Ever see those fancy call-to-action buttons on sites and wish you could have them?
I'm not talking so much about the social media buttons that you see everywhere, but rather the personalized buttons that say "Subscribe to XYZ blog" or "Buy Now!"
Think about it. Isn't a button like the one below, which I use on No Meat Athlete, far more convincing that a text link with a tiny RSS icon? For some reason, web users like to click buttons.
Buttons like these may seem superfluous, but copywriters know that an absolute must for getting people to do what you want them to do is to tell them to do it. It's called a call to action. It might seem obvious, but many people forget this key step.
Buttons are known to increase conversions, especially when done well. Here's a good post about call-to-action buttons, including where to put them, what colors to make them, what to put on them.
For a long time I thought buttons like these were only for the pros, those who either knew how to do design themselves or could afford to pay a designer to create them.
Then, thanks to a tip from Rachel Wilkerson, I learned how to make them myself.
How to Make Call-to-Action Buttons for Your Blog
It's a simple thing to do. All you need is about 20 bucks and a simple graphics editor like Windows Paint (yes, I live in the Stone Age of design).
Here's how you do it.
1. Go to istockphoto and search for "internet buttons." You'll be met with hundreds of images to choose from, many of which, like the one here, contain lots of buttons. When you buy the image, you get them all.
2. Find one whose colors and style match your site, get an istockphoto account, and download the image.
3. Open the file in a graphics editor of your choice, then select and copy one of the buttons. Paste it into a new graphics editor window.
4. Resize the button to fit your needs, then add whatever text you want. You can use the default fonts that come with your computer, or go to a site like dafont.com to get lots more cool ones.
5. Paste in additional images, like an RSS icon or a logo.
6. Save the new file. Make sure you don't overwrite the original image with all the buttons; you'll want to use it again and again.
7. Insert the image into your site where you want to use it, and link it to the page you want people to go when they click it. If you don't know how to do it, here's an easy hack:
Start writing a brand new post in WordPress, then insert your button just as you would any other image from your computer. Make sure it's the size you want, center it, and in the "Link URL" box, put the link of the page where you want to send people. Then click "HTML" at the top of the editor window, copy the code, and insert that code into a text widget. Done!
Put your buttons everywhere, and be creative. Put them on your About page when you ask readers to subscribe. Use them on sales pages, of course. You can even use buttons for categories, pages, and other links.
Easy, huh?
