What do the “perfect” CTAs look like on an MSP website?

Originally published on SmarterMSP.com

Call-to-actions (CTAs) are what everything on your managed service provider (MSP) website leads to. In most cases, a CTA involves a website visitor entering their information (name, email, phone number, etc.) for something in return, such as a consultation, meeting, whitepaper, training, etc.

On the Tech Pro Marketing website (my MSP marketing company), we have several CTAs on our homepage. One for a live training, one for an online course, and one to schedule a consultation:

The intention of all these CTAs is to provide value – with the condition of providing contact information.

By leveraging CTAs, my website does its job quickly and effectively: it collects my prospects’ contact information and passes it on to my sales team.

However, I find that many MSP websites are not set up like this, focusing more on providing information and less on collecting information. There’s a big misconception that MSP websites need to provide all the answers to visitors. As a result, the site ends up functioning like a brochure.

The reality is many business owners probably aren’t looking for all the answers; they’re looking for an expert to step in and make sure their technology works seamlessly day after day.

The end goal of all MSP websites is to book consultations and sales calls with these business owners – and CTAs are the bridge to make this happen.

So, what does the “perfect” CTA look like?

Let’s discuss.

The mindset to approach CTAs

As much as we hate to disappoint, there is no such thing as the “perfect” CTA.

CTAs are one of the most tested components on websites.

A CTA might be almost perfect for a chunk of time, then become ineffective. When you add CTAs to your MSP website, you need to approach it with a mindset that nothing is set in stone.

These features need to be regularly tested, analyzed, and adjusted to find a formula that results in more calls. In other words, finding the “perfect” CTA is a never-ending quest – kind of like the holy grail or a pot of gold under the rainbow.

What should a call-to-action be?

A CTA can be many things, but the most important characteristic is it leads to value.

If a website visitor does the courtesy of providing their information, they deserve to get something out of it. This value needs to be explained upfront.

• Is it a 15-minute get-to-know-you call?
• A 60-minute discovery session?
• A free IT audit?
• A dark web scan?
• A pricing guide?

If there’s any mystery as to what will happen after a visitor forks over their information, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Should you use a lead magnet – like a pricing guide or webinar – or go straight to booking an appointment?

This is a very common question we get from MSPs.

We usually do recommend using a lead magnet in addition to a CTA to book a meeting. This comes down to trust. If you just go with a consultation-type CTA, the prospect is going into the meeting cold. Some business owners may expect an aggressive sales pitch – which is not always a great first interaction with a service provider.

As an MSP, you want the relationship with a potential client to be the endgame. Some of the most successful MSPs we work with have a sales and marketing process that can include up to 80 touchpoints. By the time a prospect books a meeting, they should already know you’re an expert. Providing free whitepapers or training sessions is a great way to showcase this before they book a call on your calendar.

The basics of a good CTA

While there’s no “perfect” CTA, there’s a time-tested formula that separates the good ones from the bad. These are the most important elements on an MSP website, and they really need to pop on the page.

All CTAs should follow this criteria:

Clarity

Keep it simple and easy to understand. The text should leave zero questions about what they are clicking on. “Schedule a Consultation,” “Book a Meeting,” etc.

Visibility

A good CTA immediately captures the visitor’s attention. Use bold, contrasting colors and fonts.

Placement

CTAs need to be placed strategically on a webpage. This includes above the fold (visible without scrolling), at the end of key sections, in the main navigation, and at the end of the page.

Consistency

Make sure the CTA matches the page content. If you’re talking about free consultations, the CTA should feel like a natural next step. “Schedule Your Meeting Today”.

When you visit SmarterMSP.com, one of the first things you see is the CTA to download ‘The Evolving Landscape of the MSP Business Report 2024’ at the very top of the homepage. The color of this CTA boldly contrasts the rest of the site, and the text makes it clear what to expect when you hit the button. This is a great example of a strong CTA.

CTAs are all about psychology. If you stick to the basic principles above, you’ve already got a nice leg up.

Monitor, test, refine

Analyzing and updating your CTAs is a process that never ends. The goal is to test new formulas – including the color, text, placements, etc. to get the highest conversion rates.

What metrics should you monitor with your CTAs?

There are many different components of a CTA that should be subjected to testing. If you don’t have a web development background, we typically advise MSP owners to track two key metrics:

1. Click-through rates – the number of times a CTA gets clicked on.
2. Conversion rates – how many times a CTA was clicked on versus how many times the visitor took the intended action (like booking a consultation).

The most common approach to test CTAs is with A/B testing – also known as “split testing.” This involves taking multiple variations of a CTA and determining which one provides better results. These variations should involve experimenting with different colors, designs, text, and placement.

Once you find the one that provides the best numbers, keep it on your website and continue monitoring the reactions it gets. Sooner or later, these numbers might start to go down – meaning it’s time to test new variations.

The next step

Regularly testing your MSP website’s CTAs may not be on your radar as a business owner. But it’s very important to keep your site functioning as an appointment setter. At the very least, we recommend checking on the metrics monthly – and consider testing new variations every year.

Are your CTAs struggling to book sales calls?

The issue could go beyond the CTAs themselves. If you’ve tried several variations and aren’t seeing good results, get in touch with myself or my team to see if we can help. Send me a message on LinkedIn or get in touch through my website.