Great website design is not only pleasing to the eye; it communicates your message and guides the visitor toward action. I came across a really good article on “Call to Action Buttons” By Jacob Gube and I wanted to share a summary of his key points. Please go to his article to see many great visual examples.

1. Size: Grab your visitor’s attention with a button larger than the surrounding elements. The larger it is, the more visually important it is. If your page has multiple calls to action, then vary the sizes according to their importance.
2. Position: Place the button where it can be seen when a visitor first arrives. Give your button a prominent position such as the top right corner of the page where it will be quickly noticed.
3. Whitespace: Use whitespace or a lack of other graphics (dead space) around a call to action button to make it stand out. If you vary your amount of whitespace, you can make it appear connected to your text. Increase the whitespace to visually separate a button from a block of text.
4. Color: Use highly contrasting colors from your background to make a button stand out and get noticed.
5. Secondary: Add a secondary call to action next to your main action to increase conversion. As an example you may place a “learn more” next to a “buy now” so you better convert someone who is still unsure.
6. Urgency: Add urgency by using bold, confident and commanding words. Create the perception that waiting could create a penalty or missed opportunity. Using “introductory pricing” subtly suggests that waiting may result in a higher price.
7. What to expect: Tell visitors what they should expect. If they sign up for your newsletter, will they receive it weekly or monthly? How many megabytes is your download?