need to be clear and uncluttered. Once again, Dollar Shave Club gives us a good example. You know exactly where you are and what your options are — without having to think about it. Three call-to-actions (my suggested maximum for any web page) make it easy to choose the blade that’s right for your beard, and move on. The fact that the page looks appealing is also important.

Mobile Subpages

Some examples of what goes into building a mobile subpage with solid UX:

We hope these best practices help improve the user experience on your website!

Want to learn more?
Sign up for our complimentary Holistic Approach to Online Marketing webinar.

You can also read our article, Ultimate User Experience (UX): The Dollar Shave Club.

Check out other articles in the series:
– Understanding Online Marketing, Part 1: Your Website

The post Understanding Online Marketing, Part 2: User Experience (UX) appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

With visual overstimulation comes visual selectivism.

The human brain was the first ad blocker, unconsciously eliminating clutter from the visual spectrum.

If you’re not using a clear call to action (CTA) on your website, even the most intelligent person may not take the action you want, because they’ve removed the CTA from their visual field.

I hope you enjoyed this Bleet!®

The post Visual Selectivism & Web Design appeared first on Cuppa SEO.