Kay how do I optimize CTA buttons

Do you like getting leads? Do you like baby pandas? Do you like the smell of freshly opened playdoh? “YES!!!” Right?

Getting leads all boils down to how you ask for them. With the button copy, you have a limited space to share what you want your visitors to do, so make it count. These are some the hacks that I collected from the internet over the years to optimize Call To Action Buttons. Here are some of them in a summarized manner:

1. Be Singular: Only use a single call-to-action per page, form, email, etc. As soon as you introduce a second CTA, you worsen your visitors’ attention ratio and lessen your chance of them converting on even a single CTA.
2. Test: Test like your life depends on it.
3. Appear Interactive: Flat design may be a web design trend (as opposed to design that mimics the 3-dimensional, tangible world). Yet, studies continue to show that people prefer to click CTA buttons that look like more than a collection of pixels. If you are a flat-design purist, consider making your buttons entice in other ways, like setting up a color change upon a rollover or adding a subtle animation.
4. Contrast: The highest conversion rates tend to come from maximizing contrast while staying on brand.
5. Use the f-word: Of course, I mean “free” you fucking idiot, Time and time again, I’ve seen conversion rates rise when marketers simply add “free” to their buttons and other copy.
6. Be Specific: Well, what’s that even mean? Are you going to get more content from the email? Will you get a free trial? What does “Learn more” or “View more” mean? Specify it! Why? Because people want to know exactly what a button will do. There’s a big element of distrust online. Especially when half the buttons on the internet lead you to dick-enlargement pills (that don’t even work)(and yes I’ve tried them).
7. Make it urgent: People are strongly attracted to things there are few of or that are only available for a limited time. Simply adding a countdown timer on an offer like a “free 30-day trial” is one of the greatest ways that I’ve seen that increase the no. of leads dramatically.
8. Get Personal: There was a study in which it was discovered that changing button text from the second person (“get your free template”) to the first person (“get my free template”) resulted in a 90% increase in clicks! (I know how salesy it sounds, but it actually happened)
9. Rinse & Repeat: Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself. Remind site visitors what to expect multiple times, so there’s no confusion.
10. Use the AIDA model: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. The CFA (call for action) would satisfy the first three steps. If you start looking through this CFA lens, it will dramatically strengthen every aspect of your message.

Have a natural hierarchy if using multiple buttons- Your main call-to-action button should always be the biggest and brightest.

Personalize your CTA. Odds are it will perform 202% better than a generic CTA.

Word of warning: “Submit” is the hellspawn of terrible CTAs across the universe. DO NOT USE IT. I REPEAT DO NOT FUCKING USE IT! DO YOU UNSERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMMING OUT OF MY MOUTH!

Yeah that’s about it.

Story Time (feel free to skip this one)

So here’s the story of how I was introduced to the world of optimizing contact buttons which lead me to writing this post today

So recently a few months back one of my friends had reached out to me to help him out with some buttons, yes those peanut sized buttons, the website was all fine, but nobody was clicking at those darn buttons. So I had to work on a list of 20 buttons for 500 bucks (which I thought was a lot just for some optimizing just some text on buttons).

And boy oh boy I found there’s a whole lot of world out there on optimizing goddam buttons. And so I did the job and all that, and what we found after 4 months was a 28% increase in people clicking them and the leads generated. A 28% increase for that size of a company meant a whole lota revenue and here I was sulking over the fact that I charged too much. It was then I learned the lesson that these grape-sized buttons matter.

Fin.