Your call-to-action (usually a button) is where you ask visitors to do the thing you want them to do. Sign up, start a trial, book a demo, whatever it is. Everything else on your page builds up to this moment.
Surprisingly many websites mess this up. The button is hidden, the text is confusing, or there are so many options that people give up and leave.
Pick one primary action
If you give people too many choices, they often choose none. This is decision paralysis. Your homepage should have one main thing you want people to do.
Pick your most important action and make it the obvious choice. This might be "Start free trial" or "Get started" or "Book a demo" depending on your business model.
You can have secondary options for people who are not ready yet (like "Learn more" or "See pricing"), but these should be visually less prominent than your main action.
Make the button obvious
Your main button should stand out visually from everything else on the page. This means high contrast colors, enough size to be easily tappable on mobile, and enough space around it so it does not feel cramped.
A common mistake is making buttons that blend in with the rest of the page. If your website is mostly blue and your button is also blue, it will not stand out. Use a contrasting color that draws the eye.
Put buttons where people expect them
Your main call-to-action should appear in several places:
Near the top of the page, visible without scrolling. Many people decide quickly, and you do not want them to have to hunt for how to take action.
After each major section. If you have a section explaining your key features, put a button at the end. People might be convinced at different points.
At the very bottom of the page. If someone scrolls all the way to the end, they might be ready to act but have no button in sight.
Write button text that makes sense
The text on your button should be clear about what happens when someone clicks it. "Submit" is vague. "Start my free trial" is specific.
Use first-person language where it makes sense. "Get my report" feels more personal than "Get your report" even though it is the same thing.
If there is a benefit, mention it. "Start free trial" is fine, but "Start free trial, no card needed" removes a common objection.
Reduce friction around the button
People hesitate before clicking things. They worry about spam, hidden costs, long forms, and commitment.
You can reduce this hesitation by adding reassurance near your button. Small text like "No credit card required" or "Cancel anytime" or "Takes 30 seconds" addresses common fears.
Social proof near the button also helps. Something like "Join 5,000+ teams" or "Rated 4.8 stars" gives people confidence that others have made this choice successfully.
Test different versions
Small changes to buttons can have surprisingly large effects. The text, color, size, and surrounding elements all matter.
If you have enough traffic, test different versions. Change the button text and see if more people click. Change the color and measure the results. You might be surprised by what works.
Even without formal testing, you can make changes and monitor your conversion rate over time. If signups go up after a change, you probably improved something.
A common issue: too many steps
Sometimes the problem is not the button itself but what happens after someone clicks. If clicking "Sign up" leads to a form with twenty fields, people will abandon it.
Look at your entire signup flow. How many steps does it take to get started? Can any of them be removed or delayed until later? The fewer barriers between clicking the button and getting value, the better.