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Landing page Get Started CTA review: why vague buttons cost signups

Your biggest button says Get Started. Visitors click it hoping for pricing or a tour, land in a signup wall, and leave. This page covers sourced research on that pattern, a checklist for clearer labels, and a $19 review that gives you 3 copy fixes within 24h.

Free observation first — not ready to pay? Send your URL and get 1 concrete observation on your page, free, no account. Request your free observation →

What the research says

Nielsen Norman Group's "Get Started" Stops Users: "A generic Get Started call-to-action attracts clicks, but also misleads users and acts as a roadblock for those looking to get information about the company."

On the wording: "Like its relative Learn More, the link text Get Started is too generic to stand on its own and can be interpreted in many ways." Their fix: "avoid a generic call-to-action and increase the information scent by stating precisely what users should expect." And: "a link is a promise, and if you set the wrong expectation, you may reach superficial conversion goals but you won’t keep customers happy or loyal in the end."

Checklist for your main CTA

Name the next step: Start free trial, See pricing, Book a demo — not Get Started.
Match the destination: if the click opens a quiz, say Take our quiz.
Put the promise next to the button: No card needed, Takes 2 minutes.
Keep Learn More for secondary links; see the Learn More links review.
Check the hero and header together; see the hero CTA checklist.

Guidance from published usability research; test labels against your own click-to-signup rate.

What the $19 review gives you

We read your live page and pick the 3 gaps most likely to cost you signups. You get 3 before → after rewrites (hero, CTA, offer or proof), each with a one-line reason and a metric hypothesis you can check later, ready to paste, within 24h of 1 BTC confirmation. No call and no account. See an example deliverable (excerpt from a public sample) or browse all public samples.

Honest limits: we don't change your button code or run A/B tests, and we don't promise a lift. If the CTA is among your 3 highest-impact gaps, the fix gives you the label and the line next to it. For a full testing program, see audit vs CRO agency.

$19 · 3 fixes · delivered within 24h · paid in BTC

You get a BTC invoice page with address, amount, a QR code and an open-in-wallet link. Work starts once payment is seen. Not sure yet? Ask for 1 free observation on /audit.

FAQ

Is Get Started a bad CTA?

It is often too vague. Nielsen Norman Group found that a generic Get Started call-to-action attracts clicks, but also misleads users and acts as a roadblock for those looking to get information about the company.

What should I write instead of Get Started?

Name the next step: Start free trial, See pricing, Book a demo, or Take our style quiz. NN/g says to increase the information scent by stating precisely what users should expect.

Is this the same problem as Learn More?

Yes. NN/g calls Get Started a relative of Learn More: both are too generic to stand on their own and can be interpreted in many ways.

Won't a clearer label get fewer clicks?

Maybe fewer empty clicks. A link is a promise: if you set the wrong expectation, you may reach superficial conversion goals but you will not keep customers happy.

What do I receive for $19?

3 before and after rewrites for the highest-impact spots on your page (hero, CTA, offer or proof), each with a one-line reason and a metric hypothesis, ready to paste, within 24h of 1 BTC confirmation. No call and no account.

Questions: [email protected]