Calls to action for small business websites

A call to action is the button or line that tells a visitor what to do next: call, book, ask for a quote, come in. On a small business website the rule that matters most is one clear next step per page. When a page offers six choices of equal weight, visitors often take none. When it offers one obvious step, with the same step repeated where it is needed, people take it. Here is how to choose yours, word it and place it.

Decide what you actually want people to do

Start with how your business really gets work, not with what websites usually have. Ask yourself: when a new customer turns into a paying one, what was the first thing they did?

A plumber, locksmith or towing company: they called. The main step is a phone call.
A roofer, remodeler or landscaper: they asked for an estimate. The main step is a short request form or a call.
A salon, dentist or massage therapist: they booked a time. The main step is a booking link.
A bakery, gift shop or restaurant: they came in or placed an order. The main step is directions, the menu or the order page.
An accountant, attorney or consultant: they asked a question. The main step is a short contact form or a call.

Pick one main step for the business. You can have a second, quieter one for people who are not ready, but the main one should be the obvious choice.

Word the button like an answer to "what happens if I click?"

The best button text says exactly what happens next. Vague words like "Submit", "Learn more" or "Click here" make people hesitate because they do not know what they are signing up for.

Better button wording:

"Call (555) 201-4400" rather than "Contact us"
"Book a cleaning" rather than "Get started"
"Get a free estimate" rather than "Submit"
"See the menu" rather than "Learn more"
"Get directions" rather than "Visit us"
"Ask a question" rather than "Send"

Keep it to two to five words. Start with a verb. If the step is free and that matters to your customers, say so in the button or right beside it.

A small line under the button can remove the last doubt: "We call back within one business day." "No obligation, no sales visit unless you ask." "Takes about a minute."

Where the call to action belongs

A visitor is ready to act at different points. Put the same main step in each of these places:

At the top of the page, next to the headline. People who already know what they want should not have to scroll.
After the part that answers their question, such as at the end of a service description or after the price list.
At the bottom of every page, where people who read everything finish.
In the header on phones, as a tap-to-call button or a small "Book" button that stays in reach of a thumb.

Repeating the same button three times on a long page is not pushy; it saves the visitor from scrolling back up. Offering three different buttons in the same spot is what confuses.

For the phone version, click-to-call buttons explains how to make the number tappable and when to show your hours next to it.

One step per page, but not the same step on every page

Each page has its own reader and its own next step. They can differ:

Home page: the main step for the business, such as "Call" or "Get an estimate".
A service page: the step for that service. On an emergency repair page, "Call now". On a remodeling page, "Get an estimate".
The gallery or project pages: "Start a project like this", leading to the estimate form.
The about page: the main step again, after the visitor has decided they like you.
The contact page: the form, the number and the address, all plainly laid out. This is the one page where offering two or three ways is right.

The quieter second step

Not everyone is ready to call. A softer step catches people who are still looking, as long as it stays smaller and lower than the main one:

"See our prices"
"See recent jobs"
"Read our questions and answers"

These are links, not big buttons. They keep a careful customer moving through your site until they are ready for the main step.

Common mistakes

No step at all. A page describes the service beautifully and then ends. The visitor has to hunt for the contact page.
A button that leads to a long form. If "Get an estimate" opens a form with fifteen fields, many people give up. Contact forms that people actually fill in covers how short a form can be.
Buttons that look like decoration. If the button is the same color as everything else, or looks like a picture, people miss it. Use one strong color for the main step everywhere on the site.
Pop-ups that interrupt. A box that covers the page before someone has read anything is a call to action in the wrong place.
Promising what you cannot do. "Same-day service" on the button when you are booked a week out turns a lead into a disappointed caller.

Checking that it works

You do not need software to check. Over the next few weeks, ask each new customer how they got in touch. If most say "I called" but your site's main button is a form, swap them. If people say they could not find how to book, the button is in the wrong place or worded unclearly.

If you have form submissions or call tracking, count them for a month before and after a change. Whatever the tool, the number that matters is enquiries, not visits.

What to do this week

Write down the single first step most new customers take.
Word that step as a button of two to five words, starting with a verb.
Put it at the top, after the main content and at the bottom of each page.
Choose one quieter link for people not ready yet.
Look at each page on your phone and remove any competing buttons.

If your site has no clear next step today, you can see your site rebuilt first with the call and estimate buttons already in place, then reword them in your own voice.