You’ve used Google Analytics to see how people move through your site. You’ve started creating a website user flow to get people where you want them. Now you want to get them to take action. Don’t make your readers wonder what they should do. Every page should have a call to action (CTA).
Put a CTA on Every Page
How many CTAs do you have on your site? I’m guessing that you have a CTA on any sales pages, like a BUY NOW button. You may have an opt-in on your blog. What about your Home page? your About page? your Work with Me page?
Yes, I see people without a CTA on their Work with Me page, or they have a line of text buried at the end of their copy to “email me at myname [at] gmail [dot] com.”
Facepalm. Your website should be doing some heavy lifting for you, and if you aren’t make it super simple for people to start working with you on your Work with Me page, your website is slacking.
But you know that not everybody is ready to buy from you or work with you right away, so you need other CTAs and other ways for them to connect with you . . . until they are ready to buy.
How to Use a CTA on Every Page
Let’s take a quick look at how to use CTAs on different kinds of pages in your site.
Home page
What do you want people to do when they land on your home page? You want them to dig deeper—and give you a way to contact them.
You may use funneling CTAs on your homepage to help direct readers to the resources or products that fit their needs. What do you do for people? Break it down into two or three categories to move people to more information. (I do this on my homepage with my 3 primary service offerings.)
The home page is also a great place for your opt-in. You can put your opt-in at the top of the page, in the footer, a sidebar, and/or use a pop-up. You can see mine on my home page, right underneath my face. Wherever you put it, you want your opt-in box to make it easy for people to stay connected without annoying them.
About page
This page is all about you. What’s the natural call to action?
Ask people to get in touch. If people are feeling a pull of connection while reading your About page, you want them to build on that connection.
You can also ask people to opt-in to your e-mail list or join your Facebook group. This works well with a pop-up or bottom of the page opt-in bar.
Work with Me page
Your Work with Me page should be driving sales. Your CTA may be to buy a service. That doesn’t mean you have to have a big flashing red “BUY NOW” button—it might say: “Let’s Get Started” or “Count Me In” or something else to encourage the ready reader to buy.
What if you don’t work with just anybody?
- Invite people to apply—send them to an application or intake form. Make sure you let them know what next steps are.
- Set up a free consult—Link to your scheduler so that people can set up a free call (specify how long) so you can get to know each other and see if it’s a good fit.
Blog page
While conventional wisdom is not to give people too many things to do, there are three things you might ask of blog readers:
- Subscribe—Ask readers to sign up so they won’t ever miss a post (or other news from you). Subscribing often comes with a sign-up bonus, like an ebook, checklist or other opt-in. You may have a generic subscription/opt-in or you may have a targeted content upgrade with a particular post.
- Share—When readers share your post, you get noticed more. People outside your current readers may see your posts and check you out. Adding sharing buttons to your site is easy. I recommend two options: to get started with a free option, try Jetpack; if you have a few bucks, go for Social Warfare.
- Read more—Providing other recent posts or “If you liked this you might like . . .” posts, encourages readers to stay on your site, keep reading, and get to know you a little better. (Note: Jetpack also provides this.)
You may have other pages on your website, and every one of them should have a CTA. You spend a lot of time creating compelling copy. Don’t get readers excited and then leave them hanging. Tell them exactly what you want them to do.
Are You Missing CTAs on Your Site?
Book your website review to see if missing CTAs or other issues keeping your site from being a major player in your business.
I’ll check out your site and let you know what’s working and changes you can make to get more out of your online presence.
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