How to Use SharePoint Online ‘Call-to-Action’ Web Part

SharePoint Online: Call to Action Web Part Overview

The SharePoint Online call to action web part is fairly simple to configure and has a number of options:

• Background: This allows you to change the background of your call to action.
• Button Label and Link: This is the text shown in the button itself and also a link to the destination. The link needs to be a http, https, or a mailto link. When a user hovers over the button they will be shown the URL.
• Alignment: Controls the alignment (position) of both the text and the button.
• Call to action text: This is the text that will appear above the button (describing the button).

           Image: Configuring Call To Actions Web Parts in SharePoint Online

It’s pretty straightforward, but there are a few things to note:

• Be careful of the length of the text that you use in the “call to action text.” If your text is too long, it will truncate
• Your call to action will be rectangular and not square (or any other shape) regardless of the image that you use. If you want to have a nice square call to action button, this web part currently doesn’t support it
• Content that is centre aligned may look more important than left-aligned, so experiment with the text alignment for a greater impact

SharePoint Online: Call to Action Web Part Usage Scenarios

Now that you understand what the SharePoint Online call to action web part is, here are some examples of how you can utilize it:

Promoted Content on your Intranet

One great way to use this web part is to drive users to a pre-defined ‘promoted’ content section on your Intranet. For example, if you have a vertical section on your homepage, you could use the top right-hand section as a way to promote important content (as shown in the image below).

SharePoint Online: Call to Action Web Part Best Practices

• Don’t use button labels such as ‘Click Here’: From a user experience perspective, try to use a more descriptive and action-orientated label such as ‘Register Now’ or ‘Reserve Your Seat’.
• Keep your description text short: Unfortunately, if your copy is too long, the web part will truncate your text. Make sure your text will fit in the button or move the web part to a wider column on the page (more horizontal space).
• Use impactful imagery: You want to attract your user’s eyes to the call to action, so we recommend making use of color and imagery to make it stand out.
• Don’t use the Call to Action Web Part for links: Some authors want their link to get noticed so they use a call to action to promote it. This isn’t the best way to get content promoted because it can lead to everyone wanting their content in Call to Action web parts. 

Don’t have too many Call to Action Web Parts on each page: Remember, the whole point of using this SharePoint Online web part is that you want to draw attention to something important. Having too many CTAs on one page will make them less effective as they will be competing for attention. We suggest having some governance both in terms of how many you can have on a page and where they should be positioned.

SharePoint Online: Call to Action Web Part Common Questions

Does the text wrap if I have too many characters extending the width of the Web Part?

No, it doesn’t. Unfortunately, if you have too many characters the text will just get truncated. This can be restricting as you may want to show more text displayed over multiple lines, but it’s best to keep your text short and succinct. 

Can I create a call to action with no button text?

No, you can’t use this web part as a way to show just an image with a text overlay – there must be a button with a link. 

Can I have more than one on a page?

Yes, you can have more than one on a page. However, we don’t recommend having too many.