The button formula
Three parts. Active verb. The thing the visitor gets. Optional reassurance.
Active verb: 'Get', 'Book', 'Send', 'Start', 'See'. Avoid passive verbs ('Submit', 'Continue') because they describe what happens to the form rather than what the visitor gets.
The thing they get: 'a quote', 'a free call', 'the guide', 'the prices', 'a sample'. The button should answer the question 'what do I get if I click this?' before the click happens, not after.
Reassurance: a small line under the button that handles a worry. 'No obligation - we'll send a quote and you decide.' 'Free, no card required.' 'Takes thirty seconds.' This isn't always needed. When it is, it's the difference between a hesitant click and a confident one.
- "Submit" → "Send my enquiry"
- "Click here" → "See the prices"
- "Learn more" → "See how it works"
- "Contact us" → "Get a written quote"
- "Sign up" → "Get the weekly guide"
- "Buy now" → "Add to basket" (when there's still a basket review step)
First person beats second person
'Get my quote' tends to outperform 'Get your quote', often by a small but consistent margin. The reason is that the button is sitting in the visitor's voice as they decide to click - they're saying it to themselves. 'My' fits naturally. 'Your' feels like the website is telling them what to do.
It's not a huge effect. Don't redesign your site over it. Just default to 'my' next time you write a button.
The supporting micro-copy
Micro-copy is the small text around the button - the line above, the reassurance below, the tooltip. It does work the button can't carry on its own.
Above the button: a one-line invitation that names the value. 'Ready to find out the price?' 'Want to see how it works?' This sets up the click and tells the visitor why this button is worth pressing.
Below the button: the reassurance from the formula. The smaller and more humble it sounds, the more it lifts clicks. Visitors are scanning for risk. The reassurance line tells them there isn't much.
Match the button to the page
If the page is about a maintenance contract for landlords, the button shouldn't say 'Get a quote' - it should say 'Get a maintenance quote' or 'See the contract pricing'. Specific buttons outperform generic ones because the visitor's mental model already involves the specific thing.
This is especially true on landing pages where you've spent five paragraphs talking about a specific offer. Ending with a generic 'Get a quote' button feels like a reset. The button should sound like the natural conclusion to the page, not a generic invitation.
Words to avoid
'Submit'. Treats the visitor like a form-filling machine. 'Click here'. Tells you what to do, not what you get. 'Learn more'. Vague and tired. 'Buy now'. Often too big a step on a homepage or services page - reserve it for the cart or final page. 'Sign up'. Doesn't tell the visitor what they're signing up for.
None of these are catastrophic. They just leave performance on the table when better alternatives are available.
When to use urgency
Real urgency is fine. 'Book before April for the early-bird price.' 'Last two slots this month.' If the urgency is true and verifiable, it lifts conversion without damaging trust.
Manufactured urgency - countdown timers that reset, fake scarcity, 'three other people are looking at this right now' - works in the very short term and damages trust over the longer term. Most small businesses are playing a long game with their reputation. Skip the manufactured urgency.
What to do this week
Pick the three highest-traffic buttons on your site. Rewrite each using the formula: active verb plus the thing they get, with a one-line reassurance underneath. Push the changes. Don't agonise over wording. Most variations within the formula perform within a few percentage points of each other.
Make the offer clear. The button is where clarity becomes a click. The next chapter is about where the button sits and how it looks.
