Common Mistakes with Call-to-Action Button Optimisation

Call-to-Action Buttons Convert or Confuse

A call-to-action button either prompts someone to get in touch or gets ignored completely. For finance brokers, that difference shows up directly in enquiry volume. Most broker websites lose potential clients because their buttons blend into the page, use vague language, or appear in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Consider a broker who recently moved from a template site to a properly designed one. Their old website had a single "Contact Us" button buried in the footer. Their new site places contextual buttons throughout the page with specific copy like "Get Pre-Approval Help" on the first home buyer page and "Compare Investment Loan Options" on the investor page. Enquiries increased by 40% in the first month without any change to traffic volume.

The button itself is just one element, but it sits at the end of every decision a visitor makes. Get the placement, wording, and design wrong and all the effort you put into driving traffic gets wasted.

Where Buttons Should Actually Appear

Buttons need to appear at natural decision points, not just at the top and bottom of every page. The best performing broker sites place them after explaining a specific scenario, after listing a service benefit, and within content that addresses a pain point.

A button that says "Book a Call" works when it appears right after a paragraph explaining how you help first home buyers navigate low deposit options. The same button at the top of the page, before someone knows what you offer, gets skipped. In our experience, buttons placed mid-content within relevant context convert at roughly double the rate of header-only buttons.

Mobile placement matters even more. On smaller screens, a fixed bottom button that stays visible as someone scrolls performs consistently well. Desktop users scroll more deliberately and respond better to buttons embedded within sections.

Your mortgage broker website design should include at least three to five calls-to-action across a typical service page, each aligned with a specific piece of content rather than repeated identically.

The Words That Drive Action vs The Words That Get Ignored

Generic button copy like "Learn More" or "Contact Us" tells a visitor nothing about what happens next. Specific, benefit-driven copy like "Check Your Borrowing Power" or "Get Pre-Approval Started" removes ambiguity and increases click-through rates.

The difference comes down to clarity. Someone visiting your site already knows they can contact you. What they want to know is whether you can help with their specific situation. A button that says "Speak to a First Home Buyer Specialist" will outperform "Get Started" every time when placed on the right page.

Action-oriented language works better than passive phrasing. "Book Your Free Strategy Call" converts more effectively than "Free Strategy Call Available." The first tells someone exactly what to do. The second just states a fact.

We regularly see brokers overthink this and try to be clever with button copy. Keep it direct. If the button books a call, say "Book a Call." If it opens a calculator, say "Calculate Your Repayments." If it starts an application, say "Start Your Application." Clarity beats creativity.

Colour, Size, and Contrast Choices That Actually Matter

A button needs to stand out without looking out of place. The most common mistake is choosing a button colour that matches the site's primary palette too closely. If your brand uses navy blue and your buttons are also navy blue against a white background, they work. If your background has navy elements and the buttons disappear into them, you lose conversions.

Contrast is the technical answer, but the practical version is simpler: your button should be the first thing someone notices when they finish reading a paragraph. Test this by scrolling through your own site quickly. If you have to search for the button, so will your visitors.

Size matters more on mobile than desktop. A button that looks appropriately sized on a laptop can become difficult to tap accurately on a phone. The minimum target size should be around 44 pixels tall, which gives enough room for a thumb to tap without frustration.

Rounded corners versus sharp edges is mostly a style choice, but rounded buttons tend to feel more approachable while sharp rectangles feel more corporate. For finance brokers trying to build trust with nervous first-time buyers, softer design elements including button styling can make a measurable difference.

What Happens After Someone Clicks

The page someone lands on after clicking a button determines whether they follow through or leave. If a "Book a Call" button takes someone to a contact form asking for their full financial history, most will close the tab. If it takes them to a simple calendar booking page, conversion rates stay high.

Matching the promise to the outcome builds trust. A button that says "Download the First Home Buyer Guide" should trigger a direct download or go to a simple email capture page, not a general enquiry form. When the experience matches the expectation, people complete the action.

As an example, a broker offering SMSF lending could place a button labelled "Get Your SMSF Loan Assessment" on their SMSF service page. Clicking it should take visitors to either a dedicated SMSF enquiry form or a calendar link with context that mentions SMSF loans specifically. Taking them to a generic contact page breaks the flow and reduces conversions.

For brokers focusing on lead generation, the landing page experience is just as important as the button itself. Every extra field you add to a form reduces completion rates. Ask for the minimum information needed to start a conversation: name, email, phone number, and maybe one qualifier like "What type of loan are you looking for?"

Testing What Works for Your Audience

No single button setup works perfectly for every broker site because audiences respond differently depending on location, service focus, and client type. Testing variations over time shows what actually drives enquiries for your specific situation.

Start by changing one element at a time. Swap button copy on your homepage for a month and compare enquiry rates. Then test a different button colour. Then try moving the primary button higher or lower on the page. Small adjustments compound over time.

Brokers using local SEO for mortgage brokers strategies often find that location-specific button copy performs better. A button that says "Speak to a Melbourne Broker" will resonate more with someone searching for local help than a generic "Book a Call" option.

The data you need is already in Google Analytics if your site is set up properly. Look at the pages with the highest traffic but the lowest enquiry rates. Those pages are attracting visitors but failing to convert them. The button placement, copy, or design on those pages is the first thing to test.

If your website builder or call to action strategy currently includes only one or two buttons across the whole site, you are leaving enquiries on the table. Adding contextual, benefit-driven buttons throughout your content consistently lifts conversion rates without requiring more traffic.

Your website either works for you or it sits there. Call one of our team or book an appointment at a time that works for you to talk about button optimisation and broader conversion improvements that turn visitors into clients.

Frequently Asked Questions