CTA
Call to Action
The practice of prompting website or ad visitors to take a specific action, such as clicking a button.
In Simple Terms
A CTA is a mechanism on a website or app — using buttons or links — that encourages readers to take the next action. For example, a "Buy Now" button in an online store or a sign-up link at the end of a blog post are both CTAs. Rather than just displaying information, their color and placement are carefully designed so readers instantly know what to do next.
Behind the Name
CTA is short for "Call to Action." Here, "call" doesn't mean a phone call — it's used in the sense of summoning or urging someone to do something, similar to a "call to arms." Combined with "action," the phrase describes the practice of prompting website visitors to take a specific next step.
Take a Closer Look!
A CTA is a button, link, or mechanism on a website, app, or ad that prompts visitors to take a specific action.
Common examples include the "Add to Cart" button you see in online stores or a "Start Free Trial" button.
The main goal of a CTA is to improve a website's results.
No matter how many people visit a page and read through the content, if they don't know where to click next, they'll simply close the browser and leave.
That's why CTAs are placed where readers' eyes naturally land and designed with colors that stand out from their surroundings, so they're instantly recognizable as buttons.
Simply put, a CTA works like a signpost guiding visitors through a website.
Presenting a clear next step at the moment a reader's interest peaks is a technique widely used across marketing and design.