How a call to action can increase website conversions by more than 80%

That gentle nudge is a ‘Call to Action’ (CTA). It aims to get ‘desired user action’ from those reading or hearing it. For instance, PartnerStack, an ecosystem platform, saw its conversion rate surge by 112% after updating its homepage CTA from "Book a demo" to "Start now."

A CTA plays a significant role in advertising because it is designed to prompt immediate responses from the audience.

The Psychology of Advertising by Walter Dill Scott says the CTA appeals to the human instincts and emotions that drive decision-making.

“By leveraging psychological triggers like memory, repetition, and emotional engagement, CTAs push potential customers to take a specific action, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up, or simply engaging further with the content.”

From a psychological perspective, advertisements (website copy and other marketing collateral) are crafted to stimulate the will to act.

The CTA serves as the ultimate nudge in that process, creating a direct path from engagement to action. For example, repetition is known to aid memory retention, and a well-placed, consistent CTA ensures the audience remembers the product or service and acts on it.

The intensity of impression—through colour, placement, or bold phrasing—also plays a critical role. Brightly coloured CTAs, or those placed at the beginning or end of an advertisement, are remembered better, increasing the likelihood of action.

Moreover, the emotional response a CTA elicits is crucial—whether it taps into a desire for pleasure or a way to avoid discomfort—effective CTAs connect with the audience's feelings. An emotional appeal in a CTA, such as offering a sense of urgency or highlighting a problem that the product can solve, resonates with the customer’s instinctive reactions, increasing the effectiveness of the advertisement.

CTAs are essential in advertising because they guide the audience’s attention and decision-making process. By strategically employing psychological principles, advertisers can ensure that their calls to action capture attention and drive desired outcomes.

The key to a good CTA is repetition, emotional engagement, and intensity of impression. These elements are central to crafting effective advertisements and are what shape a well-designed CTA, driving audience action by leveraging human instincts and memory retention.