A call to action can bring success to your web presence. If you use the right words, you can inspire your audience to take action — like download your resume, or project, etc. If it does not stand out, your audience may not notice it.

What is a call to action?

A call to action (or CTA) is a prompt designed to inspire the target audience of a marketing campaign to take a desired action. It encourages people to click on a link, leave a social media comment, visit an online store, make a purchase, etc. It can be a Text link, a Button, or even plain text without a link. “Buy Now” or “Download Now” are typical examples of simple calls to action.

A good call to action triggers the user to do what you wish them to do. Users often need some direction as to what to do next. It is possible to use several call to actions to engage the user’s possible options. A call to action is not the menu system, which represents the site architecture.

A call to action uses short, strong, and persuasive language. It needs to call up a value proposition that is relevant and clear. It should entice the user, by provoking emotion or enthusiasm. A good call to action engages the audience with a narrative they already support and believe in, like exclusivity, as many people fear missing out. Last chance, limited lime, or urgent are used to get people to act.

A call to action is often the first thing you see, but it can be at the end of a story, for example. Wherever it appears, a call to action provides your reader with an actionable task.

It starts with a verb. Strong verbs that directly engage users for commerce are buy, now, shop, save, For a non profit, donate, volunteer, give, support. For a newsletter or activity, subscribe, join. There are many strong verbs, like learn more, see how, find out, click here, continue, etc. A Call to Action is usually very short, but it can run longer, too, such as “Subscribe today so you’ll never miss a post.”

A list of strong verbs for different calls.

• Ecommerce: Buy, Shop, Order, Reserve, Save, Add to Cart, Pick, View
• Non-profit: Donate, Commit, Volunteer, Adopt, Give, Support
• Newsletter or community: Subscribe, Join, Sign Up, Refer,
• Freebie giveaway: Download, Get, Grab, Claim, Take advantage of
• General: Learn More, See More, See How, Start, Find Out, Check it Out, Click here, Continue, Swipe Up

The possibilities are endless.