A great staffing company website should be highly functional and visually appealing. It also needs to speak to the appropriate audience(s) in a way that inspires user action. And while the site’s copy tone and design layout have a lot to do with that, a big part of converting site visitors into active candidates or clients involves something much simpler: your site’s call-to-action (CTA) buttons.
CTA buttons are simple enough, right? They’re those little buttons on your site that direct users to take action. But the truth is CTA buttons are one of the most misunderstood — and misused — elements of a staffing website.
Here are three rules to follow for your site’s CTA buttons:
1. Be direct with your CTA buttons. Long and flowery language generally doesn’t work well on a staffing website, or any site for that matter — and CTA buttons are no exception. Rule No. 1 when it comes to buttons is to make their language simple and direct. The text of a button should not be a long sentence; it should be a few words that clearly state what action the user is going to take. On a candidate-facing page, good CTA buttons might say:
- Search Jobs
- Find Work!
- Apply Now
On a client-facing page, high-converting CTA buttons might look like:
- Find Talent
- Need to Hire?
- Contact a Staffing Consultant
Notice that the text of these buttons is very short and to the point. It tells the user the immediate action they’ll be taking or poses a stark question or problem — “Need to Hire?” — that the button can solve.
2. Place CTA buttons properly. You don’t have to be an expert UX/UI designer to ensure your CTA buttons are placed in a logical way on each page. Think about how you read a website page when you land on it: Your eyes naturally start at the top, and flow downward as you read. This informs the placement of CTA buttons.
Place your first CTA button near the top of the page (but not at the very top). It should appear before the fold – in the part of the page that appears before scrolling down — typically right after a heading or brief paragraph of explanatory text. If the button is too far down the page, visitors aren’t likely to read far enough and may never reach the button at all.
After the first button, CTA buttons should be placed strategically throughout the page where it makes logical sense for the reader to take action. After an explanation of your services, you might include a “Hire Now” button. After you speak to job seekers, add a button inviting them to “Submit Your Resume.”
3. Make your CTA buttons stand out. If your CTA buttons don’t stand out enough, there’s a chance your site visitors will miss them entirely. You want visitors to make no mistake about what action to take, and how to do it.
CTA buttons should have a defined border. This makes it clear that it is in fact a button, and not a part of body copy or other text. The button itself should be a different color or shade than the surrounding background color to make it stand out from the rest of the page. That doesn’t mean it needs to be flashing neon yellow — it simply needs to be noticeably different from the colors that surround it.
Wondering if your CTA buttons – and your website as a whole – are performing the way they should to convert site visitors? Get a FREE Staffing Website Performance Review from Haley Marketing to drive MORE response from the people who are already visiting your website.