What will happen if I click that button?

When people know what will happen next, they are more likely to go along for the ride.

I don’t like to get in a car and randomly drive. I don’t necessarily need to know exactly where I’m going: it could just be “let’s see what’s up this road.”

alpine on blue mt parkway

When people know what will happen next, they are more likely to go along for the ride.

I don’t like to get in a car and randomly drive. I don’t necessarily need to know exactly where I’m going: it could just be “let’s see what’s up this road.”

But if you’re giving me directions, you better tell me where the end point is.
If all I have is “turn right here, then turn left there” I’ll have a very hard time following along. It’s just the way my brain works.

It’s similar with Call to Action buttons.

I want to know what will happen if I click.

  • Will my credit card be automatically charged?
  • Do I have another chance to review my order?
  • Will this link open in a new tab?
  • Will it download a PDF or a Word document?

CTA a single command, an action word.

Click this and that will happen.
Tell me what I’ll get for sharing my contact information.

  1. Write a title/tag line in big letters: What is the purpose of the button?
  2. Then show the button — which should be big and obvious and in a color used specifically for buttons.
  3. And then a short explanation of what will happen next, or what you’ll get if you click the button.

Check out this great article and infographic at DigitalInformationWorld.com about using CTAs.

Want help figuring out your best Call to Action

Head over to my contact page…
even if you’re not sure what your questions are.

Author: Kerch McConlogue

Harrisburg, PA: A WordPress front end web developer who speaks plain-English to nonGeeks