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What's a good text to put on a sign-up button for a completely free app/service? Once the user presses the button, they will be asked to fill out a signup form.
The button is the only place that states that the service is free. Is that an issue?
The current button has "Register for free"
However, to me this looks like "registering" is free, but that other services will not be? Or am I reading too much into it?
When I see "register" or "registering (even if it is for free) it doesn't make me want to click because I expect a long and painful form.
I prefer the buttons that focus on what i really want to do
"Get Started"
"Start your first project"
"Let's Go"
For something as important as drawing people into your free service (after all, if the service is free then the registered users are the product you are selling) I would have more than just a button with text on it.
Renaud makes a good point about making the button focus on what you want to do. If a user has already found your site / downloaded your app then they probably already know something of what you are providing. Make this button the most important thing on the screen. You should use button size, position, colour, and imagery to really draw users towards clicking it.
You can make the image on the button suggestive of the "free" nature of the service. I can't recommend a particular image though, as this will be related to your branding, but a crude example might be having a big fat arrow with a little sign like this hanging from it.
Your concerns are completely valid. "Register for Free" does have a tone that there could be other parts of the site/app that are behind a pay wall. Renaud makes a good point with "Get Started". It's a short and to the point.
Copy is a really important part of any experience. Alternatively you could cater this initial CTA more specifically to your product. For example: If I created a free Calendar application, my CTA could be something along the lines of "Start Planning", "Connect with Gmail", "Start Scheduling", "Get Organized", etc.
