If you are involved in any type of marketing on the Web, the words “call to action” should be familiar to you by now. In fact, any time you are trying to get your visitors to perform some type of action–whether it is to purchase something or to signup for membership–the call to action is the final and one of the most important convincing factors. With an effective call to action, your site visitors will be compelled to carry out whatever action you wish them to perform without feeling the least bit pressured or coerced into making the decision. With the right call to action, that little “push” might be just what you need to seal the deal.

But there is an art to convincing your visitors to take action, and you have to do it in a way that doesn’t resort to the tired old marketing gimmicks that everyone is wary of by now. With these few simple tips, you may just be able to capture the attention of your visitors and almost have them sell themselves on your offer.

Establish a need

Before a visitor will click on your signup link or fill up a form, he will need a good reason to do so. Right at the outset, you will have to address a problem that the visitor has and illustrate how much it impacts negatively on some aspect of his life or business. Of course this will lead to you offering the perfect solution later on, but you have to establish a need first. If you do that, the desire to solve the problem will follow and convincing your visitor to take action will be much easier.

Explain the benefits clearly

Your call to action should explain the benefits of taking action in no uncertain terms. Your visitor will want to know what’s in it for him if he responds, and you had better have an answer ready. Explain the exact benefits of signing up, filling up a form, or sending an email. If the benefits outweigh the momentary hassle of taking action, you have a good chance of convincing your visitor.

Simplify the process

Don’t make your visitor go through unnecessarily complicated procedures in order to take action. Remember that almost everyone is wary of “special offers” by now, and a complicated process might just be enough to turn them off for good. Reduce the number of steps, keep the process simple, and give them just enough options to make it worth their while. This will make your call to action a lot more appealing.

Are there other ways that have helped you increase action on your website? If so, share them in the comments section.