Getting visitors to your website is the first step; keeping them there for more than a few seconds is the next. Then what? Making sure they read what you want them to read.
Radcliffe 2 — an update to the popular Radcliffe theme — adds a customizable and eye-catching call-to-action button so you can nudge visitors in your preferred direction. Here’s how six sites use it in six different ways to welcome and guide their new readers.
Introduce Yourself
Hannah started A Grateful Life Lived at age 16 to talk about things she was thankful for; it’s since evolved into a site where she shares her writing, documents her hiking trips, and explores her faith. Her home page offers a cheery welcome — and her button, with its friendly invitation to “Meet Hannah,” takes visitors to her About page so they can learn more about the woman behind the blog.
If Radcliffe 2 isn’t your style, there are several other themes with the same ability: check out Shoreditch, Marquee, Pique, Gateway, or Radiate.
Highlight Key Information
Most websites have navigation menus to help readers find their way around, but it can be useful to shine a spotlight on information you know your visitors are looking for. Orie’s, a family farm in Kansas, sells products at markets all around Wichita, and a front and center “Our Schedule” button makes it simple for shoppers to find out when and where to score their fresh eggs and produce.
Re-direct the Spotlight
Lindsay Cornett writes about her ongoing effort to overcome her perfectionist tendencies in parenting, faith, and creative efforts; every day brings a different take. She uses Radcliffe 2᾿s button to highlight particular posts or topics, varying it according to where she’d like to draw readers’ attention. At the moment, it links to a category page that collects all the poetry she published as part of a 31-day haiku challenge.
Ready for a custom domain, advanced design options, and other blog enhancements? There’s a WordPress.com plan that’s right for you.
Drive Action
The families living in the University of Notre Dame’s University Village created Save the ND Village to support their efforts to stop the school from demolishing the Village and replacing it with a shopping complex. The most helpful thing site visitors can do is sign their petition, so that’s the focus of their simple, clear, and direct call to action.
Try a Little Humor
You can’t go wrong with clear and direct, especially when you want people to complete a particular action. But if you’re just trying to get readers interested in your site generally, a little humor can go a long way — as Antartica Daily proves. What’s more tempting than a button telling you not to click on it?
Link Anywhere
There’s no rule that says your call-to-action button has to link to a post or page on your website. Nicole Moon first started picking up fans of her home improvement and DIY projects on Instagram, and then created Home with Nicole as a place to share longer-form instructions and ideas. Since Instagram is still where most of the action is, her button takes visitors straight to her photos.
Since Radcliffe 2 also allows you to upload a custom background, each of these bloggers was able to reinforce their message with a related image — which also helps draw readers’ eyes to the button, making it likelier that they’ll click!
How do you encourage your readers to focus where you want them to focus?
This was so helpful! I have been looking to improve my site! Thank you!
LikeLiked by 12 people
Oh i have even never thought of it, great tip, thank you.
LikeLiked by 10 people
This is a great idea, might think about how to use it in the future!
LikeLiked by 11 people
This is so helpful!
LikeLiked by 10 people
Meh, why can’t this be a part of EVERY theme? Not just Radcliffe 2. By adding a feature to one of the themes only, you make everyone swarm to use it, making things a little bit less interesting. Add this to any theme, please?
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There are a number of themes that offer this — there are a few linked to in the post, but there are more as well. And you can actually create a button on any theme with a bit of CSS; the step-by-step instructions are here:
https://wordpress.com/support/beginning-html/how-to-make-a-call-to-action-button/
LikeLiked by 11 people
I did not notice the optional themes before. Thank you for pointing them out to me and for the alternative CSS button instructions. Definitely something I will explore.
LikeLiked by 6 people
Great tips! Thanks for the useful information!
LikeLiked by 11 people
good and improvement suggestions for bloggers to attract readers just loke an lump of sugar attracts ants.
LikeLiked by 10 people
Very helpful. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 10 people
This was amazing. I really appreciate your sharing this. Thank you so much. Twas very helpful
LikeLiked by 10 people
Very helpful. Thanks
LikeLiked by 4 people
This is great! I need to implement. Thanks Michelle!
LikeLiked by 5 people
Thank you for those tips !
I think all very simple but great !
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks, I wish i could add it to the free themes. But its good information when I later switch over to wordpress self-hosting.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Radcliffe 2 is a free theme, so give it a try!
LikeLiked by 4 people
Lol I️ meant the information I️ read about adding the code to input a button doesn’t seem to fit for free themes. Well not my theme “Dara”
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It also applies to any theme, but you do need one of the paid plans to access the CSS tools.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Oh ok….thank you.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Very helpful, thanks a lot
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thank you! Loved the article. The features offered by Radcliffe 2 are irresistible. I’m a toddler as a blogger. It would be great if someone could help me understand how to increase my followers and the genuine follower who are really interested in the kind of stuffs that I post.
LikeLiked by 18 people
Very informative and interesting. Anand Bose from Kerala
LikeLiked by 9 people
Really is a great help to understanding how to blog 👏🏾
LikeLiked by 6 people
Very helpful tips. Thank you
LikeLiked by 8 people
This is so helpful! Thank you!
LikeLiked by 5 people
This is so cool!
LikeLiked by 8 people
Thank you for the tip!!
LikeLiked by 7 people
Thank you so much for those tips. I will now spruce up my page.
LikeLiked by 10 people
Excellent tip with so many examples. Will surely impliment this thoery.
LikeLiked by 9 people
Great tip. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 9 people