Whether you want your website visitors to buy, checkout, request more information, or simply learn more, the same questions must be asked: Where should my action buttons go on my website? How big should the buttons be? Does color matter?

I think of buttons as a way for you to guide the visitor through your website and ultimately get them to do what you want by clicking those action buttons. Because of this, they must be placed strategically based on how the visitor is reading and navigating through your site.

I have seen many websites where a product or service is described in all its glory, and then there is no action button at the end of the text. A missed opportunity for sure.

As far as size and color go, Linda Bustos of Getelastic.com has some great takes on “Add to Cart” and “Continue Shopping” buttons. In a few test cases, the “Continue Shopping” button was much bigger than the “Add to Cart” because the text was longer. This was not ideal, since the action desired was to have the visitor place the item into their shopping cart. A solution was reached when the “Continue Shopping” button was replaced with a simple text link.

Color matters, too. You don’t want buttons all over the place that don’t match at all with any part of your website color scheme, but you also don’t want your buttons to blend in. If it catches your eye, but doesn’t make you go “Ahh!”, it’s probably ok…however, if you don’t think this is precise enough advice, hire a designer.

Bottom line: People have come to your site because they want to do something. Don’t make it hard for them to do it.