3 Important Factors to Consider When Optimizing Your CTA

CTA (Calls to Action) buttons are important for the success of an ecommerce website. You are probably here looking for some tips to make them work for your website. While a lot has been said about the characteristics, relevance, placing and values of a CTA button, there is something that not many people think about; and that is the color of a CTA button. A good web page need not depend on a CTA button alone for its performance, but then again, a good CTA button on a good web page can do wonders for your conversion.

It’s a competitive world, and although most people are always online, they don’t want to spend a lot of time on one site. If a potential customer visits your site, likes your products, but is not able to find the Call to Action button instantly, then the visitor would immediately look for some other option on Google, and within no time the visitor will have links to hundreds of other alternatives. It is very important to ensure that the call to action buttons stand out from the rest of the interface. Just inserting a button on the web page is not sufficient for the success. You have to understand the psychology of visitors to your site.

1. Understand how  the color affects the decision of the visitor

Have you ever thought about why you choose to wear a different color every day? Your choice of clothes is greatly dependent on your mood. If you are happy you are likely to wear colorful clothes. If you are tense or sad, then your choice would sober down. In the same way, color combinations can change your mood. You may not want to believe it, but that does not change the fact that color matters.

A visitor to your site may not buy anything if he finds the CTA button dull or unimpressive, not because he is judging it, but because the button is just not motivating him to move on to the next step. Believe me it’s all psychology. The color combination, look and feel has a connection to the reliability factor. It also indicates how professional the vendor actually is.

Your choice of clothes is greatly dependent on your mood. If you are happy you are likely to wear colorful clothes. If you are tense or sad, then your choice would sober down.

You need to understand that the visitors to your site have very little time in hand. They have a busy life, and they are surfing through several web pages in a small span of time. This is the main reason why it is important to make your CTA button stand out, and this is where the role of color comes in.

We live in a colorful world, and color plays a very crucial role in making a decision. You will not buy a book if you don’t find the cover appealing. You may not use a particular soap for bathing if you don’t like its color. In the same way, you may not click a CTA button if you don’t find the color appealing.

Most people use contrasting colors for CTA buttons. So, an orange colored CTA button will look good on a blue colored web page. Similarly, red colored button would stand out on a green page and vice versa.

So, when you go to a site, its look and feel connects to the visitor’s understanding about the subject and right color combination convinces him to go ahead and make a purchase.

2. Understand which colors suite the theme of your site.

Colors are basically classified as Pure, Tints and Shades. Pure colors are generally used in bright web pages and are not mixed with any hues. They give a very cheerful and energetic look. Tints on the other hand are mixed with white to give a very calm, peaceful and feminine effect. You would find this lighter shade mainly on beauty or spa related websites. Shades have black mixed in it. Such colors give a look of mystery and generally you would find buttons of these shades on sites related to spirituality, tarot reading etc.

So, when you go to a site its look and feel connects to the visitor’s understanding about the subject and right color combination convinces him to go ahead and make a purchase.

[Tweet “Too many colors can really put off a person, like too many people talking at the same time. #color”]

3. Don’t overdo this color thing

The CTA button should excite the visitor’s natural sense of curiosity. However, don’t overdo things. Too many colors can really put off a person. It’s like too many people talking  at the same time, it can confuse a person.  The CTA button should be placed neatly on a web page and it should have a color stand out on the page.

What other factors besides color help in creating a good CTA button?

It is important to place the button correctly where the visitors can easily find it. The shape, width, size and border of the button should look good with the rest of the content. The message on the button should also be very clear. So if you are using a small button you should think of giving it a bright look so that it grabs attention instantly but the bigger buttons can have a little sober color.

Feel free to share your experience when optimizing your CTA buttons.