CRO Quick Wins Part 1: The impact of simple CTA adjustments in boosting your website conversions

When it comes to conversion rate optimisation (CRO), we regularly find that the ‘low-hanging fruit’ or ‘quick wins’ can lead to the most significant changes. One area where this is especially true is in Calls to Action (CTAs) which are arguably the most crucial element of any website, guiding users toward completing desired actions, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter or requesting a quote.

The effectiveness of a CTA can hinge on various factors, including its visibility, language and design attributes; however research is consistently showing that even optimising basic things such as CTA colours, labels and font sizes can directly influence user behaviour to encourage more clicks.

In this article, I’ll explore some examples that illustrate the power of these simple adjustments.

The power of colour

As I write this, I’m in the middle of conducting (CRO) tests for one of our clients, an online gold-buying business, to determine which CTA colour is more effective for them - the control blue or three new colour variants. There is only one action this client wants website visitors to take - 'sell my gold’. The user journeys for this site are short as everyone that lands already has strong intent to sell, but that said, they’re still looking for reassurance that our client is the right company to handle the task. Even the simplest update of tweaking a CTA colour can make a profound difference in the user seeing that CTA at exactly the right time.

To back up my point, HubSpot’s extensive CRO test data shows that red CTAs outperform green CTAs on average by 21%. This could be because, based on general colour psychology, red can encourage a sense of urgency or encourage more action. Somewhat frustratingly, the exact reasons are unknown, but the significance of the stat is undeniable given the sheer amount of A/B tests across different industries that run through HubSpot. Let’s get some perspective though. This DOES NOT mean you should switch all your CTAs to red! Like we’re doing for our client, we recommend that you test a variety of colours to see which one works best for your website and target users.

Top tips for CTA colours

• Make them seen: CTA buttons should stand out from the surrounding page elements and wider UI design. If a particular colour dominates the page, use a contrasting colour for the CTA to make it more noticeable by users and therefore more likely to be clicked.
• Humans are emotional creatures: Different colours evoke different feelings and associations. For example, red (the colour of passion) can create a sense of urgency, while blue is more calming and widely accepted to convey trust.
• Adherence to brand: The CTA colour should where possible align with the overall brand aesthetic and messaging as users utilise brand look and feel for recognition and first impressions. That said, marketers should not be afraid to experiment and extend their digital brand palette if CRO testing indicates there’s performance uplift to be had in utilising a new colour.
• Accessibility: It's important to ensure that CTA colours are accessible to all users, most obviously to those with visual impairments. In terms of website search rankings, accessibility also plays an important role. Whilst not directly being a ranking factor, the algorithm is now heavily geared towards websites having stronger user experience, of which being accessible is a contributing factor.
• A vs B: As with any CRO decision to make a change, it should be based on data not personal preference. Through A/B testing, you should identify the most effective colour choice for a CTA in order to generate the most amount of clicks.

Choose your words carefully

Leading A/B testing software provider Vwo.com adopts constant and rigorous CRO testing on their own lead generation website and, like us, they don’t shy away from testing the ‘quicks wins’. In one documented experiment that looked at their quote submissions forms, they hypothesised that ‘Submit’, was too generic for the CTA label and that it lacked emotional engagement. After testing different options, they found that changing the label to ‘Get Your Free Quote’ resulted in a 34% increase in form submissions. Based on our experience of running similar tests, we have to assume that the new wording not only added clarity but also conveyed a sense of value and urgency amongst the targeted users.

Another example of adjusting CTA labelling for conversion uplift can be found with PartnerStack, a partner ecosystem platform, which managed to increase its conversion rate from 6.66% to 14.09% - that’s a massive leap of 111.55% - simply by tweaking its homepage CTA copy from ‘Book a Demo’ to ‘Get Started’.

This statement from Joe rings true for our own practices. When our copywriters are considering CTA labels, even though the word count is heavily restricted, it’s vital for them to communicate value in order to build trust and credibility with users at every interaction point to guide them through the sales funnel as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Top tips for CTA labels

• Clear and concise: Use straightforward language that clearly describes the action you want users to take.
• Sense of urgency: Incorporate time-sensitive terms or exclusive offers to encourage prompt action.
• Action-oriented language: Using terms like ‘Download Now’, ‘Subscribe Today’ and ‘Get Started’ are effective at prompting action.
• Test and optimise: Regularly test different CTA labels to identify which variations yield the best results and continually optimise based on user feedback, session recordings and analytics.

