You could have the best-looking trade website in Ireland. Fast, well-designed, full of great photos and genuine reviews. And if it does not have a clear call to action, it will still underperform.
A call to action is simply a prompt that tells the visitor what to do next. It sounds obvious. But a large number of trade websites either do not have one or have one that is so easy to miss it might as well not be there.
What a Call to Action Actually Is
It is any element on your page that prompts the visitor to take a specific action. For a trade website, that action is almost always one of these:
- Call us
- Request a quote
- Send us a message
A call to action is usually a button, a phone number, a form, or a combination of all three. The key word is prominent. It needs to be visible immediately, without the visitor having to scroll or search for it.
Why Most Trade Websites Get This Wrong
The most common problems:
The phone number is only in the footer. A visitor who lands on your homepage sees your services, your photos, your about section. Then they have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find how to contact you. Many will not bother.
The contact button is small or plain. A light grey button that says “contact” in small text does not draw the eye. A call to action needs to stand out visually. A bold colour, a clear label, a size that cannot be missed.
There is no form on the services pages. A visitor lands on your exterior painting page, reads it, decides they want a quote, and then has to navigate to a separate contact page to do so. Every extra step loses a percentage of visitors. Put a short form or a clear phone number on every service page.
The language is vague. “Get in touch” is weaker than “Get a Free Quote Today”. Tell people exactly what they will get when they take action and make it sound worth doing.
What a Good Call to Action Looks Like
For a trade website, a strong call to action setup looks like this:
At the very top of every page, before anything else: your phone number, clickable on mobile, clearly visible.
A bold button in a contrasting colour, positioned near the top of the page and again at the bottom, that says something like “Get a Free Quote” or “Book a Call”.
A short contact form on every service page, not just the contact page. Name, phone number, and a brief note about the job. Three fields maximum.
A sticky header or floating button on mobile that keeps your phone number or quote button visible as the visitor scrolls.
How Much Difference Does It Make?
Significantly more than most people expect. A website with a well-positioned, clearly labelled call to action will generate more enquiries from the same amount of traffic than one without.
This is not a minor tweak. For some trade websites, improving the call to action is the single biggest lever available without changing anything else about the site.
If your website is getting visitors from Google but not generating enquiries, a weak or missing call to action is the most likely culprit.
Check yours now. Load your homepage on your phone and ask yourself: if I landed here for the first time and wanted to get a quote, how long would it take me to find out how to do that? If the answer is more than five seconds, you have work to do.
At ProBizMate, every site we build has prominent calls to action on every page from day one.
Written by Maebh Collins
ACA qualified, Dundalk-based. I build websites and write SEO content for trade businesses across Ireland and the UK. If you have questions, get in touch.