Design your way

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

When adding buttons to a website, there are several considerations to make if you want increase your conversions. It’s common to see a bold button on a plain background, or buttons with colors contrasting to their backgrounds.

This has been a long-time proven method to get a high CTR and is still a basic go-to choice. There is a new button type sweeping the inter-web now however, known as ghost button, also sometimes referred to as hollow button.

Ghost buttons are identified by having a thin border, transparent background and a simple, basic shape. This helps it to blend with the page design and seem almost unnoticeable.

However, if a ghost button is placed on a page with a proper background it can become a feature of the page and encourage interest. This makes it a versatile option, and this is why ghost buttons are becoming more common, and even overused on some pages.

Like with any popular trend it’s important to remember what actually works. Overusing ghost buttons just because they work in some settings will actually have a negative impact on your CTR. Use different button types in the contextual settings suited to them and you will maximize your CTR naturally.

Use hollow buttons with a purpose

If you are planning to use this type of button, use it wisely, don’t dribbble it in your layouts just because it looks cool. To be sure that this type of button is right for your audience, A/B test it. Designers will like it because it’s the new thing, but non-techy people don’t necessarily have the same opinion about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not for nor against this trend. I like how these buttons look. I also like bright colors, but that doesn’t mean I should use them on any website, for any audience.

This article was written because in the last few weeks I’ve seen a lot of designers who are supporting this trend without being sure that it delivers results. Remember, design is about solving problems, not about adding francy graphics. If your ghost call to action buttons deliver conversions, use them. If not, consider a button style more fit for your audience.

Now, for those of you who want to use a call to action button in their design, I’ve selected a few sites that are using this style and are using it well. You can use these as inspiration for placing your buttons, or using certain colors and copy for them.