This can be anything from signing up for a newsletter, to registering for the Home Hunter tool, to requesting a showing of a property.

Calls to action are important because they help us make it clear to users what the next steps are we want them to take.

So how can you make sure you have effective calls to action?

1. Be clear and concise. Assume that your users don't know what you want them do to next on your website. Tell them in as clearly as possible what they should be doing (for example, "Sign Up For Our Newsletter" or "Search For Properties").

2. Use action words. These are words that prompt the user to do something, such as "Sign Up," "Search," or "Contact Us."

3. Create a sense of urgency. Using words like "now" and "limited time" will provide users with a sense that they may miss out on an opportunity if they don't follow through immediately.

4. Don't overwhelm a user with too many choices. Avoid using more than two calls to action on any given inner page on your website – too many choices will overwhelm your users. Oftentimes, when users are presented with too many calls to action, they'll decide not to choose any of them. If you do have two calls to action, make sure that the more important one is emphasized more (you can do this by choosing a more contrasting colour, or making the call to action larger).

5. Use white space around the call to action. This will provide more emphasis and draw more attention to the actual call to action itself.

6. Use text that is larger than your body copy. This will help bring emphasis to your call to action and make them easier for users to read quickly.

7. Place the call to action in a logical place to follow the flow of information on this page. Whether this is at the end of the page, or whether this is included in a sidebar, this will help the user move from viewing your content to moving forward with the next step you want them to take.

8. Show users how they benefit from following through on a call to action. Testimonials can often be used in conjunction with a call to action to help showcase the benefit for the user of following through. You could also provide users with samples of what they would receive by signing up for a service (such as showing a sample newsletter they could be signing up to receive from you).

9. Avoid the term "click here." This phrase doesn't provide enough urgency, doesn't give the user a good idea where they are going, and doesn't help with the SEO of your website.

10. Include a call to action on each page. If a user gets to your website through a search engine, they may not necessarily land on your front page – by making sure all of your inner pages also include some sort of call to action will help engage this user as you would one who entered your website from the front page.

To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.