Writing effective calls to action

A call to action (CTA) is any button, link, or prompt that tells a visitor what to do next. "Book a call." "Get a quote." "Download the guide." It sounds simple — but the words you choose make a significant difference to how many people actually click.

What makes a call to action work

A good CTA does three things:

1. Tells the reader what to do — using a verb
2. Tells them what they'll get — the outcome or benefit
3. Removes hesitation — with reassuring language where needed

The anatomy of a strong CTA

Compare these two:

• Weak: "Submit"
• Strong: "Book your free 30-minute consultation"

The second version uses an action verb ("book"), tells you what you get ("your free consultation"), and tells you what to expect ("30 minutes"). It's more specific and more reassuring.

Action words to use

Start your CTA with a strong verb:

• Book
• Get
• Download
• Start
• Try
• See
• Request
• Send
• Claim
• Apply

Avoid passive or vague words: "Click here," "Find out more," "Learn more," "Submit." These tell the reader what they're doing (clicking), not what they're getting.

Focus on what the visitor gets

The easiest way to improve any CTA: replace "what I want you to do" with "what you will get."

One call to action per goal

Each page should have one primary CTA — the single most important action you want a visitor to take. You can repeat it multiple times on the page (once at the top, once at the bottom, sometimes in the middle), but it should be the same action.

Several different CTAs competing for attention can confuse visitors and cost you conversions.

Reducing hesitation

Sometimes a single line below your CTA removes the barrier to clicking:

• "No credit card required."
• "Free — no obligation."
• "Cancels anytime."
• "We reply within one business day."

These small reassurances can make the difference. Use them where there's a natural concern (especially for bookings, sign-ups, or purchases).

CTAs in links and body copy

Not every CTA is a button. In-text links should also be specific:

• Vague: "Click here to learn more about our services."
• Clear: "See how our brand strategy service works."

Never use "click here" as link text. Screen reader users often jump from link to link or pull up a list of every link on the page, and "click here" is meaningless out of context. Accessibility guidelines (WCAG) also ask that the purpose of every link is clear from its text or the sentence around it. See alt text explained for more on writing for screen readers.

Common questions

How many calls to action should a page have?

One primary CTA — repeated two or three times across the page. Secondary CTAs (like "See our work" or "Read case studies") can appear lower on the page but should be visually less prominent than the primary one.

Should a button say 'Submit'?

Almost never. "Submit" says nothing about what happens next. Replace it with what the action actually does: "Send my enquiry," "Book my consultation," "Get my free quote."

Does the color of the button matter?

Yes — but it's outside the scope of this guide (it's a design decision, not a writing one). What matters from a writing perspective is the text. Work with your designer to make the button visually prominent.

Related guides

• Writing for the web
• Writing a great homepage
• Writing service pages that convert
• Conversion fundamentals
• Landing page anatomy
• Lead magnets explained
• Alt text explained

Learn more

• W3C WAI — writing tips: make link text meaningful
• Digital.gov plain language guide — writing for understanding (use the active voice)