The secret recipe for keeping your readers readin’ only has one ingredient…

A call to action, aka a statement inviting and encouraging an audience to take action.⁠

But before we get into why calls to action are so important—and how ending your homepage with a CTA will keep your readers engaged—we first need to establish the 2 reasons why we care about keeping your readers readin’.

1. Relationship building. The more of your copy they read, the more get to know you, then the more they’ll come to like you, then the easier it’ll be to trust you—making you the obvious choice to hire.
2. SEO. The longer a user spends on your site, the more credible Google assumes you are, because it proves to them that your site is a cool place to hang out for a long amount of time (aka you found what you were looking for and you were satisfied with the recommendation their search results page gave you).

And, of course, you want your readers to actually read your website copy; you’re not out here writing it for your health. Every word has a purpose, and every page was strategically written with the intention of inspiring the reader to make a purchase or inquire about a project.

(Or, at least, that’s the case if you follow the method I teach in my website copywriting course, or you’ve hired me to write your web copy. Wink, wink.)

So, how does a call to action ensure your readers will keep scrolling through your site?

It’s safe to assume that when someone new lands on your site, they’ll at least spend a few seconds looking through the homepage to determine whether or not they’re in the right place.

And, for sure, they’re going to have lots of questions. The last of which—after “who are you?” and “what can you do for me?” and the like—is going to be “what do I do next?” – and this is your CTA’s time to shine.

Your readers cannot continue confidently onto the rest of your website if they don’t know what you want them to do next.

It may seem intuitive. It may seem obvious. It may seem silly to add a call to action when they could just scroll up, click on a page from your navigation bar, and go there.

But people need direction, and user experience matters.

So, CTA, baby.

Tell them exactly what you want them to do next, so they can move to the next step in their buying journey.

Want them to look through your services? Invite them to learn more on your Services page.

Want them to book a consultation? Ask them to fill out your contact form.

Want them to read your latest blog post? Direct them to it.

Want them to see all the beautiful things you can do? Take them to your portfolio.

No matter what the action, TELL. THEM. Readers respond to directives—don’t miss out on the opportunity to keep someone on your site long enough to fall in love with you.

Here are a few examples of some homepage calls-to-action sections from the BTL portfolio:

As you can see from the above examples, it doesn’t matter how long or short the CTA is, as long as you included one.

& if you’d like some more context, here are the full sites from above, in order:

Chill Haus Club

Whit Radacina

Celeste Moore

Monocle Productions

Wildflower Events + Design

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If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hi! I’m Sara Noel—website copywriter and marketing mentor for creatives, copywriters, and all-around cool people. If you like my content and you want even more BTL in your life, here are a few ways you can connect with me:

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Check out my services. I write website copy, sales pages, email sequences, blog posts, and brand messaging guides for entrepreneurs of all kinds! Maybe you’re my next favorite client.

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Sign up for my web copy course. Actually, it’s not *only* about website copywriting—I also teach modules on copywriting basics, developing your target audience, search engine optimization, blogging, and email marketing.

Enlist me as your mentor. I have an entire in-depth blog post about my one-on-one consulting process for new and aspiring copywriters, if you’re interested in having a big-sis-style mentor to help you grow your freelance copywriting business & get results.

To get in touch with me directly, send me a DM or email sara@betweenthelinescopy.com. Have a great day!