Call to Action Button Examples: Make Sure They Fit Your Brand4 min read

Calls to Action, or CTAs, are the short phrases that encourage site visitors or an ad audience to take action. They often appear as “buttons” on a site page or on a digital ad but can also appear as highlighted words with links attached.

A good CTA button doesn’t create any sort of confusion. It’s important to keep a CTA as short as possible. But it also needs to convey to the user that there is low risk and some reward involved in clicking it. Ideally, your CTA instills confidence that clicking on it will fulfill the user’s need, curiosity, goal, etc.

Examples of Commonly Used CTAs

There’s nothing wrong with sticking to standard CTAs on your site. There are several that successfully convert site visitors and their familiarity can immediately instill a level of comfort. Following are some examples of commonly used CTAs:

• Read More
• Learn More
• Sign Up
• Donate
• Download

You’ve seen these often, and they are suitable for use across all sorts of digital platforms, from Google Ads copy to website service pages to email marketing campaigns. There is no confusion as to what they convey, which is not only important for message clarity but also because 90% of site visitors who read a page title or headline will also scan through to read your CTAs. (Unbounce). And they will do so quickly.

Attention spans are ever decreasing. So you want CTA buttons that are easily “digested” and inspire action.

But sometimes the standard just isn’t inspirational enough. That’s when you might want to think outside the box.

Need help choosing appropriate CTAs? We offer comprehensive digital advertising and marketing advice. Let’s talk!

(Just a note: Having CTAs above the fold does not impact SEO; that is a myth. But large CTAs could be seen as ads, which might impact your site’s SEO. Stick to small, effective calls to action.)

Unique Calls to Action

Depending on your brand and your buyer persona, you may be able to “stray from the norm” with your calls to action.

For instance, with a younger consumer or for a more informal brand, use “Grab the Merch” instead of formal and more typical “Place Order” on your purchase buttons. 

Offering a free resource in exchange for an email? How about “Send the Swag” or “Yusss, Send It!” instead of “Get Offer.”

Your newsletter signup could change from “Sign Up” to “I’m In” or “If It’s Free It’s For Me.”

The key, though, is to make sure this matches your brand. Read “What’s Your Brand” for some guidance to make sure you know your brand and your buyer persona before you try throwing unique calls to action on your website or digital ad campaigns. The way your website “sounds” to the user needs to match the “personality and culture” of your brand.

You can find more inspiration in The 36 Best Call to Action Phrases Ever by Wordstream.

These aren’t CTAs typically used on, say, a website for family law services or for an HR management firm. Unique CTAs are best used on informal sites and used sparingly. Too much “unique” just makes things weird.

Free in a CTA Can Work Magic

Using the word “free” in your CTAs just might be the edge you need to coax users to take an action. Get It Free, Signup Free, Free Trial, etc. “Free” weakens the barrier between risk and reward and so your consumer is more likely to act/engage.

Keep in mind, though, wherever that CTA takes the user it needs to land on a page with your branding on it and it needs to meet the expectations of the user. That is, adhere to the action taken and keep the user experience consistent. If a user takes an action and lands in unfamiliar or confusing “territory,” it will be difficult to regain that user’s trust again.

Content Must Give Context

No matter what CTA you choose to use, the content that surrounds it must give context to that call to action. There needs to be details and information that clearly fits the call to action, explains the “why” for taking an action, and sets up clear expectations for the user to engage with your offer and your brand comfortably and confidently.

With that in mind, your CTAs must be limited in number, too. Don’t confuse consumers with too many calls to action. One or two per page is best.

If you need help making sure your CTAs are effective and fit your brand, let’s have a conversation.