How to create CTAs that convert for your banner ads (with 5 examples)

If you've come to this article, you're probably looking for ways to improve the click-through rate of your advertising campaigns.

This can only be achieved by improving the performance of your banner ads. We therefore invite you to consult our article "6 tips to improve the quality of your HTML5 ads".

In this article, we'll be focusing on the CTA of your banner ads. You'll find our best tips for creating CTAs that convert. Then we'll show you 5 examples of banners with CTAs that convert.

What is a (good) CTA (Call To Action)?

A Call To Action is an element that encourages users to take a specific action. That's the generic definition.

In concrete terms, the CTA is used to encourage web users to fill in a form, make a purchase, subscribe to a newsletter, etc. In the case of a banner ad, it's there to encourage the user to click. It then redirects them to a sales or capture page.

A good CTA is one that grabs the user's attention and gives them a reason to act. However, there's one factor to take into account. Its effectiveness depends on the individuals who encounter it. What is convincing for individual A is not necessarily so for individual B.

Without going into detail about the importance of personalization and segmentation, let's just say that a CTA is good when it convinces as many users as possible to take action.

How to create a good CTA for a banner ad?

Calls to action are subject to two factors of effectiveness: the message and its visual aspect. As you can imagine, we at Abyssale are interested in the visual aspect of the CTA.

However, we feel it's important to remind you of a few basic rules concerning the message:

• Use short, simple and easily understandable sentences.
• If possible, use the 1ʳᵉ person singular (e.g. "I'm signing up").
• Use terms that are adapted to your target and your world (e.g. "I equip myself" for an advert for a sports shoe store).
• As far as possible, avoid words such as "buy" or "pay", which remind your audience that they'll have to take out its wallet.

Depending on the nature of your banner ad, not all of these tips may apply. In that case, here's a non-exhaustive list of relevant messages for a CTA:

• Click here
• To find out more
• Get a quote
• Sign up now
• Try it for free
• Call us
• Send us an e-mail
• Follow us
• Share

Whatever the purpose of your CTA, always consider your target audience and the vocabulary they use.

Visually enhancing your CTA for better results

Now let's take a look at the visual aspect of the CTA for a banner ad that converts.

Color

The color of a CTA is one of the most important factors influencing its effectiveness. It creates the contrast between the call-to-action sentence and the other elements of the banner. Use bright colors that make your CTA stand out.

The font

At Abyssale, we often encourage boldness and originality. However, we like efficiency even more. In the case of a Call To Action, choose a font that's easy to read and rather minimalist. Save the frills for the rest of your banner.

Location

Where you decide to place your CTA on your banner ad will determine its effectiveness. Think of a user scanning your banner from top to bottom and left to right. If your CTA appears too early, the user won't have time to understand your value proposition and will move on.

Place your CTA in an area where it won't be obscured by any other element, preferably at the bottom of the banner.

Bonus: visual elements

This doesn't concern the direct visual aspect of the CTA. Rather, it's about elements external to the CTA that help to make it stand out.

You can add visual elements (arrows, buttons, etc.) to direct the eye to the CTA.

You can also use animations. Play with color changes or simulate a mouse cursor clicking on the CTA, for example.

Now that we've covered the theory, let's see what it looks like in practice with a few examples.

5 examples of CTAs on banner ads

Making a difference in black and white

It's probably jumped out at you: the colors of the CTA don't contrast with the rest of the banner. But that's what we recommend above.

Nevertheless, the triangular striped area directs the eye to this CTA. What's more, a small arrow makes it clear that this is a clickable button. In this example, Adidas maintains color uniformity without losing effectiveness.

Note also that the message is clear and specific to the product featured in the ad.

Focus on color contrast

Simple and clear. That's the message of this CTA. Here, the green contrasts with the rest of the banner. Nevertheless, it's still placed at the bottom to give users time to read the value proposition.

Invite to try

Three words are enough for the CTA. The rest of the elements help convince the user to click.

Once again, the color contrast between green and gray highlights the CTA button. You'll notice that the font isn't extravagant, but the text is legible.

CTA and other alternatives

In this advertising banner, the designer wanted to keep the colors uniform. To make the CTA stand out, he played with shades of orange. It's an excellent compromise that could inspire you.

In addition, below the "order now" button is a telephone number and a link to a website. This gives users alternatives to find out more about this special weekend before ordering.

Sometimes, the user doesn't click because the option offered doesn't suit them. So why not offer alternatives?

An animated CTA

Movement attracts the eye. That's exactly why this animated CTA is so relevant and effective.

If you don't want a CTA that's visually out of the ordinary, animation is the way to grab users' attention. But be careful not to overdo it. Users may see animation as spam. Your CTA should not be reminiscent of casino lights. Keep it simple!

Finally, all the advice and examples you've seen here are just suggestions for improvement. It gives you an indication of the practices that offer good results for CTAs on your banner ads.

Nevertheless, this is no substitute for AB testing. It is essential to improve the performance of your CTAs. Speaking of AB testing, Abyssale makes it easy. Discover how!

By the way, above, we explained that the message and its appearance can influence the strength of a CTA. If you decide to AB test your CTAs, play with just one factor at a time, so that you can draw the best conclusions regarding design and message.

And that's it! Now you're ready to create CTAs that really make a difference on your banner ads.