Once you’ve mastered the art of getting people to check out your website, the next big step is winning conversions as a result of their presence. Most business owners and website developers use Call to Action (CTA) buttons to get visitors to perform a certain act and “convert.”

The activity might be signing up for a newsletter, getting a free quote, purchasing a product, or simply learning more about you. Whatever the goal, compelling call-to-action buttons can tell visitors exactly what to do with the information so it benefits both of you.

If you’re struggling to get conversions from your current CTA buttons, or you’re building CTA buttons and want to score well the first time, here are four solid tips for attracting more clicks.

  1. Use Colors and Shadows to Make Your Button More Clickable

There’s something inherently appealing about a button that makes people want to push it, both in the physical world and in the digital. When you want your readers to perform an action of any sort, the best thing to do is create a digital button that actually looks like a button that’s waiting to be pressed.

Vivid colors and shadows can heighten the appeal. Take a look at this page for a Honda dealership in Pennsylvania, for example.

This company offers color-coordinated buttons for each action that can be performed on the page. Each is brightly colored to draw one’s eye and shadowed to emphasize it and encourage you to push it. Visitors who are in a mood to take action will hardly be able to resist!

  1. Draw the Reader’s Eye Across the Screen

The positioning of your button makes a difference too. A study from Nielsen Norman Group tracked eye movements to see how people read web pages.

The researchers found that people tend to read in a horizontal pattern above the fold (on the top half of your website), then scan the rest of the content fairly vertically. Heat maps of this movement look much like the letter F.

When you know this, it makes sense to place most out of your CTA buttons on the top right half of the screen because that’s where the eye starts or is drawn naturally. It’s not the only strategy, but it’s clearly a smart one.

If you want to put your CTA button somewhere else or draw even greater attention to it, then use the content of the page to draw the visitor’s eye toward that target. Take a look at this example featured on Hubspot. The creators effectively guide the eye to the CTA button with arrows.

There’s also this homepage for an ecommerce tool that uses slanted imagery and graphics to urge you toward the company’s CTA button. All the graphics, and even the background, are slanted toward the button, so your eye gets drawn to it.

  1. Use a Short, Compelling, First-Person Message

The idea is, by the time readers have found your CTA button, they’ll be motivated to do something about it. “When people get to your button, they should have transitioned from a ‘reading mood’ to a ‘ready to act mood,’ says Neil Patel.

“It’s time to click – so make it short and succinct to prevent them from going to other web pages.” Phrases like Sign Me Up, Start a Quote, or Learn More tend to be all you need to get clicks by then.

Patel also recommends using power words and phrases like “YES! Sign Me Up” or “Get INSTANT Access” or “Get Your FREE Quote NOW.” It helps if your message is expressed in first-person speech.

A study from Content Verve showed that when a button with text in second person (such as “sign yourself up”) was changed to first person (as in “sign me up”), it received a 90 percent increase in clicks!

  1. Elicit Positive Emotions from Each Button

Good web design is all about creating positive emotion in potential customers, especially those who are most likely to click your CTA buttons. Some marketers try to take the shocking or humorous approach to get people to click.

For example, an ecommerce site selling pest control might say, “Don’t click this button if you love ants in your kitchen.” It might seem like a fun, clever idea that will spark people into doing the opposite, but it’s more likely to foster a negative sensation that will hurt your business than help it.

Giving readers any reason not to click your CTA button is generally an error. In addition, be careful with your imagery and colors, which can also elicit emotions that are both positive and negative.

For example, a dark brown button next to a crying child will coat your efforts with negative emotions, and you’re not likely to get much positive engagement. That’s why you want bright colors and smiling people surrounding your calls to action. The more positive the information and content, the better your buttons will perform.

Armed with the right tools, you can create compelling CTAs for every page on your website. Offering a positive experience with clickable buttons is really all you need to encourage interested customers to get on board.