Did you fall for it? “Do this instead” is fast becoming my least favorite content development trope. But in all sincerity, there’s a better way than the path of “submit” and “click here.” Here’s exactly what you can do instead.
“SUBMIT” Sucks
Regular people don’t want to submit. Overlords are for Marvel movies and they have no place on the web. There’s such a thing as the human spirit, and it surges up against the idea of submission. So why kick against the pricks? Work with the spirit, not against it.
Rather than “submit,” get specific. And don’t just get specific from your perspective, use your audience’s language. The things they’re saying in their heads. Don’t disrupt the narrative, build on it. Be the supporting character you’re meant to be (yeah, I said supporting character).
Here’s the method: imagine you’re the person you’re trying to convert. First, give them everything they need to make the decision (and definitely not too much). Then, fill in the blanks.
Now, I will __________.
It’s as simple as that. What are some likely possibilities? Now I will Get My Free Gift. Now I will Schedule My Appointment. Now I will Download the Guide. I will even Buy Now when encouraged, but I probably need to Shop Jordans rather than Shop Now.
“Click Here” is for Suckers
This isn’t the end of the world with the right context. But you know what it doesn’t do? Help you architect a technical understanding of your topics. By using “click here” indiscriminately, you’re likely leaving a lot on the table. First, you’re not being particularly persuasive. Second, “click here” is not descriptive of what lesser intelligences are going to find on the other side of the click.
While Google’s understanding just keeps getting more and more lifelike, search engines and their crawlers are not of human intelligence and they’re pretty lazy. Historically, using the right anchor text helps robots (and more importantly, PEOPLE) get a better sense of what a destination page is about. Most pages aren’t about “click here” – except maybe this one. Pages are also rarely about “learn more.”
Give everyone, including yourself, the goods with descriptive calls-to-action and anchor text.
