A great web page is like a great sales call. It may not end with the client making a purchase, but it should end with them agreeing to take one more step on the road to a purchase.

To help the reader take that next step, every page should contain a call to action.

Basic Calls

Before you can design an effective call to action, it’s important to realize that some people will visit your website because they’re actively looking for an A/V system supplier, but others merely want to learn more about some related topic.

Ideally you’ll have something to offer to each, realizing that many of the people doing technology research today will become buyers tomorrow.

Whether your visitors intend to buy now or not, there’s a value proposition stated or implied on every web page. You attract people to your site by promising them, in one way or another, that they’re going to learn about something important to them. Once they arrive, you must deliver on that promise. If you do, they will stay on your site long enough to learn something about you and hopefully they will want to contact you.

To keep readers engaged with your website, a simple call to action - to “learn more about ...” - belongs on every page. The more interesting and enticing you can make this basic call, the more likely the reader will be to take one more step toward a purchase.

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Can you pique the reader’s curiosity? Promise them “three tips” or “the inside story on” some interesting topic and you’ll improve the chance that they will click through to the next page.

Don’t forget to mention your company name frequently, so they will remember who is giving them this information, and constantly offer them the option to learn more about your company and to see examples of your work. There’s a logical connection between the chance to “learn more about echo cancellation” and to “see how ABC Corporation is using audio conferencing.”

‘Contact Us’ Forms

One way to ask someone to contact you is to put a “contact us” button on every page and link that button to a form where readers can provide their names, phone numbers and email addresses. Of course, you can ask for even more than that, but people are more likely to fi ll out a short form than a long one. It’s usually better to leave it up to your salespeople to collect the missing details via phone or email.

To improve your response rate, consider sweetening the deal. Is there a reasonable incentive you can offer if readers will fill out a “contact us” form right now?

Possibilities include some percentage off their eventual order, entry into a contest or a free gift. “Call us by the 15th for an on-site consultation, and we’ll send you a free T-shirt.”

Of course, the better the incentive, the more calls you’re likely to receive. Potential customers may enjoy a free gift. If they’re serious, however, what they really want is information.

White Papers, E-Books, Videos & Webinars

Very often potential customers will be willing to trade their phone or email for information relevant to what they are trying to accomplish. Consider offering a free white paper if someone will fill out a contact form. The white paper should provide specific, detailed information that will help readers solve the problem or answer the question that brought them to your website. For example, offer them details on connecting mobile phones and tablets into their video conferencing network.

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