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Dealership Website CTA Strategy: The ‘CTA Wars’ Explained

The ‘CTA Wars’ – Are You Losing the Battle?

When it comes to dealership websites, the battle for clicks is fierce. Too many buttons? Confusion reigns. Too few? Leads slip away. This ongoing struggle is what we call the “CTA Wars” – a metaphor for the dealership website strategy showdown.

If your website is loaded with “Get Pre-Approved,” “Value Your Trade,” “Schedule Test Drive,” and “See Payment Options” all competing for attention, you might actually be hurting conversions instead of helping them.

In this guide, we’ll break down:

  • The biggest CTA mistakes dealerships make
  • How to create a clean, high-converting CTA strategy
  •  The ideal number of CTAs to use (based on real data)

 

What Are ‘CTA Wars’ and Why Do They Matter?

  1. CTA Overload – Too Many Options, Too Much Confusion

A dealership website should guide visitors toward a single next step—not make them feel like they’re navigating an obstacle course.

Think about it: If your Vehicle Details Page (VDP) has buttons for:

  1. Get Pre-Approved
  2. Value Your Trade
  3. Schedule Test Drive
  4. See Payment Options
  5. Check Availability
  6. Contact Us

That’s six different choices, all competing for attention. Which one should the customer click? Instead of guiding them smoothly, you’re overwhelming them—leading to higher bounce rates and fewer conversions.

Fix It: Limit CTAs to 2-3 primary actions per page. On a VDP, the highest-converting CTAs are:

“Get My Trade Value” – Engages shoppers early and generates high-intent leads.
“Calculate My Payment” – Helps customers feel confident about affordability.

Secondary CTAs (like “Schedule Test Drive” or “Contact Us”) should be less prominent, not competing equally with high-value lead capture buttons.

 

  1. The Wrong CTA for the Wrong Page

Not all dealership website pages serve the same purpose—so why use the same CTAs everywhere?

  • Homepage → Focus on broad actions like “Value Your Trade” or “Shop Inventory.”
  • VDP (Vehicle Details Page) → Prioritize “See Payment Options” and “Get Trade Value.”
  • Finance Page → Highlight “Get Pre-Approved” and “Estimate My Payments.”
  • Service Page → Push for “Schedule Service” or “Check for Recalls.”

Fix It: Tailor your CTA based on user intent at each stage of the car-buying journey.

 

  1. Weak or Generic CTA Copy That Fails to Convert

If your CTAs are boring, vague, or unclear, they won’t drive action.

Examples of bad CTA copy:
🚫 “Click Here” (Click where? For what?)
🚫 “Get Started” (Started on what?)
🚫 “Check E-Price” (No one believes you have separate in-store vs online prices!)

Better alternatives that drive more leads:
✅ “Get My Instant Trade Value” (Clear, action-driven, and benefits-focused)
✅ “See My Best Payment Options” (Personalized, removes pricing uncertainty)
✅ “Schedule My VIP Test Drive” (Adds exclusivity, sounds appealing)

Fix It: Use clear, benefit-driven CTAs that tell customers exactly what they’ll get. And if your CTA leads a person into a chat, label that CTA “Chat” so that people aren’t confused when a chat bot pops up.

 

  1. Poor CTA Placement – The Mobile Mistake

Over 60% of dealership website traffic is mobile—yet many dealerships still bury their CTAs below the fold or clutter them in sidebars.

On mobile, your primary CTA must be visible within the first screen.

Fix It:

  • Place primary CTAs above the fold for mobile visitors.
  • Use sticky buttons that stay visible as users scroll.
  • Ensure buttons are large enough for easy tapping (44×44 pixels minimum).

 

How Many CTAs Should a Dealership Website Have?

Data-backed best practices suggest:

  • Homepage: 2-3 CTAs max (trade-in, inventory search, pre-approval)
  • VDP: 1-2 primary CTAs (trade-in value + payments)
  • Finance Page: 1 strong CTA (“Get Pre-Approved”)
  • Service Page: 1-2 CTAs (“Schedule Service” or “Claim Offer”)

Fewer, more strategic CTAs = higher conversion rates.

 

Real-World CTA Strategy: What Works for High-Converting Dealerships

Example 1: Optimizing a VDP for More Trade-In Leads

🔹 Problem: A dealership’s VDPs had 6+ competing CTAs, leading to low engagement and high drop-off rates.
🔹 Solution: They simplified to just two CTAs:

  • Primary: “Get My Trade Value”
  • Secondary: “See My Payment Options”
    🔹 Result: 32% increase in lead submissions from VDPs.

Example 2: Increasing Finance Applications with Better CTA Placement

🔹 Problem: The dealership’s “Get Pre-Approved” button was below the fold on mobile.
🔹 Solution: They moved it to the top and used a sticky button.
🔹 Result: 22% more finance applications submitted.

 

Final Takeaways: How to Win the ‘CTA Wars’

  • Simplify your dealership website CTAs – fewer options = higher conversions.
  • Prioritize key actions based on each page’s intent.
  • Use clear, benefit-driven language (“See My Best Payment” vs. “Click Here”).
  • Optimize for mobile users – sticky buttons + above-the-fold CTAs.
  • Test and refine – use A/B testing to see which CTAs work best.

Apply these strategies to turn CTA confusion into clear, high-converting lead generation.

Want to see how TradePending’s approach to CTAs will make your website convert better? Schedule time with us.