If people are coming to your website, they need a purpose. Perhaps you want them to buy, register, bookmark, donate, make an appointment, fill out a form, subscribe or sell something. Whatever you want them to do, you need to make it abundantly clear in a tactful, legit way that they’re not going anywhere until they comply with your wishes. Your call-to-action is the element you use to compel visitors to do something specific that enables you to measure whether or not your website is doing its intended job.

The website call to action, then, is small but mighty. Everything you do with it is important and there are many considerations and ways you can handle it. From placement to wording to the actual color you use for the button, you really need to think about it methodically. Make sure the message clear, encouraging, trustworthy and not overwhelming so you can enjoy a healthy conversion rate.

From a Web design perspective, there are the elements to keep in mind when planning out your advertising call-to-action that can lead to increased conversions:

Placement: Make sure your call-to-action message is noticeable to visitors. It should be above the fold and in a prominent place, somewhere next to or within the content. Put a button on the homepage for sure and don’t hesitate to place buttons on other pages throughout your website. Also, make sure there’s direction for each step of the process, so no page is ever a dead end.

Text: What should your call-to-action say? Definitely NOT just Click Here, which isn’t cluing your visitors in on the real action you want them to take. Be clear; use wording such as Try It for Free! or Buy Now! or even Click Here to Subscribe to Our Newsletter! That’s some solid direction.

Color: The call to action button should be noticeable and perhaps contrasts with your main colors. Also, according a recent blog post, the colors you choose for your Web call-to-action make a difference, and should be chosen carefully according to the action. For example, red is popular but might be associated with debt, while white might be lost in the crowd and overlooked.

Size: A larger button will make it more prominent on a page and will have a positive impact on conversion, but don’t make it so big or flamboyant that it’s obnoxious and takes away from the tactful message.

Icons: Images and buttons catch people’s eyes and stand out against the text. The fact that they’re a contrast to the rest of the page inherently implies a request to take action.

To determine the best advertising call-to-action for your particular website, it’s important to do some testing to find out what’s working. Experiment with different colors, sizes, shapes, locations, etc. and check which are leading to a better conversion rate. Use the free Google Website Optimizer tool to help you do this.

Don’t take the call to action for granted on your small business website and forget why you have a website in the first place. You’ve got a potential customer visiting your well-designed website and reading your excellent content… now you’ve got to ask for a conversion.