6 Ways to Direct Visitors’ Attention to Your Call to Action

The goal of virtually all web design and web development is to increase conversions. The need to solicit activity from your website visitors holds true regardless of the type of website you own. For example, you might want to sell your products and services from your custom e-commerce website, get people to sign up for webinars on your educational website, or earn donations for a cause on your nonprofit website. All of these actions are examples of meaningful conversions. Regardless of the type of conversions, you hope to earn from your site, you greatly increase your chances of getting them if you include a visible call to action (CTA) on each web page. Much of this visibility comes from effective web design. Here are a few suggestions for adding visual cues to your web design that will direct visitors’ attention to your CTA.

Use visual hierarchy to direct attention to the call to action.

Visual hierarchy refers to the practice of laying out a web page in such a way as to naturally direct visitors’ eyes to certain elements. For example, making an object larger, having human images looking toward an object, or placing an object at the top of the web page are all ways to wordlessly and naturally indicate its importance. In order to direct visitors’ attention to your call to action, employ professional web development or professional web design to create a visual hierarchy that naturally directs visitors’ eyes to your CTA.

SEE ALSO: Search Engine Marketing Techniques to Maximize Conversions

Use a border to define your call to action.

Separating your CTA from the rest of your web page is another way to make it stand out to website visitors. While the rest of the material in your web design may be necessary for your visitors (e.g. product descriptions or pricing), this information can also distract from the action you want them to take. By creating a separation (e.g. A box, a border) around your call to action, you allow it to stand out from the “noise” of the other information so that visitors are naturally drawn to it.

Use action words to tell visitors what you want them to do.

Visitors are more likely to pay attention to your CTA if you use it to tell them exactly what you want them to do. The best way to communicate the action they should take, therefore, is to use strong, engaging words to describe it. For example, say, “Grab your copy of our white paper here,” instead of “get a copy of our white paper.” Use “Reserve your spot in our webinar today” instead of sign up for a class.” These strong action words will draw visitors’ attention to your CTA and create a sense of interest and urgency that will motivate them to act.

Use contrasting colors to make your call to action stand out.

Color is an important element when you are trying to attract attention to certain elements on your website. Any professional web development or web design efforts, therefore, will include the careful consideration of which colors to use throughout a web page. By using the right colors, you can direct visitors’ attention to the most important part of your page, the call to action. When creating an eye-catching CTA, the best course of action is to use a color that contrasts with the other colors on the web page. The exact shade does not matter so much as the fact that it stands out easily on the page. The unique color will naturally draw visitors’ attention, giving them the opportunity to act upon your CTA.

Balance size and visual appeal when creating your call to action.

Size is also an important element to consider when creating your call to action. When it comes to developing a useful visual hierarchy in your web design, you can use size to tell visitors how important information is. The larger the element on the web page, the more important the information is that it contains. And, the more likely people are to look at/click on it. However, you can go too large. If your call to action (either the button or the text) is grossly out of proportion to the rest of the elements on your web page, it will look awkward. And, while it might attract attention, that attention is more likely to be negative than positive. Instead, balance size with visual appeal in order to create a call to action that draws attention while also meshing suitably with the rest of your web design.

Use white space to make your call to action stand out.

White space is a powerful tool in any professional web design project. By intentionally leaving areas of your web page blank, you allow the remaining elements to stand out. White space also gives visitors’ eyes a place to rest and makes it more enjoyable for them to look at the page. If you want to create a visible call to action, you can help it to stand out by leaving white space around the edges. This white space will make the call to action stand out even more, encouraging your visitors to pay attention to it.

Calls to action are essential elements of any website. They tell the visitor how to act upon the information you present. They make your business more accessible. And, they can increase the number of conversions your website receives. The key, however, is to make it easy and natural for visitors to pay attention to these buttons. By using visual hierarchy to direct attention to the call to action, using a border around the call to action, using strong, engaging action words to tell visitors what you want them to do, using contrasting colors to make your all to action stand out, balancing the size and appeal of your call to action button, and using the right amount of white space, you can create a call to action that is easily visible without being overbearing.