Here are the best call-to-action WordPress plugins compared and reviewed.
Visitors who land on a web page may not notice the many calls to action. If you want them to notice the “Sign Up” or “Contact Us” buttons, you’ve got to catch their eye with visually appealing buttons or popups. These buttons can be placed anywhere on your site—in the sidebar, the footer, or as an insert on any page or post. Popups can appear after a specific time interval or when the visitor is about to exit the page. In this post, we’ll explore these WordPress call-to-action plugins to help you boost your site’s conversions.
Calls to action are essential for increasing conversions. When a visitor is looking to purchase a product or ask a query on your site, make it easy by highlighting the option with a prominent button. If visitors have to search for this option, they might leave your site for a competitor. Effective calls to action guide visitors with visually appealing buttons, notification bars, or popups, and are crucial on landing pages to get visitors to perform the desired action.
Keep in mind that neither visitors nor Google appreciate intrusive popups. However, a well-timed, non-intrusive exit-intent popup or a bright, bold call-to-action button can effectively guide visitors without disrupting their experience. Some plugins, designed for specific purposes like newsletters or social sharing, also include calls to action. For enhancing subscriptions, you might also consider using MailChimp email templates. This post focuses primarily on plugins dedicated to adding call-to-action functions to your site.
Best Free Call-to-Action WordPress Plugins
1. Simple Side Tab
The Simple Side Tab plugin allows you to add a vertical tab to either the left or right side of the browser window. This sticky tab remains visible even as the visitor scrolls, making it a persistent feature on your site. It works seamlessly on mobile devices as well.
By adding custom text and linking it to any content you choose, you can enhance conversions on your site. The plugin allows you to modify text, fonts, and colors through its settings page. You can also specify internal or external URLs to link to, making the tab highly customizable with CSS.
Active installations: 10,000+
Price: Free
2. Hello Bar
One of the most popular free call-to-action tools is Hello Bar. This versatile plugin lets you create a top bar, modal popup, full-page call-to-action, or a triggered slider box. To use Hello Bar, visit their website to create and customize your notification bar using their cloud-based tool. Afterward, paste the generated code into your site to integrate the call-to-action without further steps.
Hello Bar can significantly boost your site’s conversion rates by directly linking to items of interest. It also helps in collecting emails for product updates and newsletters and enhances social media interaction. The plugin supports various platforms, including Facebook, Buffer, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Plus, and Twitter, and includes simple A/B testing features.
The clean user interface of Hello Bar makes it easy to create and customize your call-to-action elements. You can adjust settings such as email addresses, social media integration, and A/B testing, and select specific pages for display. It’s ideal for time-sensitive campaigns, with a feature to set date ranges.
However, note that the free plan limits interactions and includes Hello Bar branding. Upgrading to a paid plan removes these restrictions and branding, allowing for increased interactions and a more customized experience.
Active installations: 100,000+
Price: Free for up to 5,000 pageviews/month
3. Image Widget
The Image Widget plugin offers a straightforward way to add image widgets to your site using the native WordPress media manager. By linking these image widgets to specific pages, such as a contact page or subscription form, you can guide visitors to take action.
The Image Widget plugin is responsive, multisite compatible, and allows you to resize and align images. You can select images from the media library, upload new ones, or link to external sources. The plugin also supports titles, descriptions, and customization options. For enhanced functionality, the Image Widget Plus offers features like multiple images, lightbox, slideshow, and random images.
Active installations: 200,000+
4. MailOptin
MailOptin is a versatile WordPress call-to-action plugin designed to boost your email subscriber lists. As a lead-generation tool, it simplifies the process of collecting email addresses for your upcoming campaigns. The plugin integrates seamlessly with your website, offering impactful results, especially as your site grows. Even if you’re just starting out, building a loyal community with MailOptin can lead to significant benefits.
Although MailOptin offers a Lite version, it includes numerous features such as popup opt-in forms, page-level targeting, and sidebar forms. You can create unlimited forms, test various options, and determine what resonates best with your audience.
Active installations: 30,000+
5. Icegram
Icegram offers a wide range of call-to-action options for WordPress users. This outstanding free plugin allows you to engage your website visitors with a welcome bar, modal popups, and email capture forms. Icegram’s versatility ensures that you can leverage various methods to boost your online business effectively.
