Every site owner could use a little more traffic. In fact, getting more traffic should be every business and blogger’s goal.

Thing is, all your traffic wouldn’t mean diddly squat if it doesn’t actually convert at all.

Now, conversion doesn’t necessarily have to make a sale. It could be anything from getting your readers to subscribe to your mailing list, download an information product, or otherwise get them to act on something.

Unless of course, you’re running an AdSense site, or just doing a totally personal thing.

Nine times out of ten, however, your goal would be to generate traffic that converts. Anything else would be a complete and total waste.

It is for this reason we will explore some ways you can improve your conversion rate – and it’s easier than most people think.

Being on this website, you’re probably most interested in the design part. However, we have to address content first and get to design later.

1. Use direct, practical language that gets your reader to act.

Screw what you’ve been taught in English class – in order for your call to action to be devastatingly effective, you must write in the second person.

Be direct. Be concise. Be practical.

Use words that make your reader act.

Don’t beat around the bush.

Let them know exactly what you mean and what you want them to do in no uncertain terms.

Then prepare your CTA with it and make sure it sticks out like a sore thumb. Easy, no?

2. Repetition - Optimize your copy to match each other.

Grammar rules dictate that you should generally steer clear of repeating yourself in your copy.

But, we’re talking about conversion rates. And repetition is key.

Whatever it is you’re trying to promote, or whatever it is you’re trying to get your reader to do, it should be the same for ALL your copy.

It should be the same all over. On your sales page, advertorial, you name it.

The devil is in the details – make sure they are all aligned.

3. Tell your audience what they stand to benefit from action.

Again, you have a limited space to work in – make your words count.

How will making them perform the desired action benefit them?

What do they stand to gain from heeding your CTA?

How will it improve their lives?

What goals will it help them achieve?

Formulating your value proposition with the appropriate call to action is key to increasing your conversions. It’s what will set YOUR brand from the rest. It’s what will make your audience click, stay, and click some more.

Be clear – tell them exactly what they are going to get by clicking on your CTA. Nothing will turn them off more than baiting and switching them.

In other words, state what action it is you want your audience to perform, and most importantly, GIVE THEM A REASON WHY THEY SHOULD IN THE FIRST PLACE. End of.

4. Make timing everything.

We are constantly bombarded with distractions every waking second. All the more so on the Internet and social media.

This is where the power of copy comes in – to keep your readers reading, and above all, taking action. Immediately. You know the old saying: strike whilst the iron is hot.

And one way you can make your reader remain hot is to use time-sensitive words and phrases.

Now.

Right now.

Today.

In the next 3 hours.

In the next 60 seconds.

In the next 5 minutes.

You get the idea.

You’ll be surprised at how much your chances of converting improve when you use the element of scarcity – and have your readers act within YOUR timeframe. Right away.

5. Draw attention to your CTA’s font.

Ah, finally, the design part.

Ideally, the font size you should use for your CTA should be bigger than the font size you use for your copy, but no bigger than the font size of the headline.

You’ll want your readers to see it right away, but without being overly blatant.

Large CTA buttons helps people see what it is you want them to do any time when they are reading your copy. Make those buttons clear and big enough to be accessible at all times.

6. Color converts.

Color does convert. Play with contrasting hues. Whatever color it is you choose for your CTA, though, make sure that IT STANDS OUT from the rest of the copy.

You’ll want them to stand out and attract attention while remaining stylistically in tune with the rest of the site.

Of course, it goes without saying that red draws immediate attention and is easy to spot at a glance, while green is aesthetically pleasing and gives you the same feeling as seeing the green light on a stoplight.

The problem, however, is that color isn’t everything. According to EyeQuant, luminance and contrast play an even more important role.

The principle is the same though. If you can’t see the CTA of your website in a glimpse, play around with colors, luminance, and contrast until you find a combination that works.

7. Keep your CTA buttons visible

Giving your CTA buttons a clickable, easy-to-peruse design gives off authority and realism to them. There are plenty of ways you can play around with clickable designs, in more ways than you can shake a stick at.

As you may have guessed from that last hint, we’re talking about sticky design here. It’s a simple, often overlooked action that can improve clickthrough rates by leaps and bounds.

According to Sagar Padriga, old colleague and now designer for the review website All The Stuff, sticky CTA blocks can raise clickthrough rates by as much as 40%. Check their review pages to see what he means.

Coupled with the right font and color scheme you may even see improved CTR rates that exceed 100% - can’t complain with those rates at all. Experiment and see what works for you.

CTAs aren’t rocket science. Nor should they be esoteric. They are, however, an integral part of digital marketing, and as such, require a basic working knowledge of how to implement and maximize their use. This guide is a start.