insights | 06.09.2022

What colour should you use for your call-to-action button?

Article topics

What colour should you use for your call-to-action button?
What the data about call-to-action buttons tells us
What to consider when choosing colours for your website
Determining the right colour with A/B testing

What colour should you use for your call-to-action button?

Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is the science of making amends to your website pages to maximise the chances of a customer carrying out a specific action.

When you focus on optimising CRO, every element of your page can be tweaked to increase conversion rates. Everything from the headings you use to the images you upload.

Even the colour of the call-to-action buttons you add to your page can have an effect.

We’re often asked at Xigen which colour button brings the best results. In this article, we will look at whether particular colours can entice web users to click.

What the data about call-to-action buttons tells us

You might be wondering if there is a definitive answer to the question we asked at the start of this article.

The bad news… there isn’t.

Several studies have been conducted into which colour might work, but there have been no definitive studies that advise which colour does work.

For example, Unbounce published an article saying that orange was the perfect colour for call-to-action buttons. While this is an interesting opinion piece, the article didn’t contain much qualitative evidence to say that the future is orange.

Another example stated changing the colour of buttons on a website from blue to green increased sales. However, the style of the button also changed, so it’s hard to say whether switching the colours had a genuine impact.

Other studies provide conflicting information. For example, one study showed that using the colour red improves performance, while another study said it impairs performance!

While these pieces of research do provide valuable interest, there are typically other variables in play that limit the viability of the studies. We’ll go into more detail later.

What to consider when choosing colours for your website

As well as the studies above, there are other factors to consider when looking at which colour you should use for your call-to-action button.

These include.

The region you’re targeting

Different colours have different meanings across the world, which you’ll need to bear in mind when thinking about the colour you want to use for your call-to-action button.

For example, while white is associated with calmness and balance in Western countries, it’s the colour of death and mourning in China. Similarly, while purple signifies luxury and prosperity in English-speaking countries, it’s unlucky in Brazil.

Your target audience

Your key demographic can have an impact on the colour that’s right for your call to action button.

For example, this study shows that men and women, as well as different age groups, prefer different colours. So while choosing these colours won’t guarantee clicks, they can be a good starting point.

Your brand

It’s likely that your brand already has a colour associated with it. This means the colour you choose for your call-to-action button will either stand out against or blend in with the colour scheme you’re already using.

For example, HubSpot carried out a study where it found red buttons converted better than green buttons. However, as green was the dominant colour on the page HubSpot tested, the red button would have stood out more.

In our experience, choosing a colour that stands out and contrasts with the other colours on your page is always best.

The wording you use

It’s important to consider not just the colour of the call-to-action-button, but the wording within it.

Take this study where a company tested the colour of the button it used. While it changed the colour, it also changed the wording to promote a sense of urgency, which of course, encouraged people to click.

Consistency is important when it comes to call-to-action buttons too. We advise using the same colour buttons across your site. This will prime your website users and help them realise that everything in a specific colour is clickable.

Determining the right colour with A/B testing

A significant part of CRO is A/B testing. This is when you create two versions of a webpage and see which one resonates most with your customers.

You can use A/B testing to determine which colour is the right one for your brand to use.

Create two versions of the page you want to test. These pages must be identical apart from differently coloured call-to-action buttons. Let’s call them page A and page B
Drive 50% of your customers to page A and 50% to page B. One way you can do this is to send an email directing half your mailing list to each page
Monitor each page over an agreed period of time and see which one has the most call-to-action button clicks
When you know which colour button customers like the most, you can use the colour on the rest of your website. Alternatively, you can rerun the test with another colour

Final thought

In summary: which colour is right for your call to action button?

As much as we’d love to say, ‘use red for your call to action button’ or ‘green is the perfect choice,’ it’s not that simple. There are too many different variables to take into account.

Rather than rely on case studies, it’s best to carry out testing to see which colour is the right one for your website. Pick two colours that stand out and let your customers decide which one they like best.

If you’re not sure how to do this, we can help.