One of Icegram’s best features is its ease of use. No coding skills are required, making it accessible even for beginners. You have full control over action bars, popups, and toast notifications, enabling you to tailor your calls to action to fit your needs.
Active installations: 30,000+
6. Social Media Share Buttons and Social Sharing Icons
Social Media Share Buttons and Social Sharing Icons is a plugin that allows you to add share icons for various social media platforms, including RSS, email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. With over 200 social media platforms to choose from, you can customize the icons to suit your needs. Additionally, the plugin lets you upload custom share icons to enhance user engagement.
This plugin provides extensive customization options, including 16 different icon designs and multiple actions for each social media icon. For greater visibility, you can add animation effects and position the share buttons at the end of each post. Additional features include making icons sticky, adding counts, and implementing popups to encourage visitors to follow or share your content.
The plugin is easy to use and requires minimal configuration. For more advanced features, including additional social networks, design styles, and mobile optimization, consider the premium plugin.
Active installations: 200,000+
7. Buttonizer
Buttonizer is a versatile WordPress plugin designed to enhance your call-to-action strategy with its floating elements. This plugin offers 25 different actions, allowing you to integrate various CTAs, including social media links, chat, email, and phone calls. The customizable design ensures that the buttons align with your branding, and you can use Google Analytics to track their performance.
Buttonizer allows you to capture more attention and drive more actions by customizing when and where your CTAs appear. Whether you’re looking to boost conversions or increase user engagement, Buttonizer’s features will help you achieve your goals effectively.
Active installations: 80,000+
8. Sticky Menu (or Anything!) on Scroll
Sticky Menu (or Anything!) on Scroll is primarily designed to create sticky or floating navigation elements. However, this flexible WordPress plugin also allows you to add effective call-to-action elements to your site. If you’re looking to keep important CTAs visible as users scroll, this plugin offers an easy way to achieve that with minimal HTML skills required.
With this tool, you can ensure that your calls to action remain accessible, thereby increasing their effectiveness and potentially boosting conversions. It provides a straightforward method for keeping your CTAs visible and engaging throughout the user experience.
Active installations: 100,000+
9. MailChimp Top Bar
MailChimp Top Bar is an add-on for the MailChimp for WordPress plugin. This tool adds a customizable top bar to your site, which can also be positioned at the bottom if preferred. The bar can be easily dismissed by visitors and is lightweight, weighing only 4kb in JavaScript.
Customize the top bar’s appearance with various options, including colors and text. Filters allow you to display the bar on specific pages, while CSS options enable you to hide it on smaller screens. The MailChimp Top Bar is a practical solution for engaging visitors and encouraging email subscriptions.
Active installations: 10,000+
Premium Call-to-Action Plugins for WordPress
10. Boxzilla
Boxzilla is a powerful popup call-to-action plugin that lets you create customizable boxes that pop up or slide in based on various triggers. You can position these boxes anywhere on your screen and use them for a range of CTAs such as MailChimp sign-ups, social sharing buttons, or promotional content.
Trigger options include time on site, exit intent, scroll percentage, number of page views, or manual clicks. Boxzilla’s editor supports a variety of content types, from simple text to advanced HTML and third-party shortcodes. Customize the box’s appearance easily using the intuitive interface.
The basic version of Boxzilla is available for free. For advanced features like exit intent triggers, page view triggers, and integration with WooCommerce, you can choose from three monthly plans ranging from $6 to $14. Premium plans also offer priority email support and advanced analytics.
11. Bloom
Bloom is an effective call-to-action plugin designed to boost your email subscriber list. This plugin helps convert casual visitors into loyal followers by allowing you to place targeted opt-in forms across your site.
Bloom offers over 100 customizable design templates and various opt-in types, including popups, fly-ins, and inline forms. You can trigger these forms based on timed delays, scroll percentage, or specific actions like commenting or purchasing. Bloom also integrates seamlessly with many email marketing tools such as AWeber and MailChimp.
With Bloom, you can also restrict access to premium content until users complete the opt-in form, enhancing your lead generation strategy. For more customization and advanced features, Bloom offers premium plans with extensive options and support.
To Sum Up
Effective calls to action are crucial for improving conversion rates and user engagement. They help reduce bounce rates, boost revenue, and achieve marketing goals. The plugins discussed in this article provide various ways to add compelling CTAs to your WordPress site. Share your experiences with these plugins in the comments below.
