Evidence of a difference in conversion rate between a “ghost” and a “traditional” button?

Question

Many new sites have been applying the "Ghost Buttons" in landing pages. Same people are saying this is a new trend of 2014.

I think with the “ghost button” we have a beautiful and clean design. But it´s not a call to action, that draws user attention and solicits an action. So it’s important to know when and how we should use it…!

Is there any evidence demonstrating a difference in conversion rate between a “ghost” and a “traditional” button? In what contexts?

Answer 1

I recommend looking at this article which talks about a A\B test that was done on seeing the conversion rates while using a solid call to action vs a ghost button in emails. To quote the article

Test A used our baseline newsletter template, which includes ghost buttons. Test B replaced these ghost CTAs with solid blue buttons. Everything else about the two versions was identical.

The study results showed that the solid buttons performed better. To quote the article

The overall winner was Test B, the version with solid blue buttons. When comparing click rates, the solid button saw a 3.21% rate for clicks per deliveries and a 17.95% rate for clicks per opens.

Test A, in comparison, had a 2.07% rate for clicks per deliveries, and an 11.11% rate for clicks per opens.

For every email opened, the solid button outperformed the ghost button by nearly 7%!

Now the key thing to note is that this should not be treated as the gospel truth as ghost buttons do add value to a page with the proper treatment and can serve as effectively as a solid button but its always better A\B testing your variations to see how your users react.

Answer 2

Definitely agree that ghost buttons is the new rising trend in visual design but we need to consider its cons as well while using,

Cons: Ghost buttons can fall too far into the background and frustrate users. Not all users may be design savvy; some may have trouble identifying an non-traditional button style and knowing how to use it.

Ghost buttons can be tricky to use over images with highly contrasting or varying colors. Typically these buttons are white or black. If you have an image with alternative black and white spaces, a ghost button can be near impossible to see or read.

Ghost buttons rely on size and placement for ease of use. Be cautious when placing the button so that it is easy to find and does not cover a key part of your image.

Ghost buttons can sometimes overpower the image they are paired with.

Ghost button text is more complicated than click here. The words used in these buttons needs to be clearly thought out out, edited and placed in context with the rest of the design.