As a lodging operator, your website’s primary function is to encourage bookings at your property. Excellent content and design are essential for piquing the interest of users, but it isn’t enough to ensure maximum conversions. Guests need clear signs directing them through the booking journey in order to turn that interest into a reservation. This is best accomplished with call-to-action (CTA) buttons placed strategically throughout the web content. But not all CTAs are created equal. Here are a few tips for creating effective CTAs:
Copy
Make the value clear>> Whether your CTA is asking users to sign up for your email list or make a booking at your property, you need to highlight the value of the action. Offering personal details and committing to a booking both require trust on the part of the guest. So make sure they know what they’re getting out of it. CTA buttons should complete the sentence “I want to…”. For hotels, these are often things like “Receive special offers,” “Book now,” or “Check availability.” They can be used to direct customers to booking forms or other pages (such as room types) depending on their position in the customer journey.
Create a sense of urgency>> The phrasing you choose has a significant impact on the efficacy of a CTA. You want to elicit an emotional response that inspires guests to act.
Design
Once you’ve settled on CTA copy, you need to design your button. Appropriate color and sizing will ensure your CTA is noticeable and alluring.
Choose the right colors >> Color is the best way to get users’ attention. Use colors that contrast with your website’s palette to ensure your CTAs pop – making it easy for guests to know where to click next. And avoid grey for the text – people associate it with dead links.
Find the perfect size>> You want your CTA to be big enough to stand out, but not so large it distracts completely from your web content. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to size. You’ll have to play around a bit to see what feels right with the other elements of your page. And remember to consider the mobile experience. Any CTAs on your site should be large enough to push without difficulty.
Placement
The final piece of the CTA puzzle is placement. This includes physical placement on the page as well as placement within the customer journey.
Consider the flow of the page>> You’ll hear a lot about placement suggestions based on the reading habits of people. While they are great to keep in mind, it’s advisable to prioritize the unique flow of your page when choosing where to place a CTA. Those patterns are useful for large blocks of text, but your website likely has more diverse content (graphics, etc.) that change the way people view your page. Find a place that feels natural in the context of your content. Customers should feel like they arrive at a CTA organically.
Put one on every page>> You never want a guest to reach a dead end on your site. It’s a good idea to include a CTA on every page that will carry the user forward in the customer journey.
CTA buttons are an essential tool for maximizing conversions Make sure you’re using them to their full potential. And if you’re looking for assistance with web design, contact our design team today.