Imagine walking into a shop where no one greets you, nothing is labelled, and you’re left wondering what to do next. That’s what many small business websites feel like when they don’t have a clear, compelling call to action (CTA).

A good CTA guides your visitor to take the next step, whether it’s contacting you, making a purchase, or downloading something useful.

In this post, we’ll break down what makes a CTA effective, why it matters so much, and how to write CTAs that actually convert.

What Is a Call to Action? (CTA)

A call to action is a prompt that tells your visitor what to do next. It could be a button, a link, a line of text, or even a popup, but its goal is always the same: encourage action.

Examples:

• “Book Your Free Consultation”

• “Download your Guide”

• “Sign Up Today”

• “Start Your Free Trial”

• “Get a Quote in 60 Seconds”

Every page of your website should include a CTA… and ideally, just one main one per page. 

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Avoid giving your visitors a choice. Just give them a clear single instruction as to what they need to do next. Don’t make the mistake of asking your visitors to make a choice. When you do this you force them to stop and think, and unfortunately that creates three groups. 1) Yes, let’s go ahead. 2) No, that’s not for me. And, 3) I’m not sure… and unfortunately the vast majority of you website visitors will fall into group 3 - that’s not what we want!

Why CTAs Matter for Small Businesses

Without a CTA, you’re relying on the visitor to figure out what to do next. Most won’t.

A strong CTA helps:

• Guide the user journey building confidence and trust

• Turns your website into a useful tool rather than a ghost town

• Reduce bounce rates (visitors leaving your site, often without looking at a 2nd page)

• Builds your lead and prospect database

It gives purpose to your website… and clarity to your visitors.

Where to Use CTAs on Your Website

• At the top of your homepage (above the fold - before they need to scroll)

• After explaining your offer or service

• Throughout and alongside your blog posts or landing pages

• On popups or slide-ins

• In your site’s navigation or header

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For longer pages repeat the chosen CTA in each section to ensure that whenever a visitor is scrolling a CTA is always visible, or very close to where they are.

How to Write a High-Converting CTA

The golden rule is to make it actionable

1, Use strong, clear action based verbs. Start with words like:

• Get

• Book

• Download

• Try

• Start

• Join

Avoid vague CTAs like “Submit” or “Click here.”

2, Focus on the Benefit

Tell them why they should click. What’s in it for them?

Instead of: “Sign Up”

Try: “Join 2,000+ business owners getting weekly growth tips”

3, Keep It Short

Aim for 2 to 6 words for buttons, or a short sentence for text CTAs.

4, Make It Visually Clear

Use buttons or banner images that stand out. Use a contrasting colour and make sure it’s easy to click on both desktop and mobile.

5, Match It to the Page Goal

Each CTA should align with what the page is about. For example; don’t ask for a sale on a blog post - instead, offer a related guide or invite them to join your list.

Just look at what we’re doing here!

Proven CTA Examples for Small Businesses

Here are just a few proven examples of CTAs that work well for various types of business.

Coach/Consultant - “Book Your Free Discovery Call”

Retail/eCommerce - “Claim Your Discount Coupon”

Trades/Services - “Get a Fast, No-Obligation Quote”

Online Courses/Memberships - “Start Learning for Free”

Wellness - “Claim Your First Session Discount”

Final Takeaway

A well-crafted CTA is like a helpful signpost - it tells your website visitors where to go next, and why they should go there.

It’s one of the smallest elements on your site, but it’s one of the most powerful and often overlooked. 

Take a few moments now to visit your website and review it against what you’ve learnt from this post. Make a note of where you could improve your site and make a plan to update it

Taking a little time to get it right. To test, review, tweak, improve and focus on what your customers actually want when they visit your site. It doesn’t matter if you’re getting 10 visits a week, or 10,000. Simple improvements will help you move forward… that’s the goal.

How Samai Helps

Samai makes it easy to create and customise calls to action across your entire website.

• Choose from pre-built CTA sections, buttons, and banners

• Quickly and easily style your CTAs with colours and layouts that fit your brand

• A/B test different messages to find what converts best

• Add CTAs to pages, blog posts, popups, forms, and email sequences

• Track clicks and conversion rates

…and do it all in one place!

With Samai, your website doesn’t just look good… it guides visitors toward taking action and helps you grow your business.