Size matters after all

Demio, a webinar platform, increased their conversion rate by 57.79% by making their CTA button larger and darker. It seems simple and obvious, but it’s worth remembering that the vast majority of websites don’t actively practise CRO - and most likely haven’t had a proper design update since launch. When websites are in the design phase, they tend to be critiqued from a subjective perspective, very rarely going through any user testing to identify performance measures and preferences from the very people the website seeks to convert. Subtle things like optimising a button size are therefore easily overlooked but, without sounding too doom and gloom, that decision ripples through the entire project, through to site launch and beyond, where the website produces weaker conversions compared to the potential it could achieve.

According to research by Science Says, even capitalisation formatting plays a role. ‘Websites that use UPPERCASE letters seem distant and efficient, those with lowercase seem close and sincere. This could be because we see uppercase letters as authoritative and powerful because they are often used in warning signs. On the other hand, we perceive lowercase letters as closer to us because they are used more frequently in our daily life’.

Top tip

• CRO is focused on micro adjustments for maximum returns, so never underestimate the impact of a tiny tweak. Even if it’s just a five-minute task for a developer to increase the size of a CTA button or text by a few pixels, it could generate you thousands in additional revenue from the additional clicks.

Top tips for CTA size

• Increased visibility: A larger CTA button naturally stands out more on a page, making it more likely to be noticed by users.
• Improved click-through rates: When users can easily see and access the CTA, they are more likely to click on it.
• Enhanced user experience: A well-placed and appropriately sized CTA button contributes to a smoother user experience by making it clear what action the user should take next.
• Clarity and focus: By using white space around the CTA, you ensure it's uncluttered and easily identifiable.
  

Good design doesn’t always mean the ‘best looking’

Studies have shown that CTAs which are shaped like buttons see a 45% increase in clicks. Now you’re probably thinking well, what else would a CTA be shaped like if not a button?! This is the part where I hold back from going into a full blown rant… but CTAs that don’t look like CTAs are one my biggest professional pet peeves. Without fail, every time I audit a website for UX improvements, I spot CTA design issues. Three common faux pas are:

• Important CTAs are limited to a tertiary text link style.
• They’re styled the same as a banner/tag element and so aren’t distinguishable from merchandising content elements.
• The worst offender - they’re a graphic/image and don’t look remotely clickable.

The whole point of a CTA is that you’re asking a user for their action. It’s hard enough to entice and encourage the click but it’s near enough impossible if the CTA isn’t noticeable in the first place. When talking about this, I always refer back to a globally recognisable client I worked with for many years who commissioned a very expensive branding agency to create fun visual brand characters that communicated their quirky unusualness, which were then used as CTAs on their website. However, this left me screaming into a pillow because a cartoon penguin wearing a top hat that says ‘sign up today’ does not meet user expectations for what a CTA looks like…and so unsurprisingly, the CTR was exceptionally poor.

This next point tackles an arguably dated-looking design technique, but according to an original study by Helzberg Diamonds 'buttons that include an arrow icon at the end of the button saw a 26% increase in clicks' - which seems to counter the point I make earlier in this article about giving CTAs more room to ensure they’re free from distraction. It’s true that users are drawn to elements that attract their eye, but they also appreciate simple direction - somewhat of a double-edged sword (if that’s the right analogy which it undoubtedly won’t be as I always get my sayings wrong). But getting to the point, the only way to know for sure what users respond best to, e.g. arrow or no arrow, is to quickly and easily try out some options and A/B test them.

Top tips for CTA design in the wider UI

• Substance over style: While a visually appealing website can create a good first impression, a website designed for CRO focuses on creating a user experience that leads to conversions. This may involve sacrificing some aesthetic elements for the sake of functionality usability, and clear calls to action in order to improve your website’s performance.

To summarise

Hopefully this article has provided a good overview on how even small design or even copy tweaks, isolated to CTAs alone, can significantly influence user behaviour and decision-making, which directly translate into higher conversion rates.

To leverage these insights, consider implementing the following best practices and top tips we’ve uncovered on your website:

• Experiment with colours: Test your CTA colours against your website background to find high-contrast combinations that stand out and elicit user action.
• Write engaging labels: Use actionable language that conveys the benefit users will receive. Experiment with variations to discover what resonates most with your audience.
• Enhance font size and visibility: Ensure that your CTAs are not only clearly visible but also legible. Increasing the font size or spacing can make a big difference, especially on mobile devices.
• Consistent testing: Continuously perform A/B testing on CTA elements to analyse performance and adapt based on real user data.