How to write button copy that gets more clicks

Executive overview

Most button copy is never really written — it ships with the template or gets a default label like "Submit" or "Get started." Visitors don't treat buttons as micro-copy. They treat them as the moment of decision.

The fix is two-part: visual tricks to grab attention, and skating rink phrasing to remove all friction. Together they eliminate the hesitation between landing on a page and clicking.

Removing friction from button copy is the same as removing the cap from a Coke bottle in an ad — your visitor doesn't need to know work is coming.

Visual tricks to increase raw click volume

• Left-most button gets the most clicks when buttons look identical — use click tracking to verify on your own pages
• Buttons lower on the page typically get more clicks than those in the header zone (banner blindness affects top-of-page elements)
• Use a contrasting colour — orange on a blue/white page — rather than a colour pulled from the existing palette; it needs to stand out, not blend in
• Move buttons higher into the content area and overlay them near elements already attracting gaze (heat map data)
• Larger button size for the primary CTA increases clicks; size signals priority
• Two buttons side by side trigger a contrast effect — visitors ask "which one?" rather than "should I click at all?"

Why most button copy fails

• Words like "Submit", "Sign up", and "Learn" imply work or obligation — they add friction
• "Get started" signals a long road ahead, not an easy win
• Copy written by designers or marketers defaults to describing the action from the company's perspective, not the visitor's
• Buttons are not micro-copy; they are the moment a visitor decides whether their life is about to get easier

Skating rink phrasing

• Goal: remove any sense that clicking leads to work; visitors should slide through without resistance
• Complete the phrase "I want to ___" — the button should finish that sentence honestly
• Strong verbs: try, get, see, watch (when brief), sometimes make (only if the thing being made is pleasant)
• Avoid: "learn" (implies effort), "build" (heavy), "get started" (implies a long process), "submit" (implies obligation)
• "Free" almost always increases clicks — include it when true
• "It's easy. Try it now." outperforms "Get started" because it sells the outcome, not the task
• Adjectives and adverbs matter: "easily", "now", "free" reduce anxiety; use the one your prospect cares about most

Rewriting for qualified vs. volume clicks

• Pure volume: short frictionless verbs + contrasting colour + left placement
• Better-qualified clicks: mirror the headline promise in the button — e.g. "See how to engage customers now and forever" vs. "Get started"
• Avoid repeating a headline that itself contains heavy language ("build", "customers for life") — rewrite both
• "Make customers happy easily" beats "Build customers for life" because it names the outcome the visitor actually wants right now

Applying this immediately

• Visit at least four pages on your site and rewrite every button using friction-free verbs
• Publish the rewrites or set up A/B tests to measure lift
• Use click tracking and heat maps to validate which placement changes are working