Experiment with adding some strategic iconography to your primary button. Choose actionable icons, such as forward-facing arrows, that suggest to the user that something expected is about to happen next as a result of clicking on it. For downloads, you might test out a down-facing arrow or even file type icons, such as the Adobe pdf icon. Actionable icons can reinforce anticipation, or even set expectations and can help persuade your visitors to take the next step.
Navigation
Focus on a single call to action
Multiple offers confuse the user and confused users means lower conversions. Determine which single call to action is most important and make it the focus of your page. Make all other options clearly secondary. Create an obvious hierarchy. All links are not equally important. Attempts to be all-inclusive can create leaks in your sales funnel by distracting users ready to commit with unnecessary information.
Look at your users’ decision-making process
We typically require differing amounts of information depending on where we’re at in our decision-making process. Early in the process, users will most likely be researching and gathering information. During this educational phase, try utilizing lengthier page content or microsites that provide more information—especially for products or services that require a more complex level of consideration. As users move from the research phase and drive closer toward their decision, don’t distract them with unnecessary content. The closer you get to closing the sale, the less you should have on your page. Consider testing anything that could be reduced, from supportive copy to design elements to navigational items, or even implementing a single-purpose landing page.
Minimize the number of choices
We think we want a lot of options to choose from, but psychological studies show that when it comes to decision-making, the more choices we’re given, the less likely we are to actually make a decision. This especially holds true on the web, where attention spans are less than ideal, and can apply to everything from your product and service tier offerings to your navigational structure and information architecture. Take the time to categorize your options and simplify until they’ve reached their most intuitive, logical form. If you have a lot of products, use filters to help narrow down the choice.
Simplify the process
Don’t make processes any more complicated than they need to be. Remove all unnecessary options. Make it intuitive. Shorten the distance from point A to point B. Don’t make your users do any more work or thinking than they have to. The less options, the better. Whether it’s implementing a sticky menu to prevent unnecessary scrolling or adjusting the steps in a lengthy application process, the simpler things are, the less chance your users will become frustrated and leave.
Make your button bigger
It’s not always the most eye-pleasing from an aesthetics perspective, but this is another one that can often yield some pretty dramatic results. Make your main call to action or “submit” button (read my post on why you should stop using the word “submit” on your form submission buttons) big enough so that it’s one of the first things your visitors will notice. Larger buttons are also much easier to click and will help you avoid a bad user experience and frustrating your users. Stop settling for the default browser-generated form buttons. Create something custom that will work nicely with your site or even use just a solid, clickable color block. I’ve made a habit of starting with my buttons around 250 pixels wide by 50 pixels tall.
Make your button a different shape
Another easy test to try is button shape. You want there to be a high contrast between the rest of the page and your most important button or call to action, but there’s more ways to increase contrast than just color or weight. One way to make it stand out is by using a contrasting shape. How can you make this thing a true anomaly on the page?… Are all your buttons currently round? Try making your main button square. Are all your buttons currently square? Try making your main button round. If it sticks out as the one thing on the page that doesn’t belong, it will in theory attract attention.
Make your button a different color
It’s easy and can often yield big results. Make it a color that really pops. The more contrast between the other page elements, the better. You want this thing to really stick out like a sore thumb. Be sure that your main call to action (CTA) or goal button stands out significantly more than all your other buttons or links on the page. If you’re limited to utilizing branded color schemes, choose the brightest color, opposite to whatever subtler color is used for the majority of other page elements. If you’re not limited in your color scheme options, I recommend using the free Adobe Kuler color picking tool to find a good complimentary color. Historically, orange is usually one of the best button colors, but you won’t know for sure until you test!