5 Easy Ways To Make a Web Page More Phone Call Friendly

While it might seem like texting is overtaking phone calls as a method of communication these days, it’s still key for businesses to provide a way for customers to contact them by phone. Customers need a way to contact you that doesn’t require them to go out of their way. Instead of just having a “Contact Us” section on your website, create a landing page with a phone number so that customers and potential customers can easily call to ask a question, make a reservation or book your services. Here are some handy tips to start with.

1. Put Your Phone Number on the Page

This one may seem like a no-brainer, considering the topic of this article, but you need to understand the reasons why simply putting a phone number out there can help you. Before people call you, they have to get to the page on your site that lists your phone number. Just the act of putting a phone number on your website may provide SEO benefits, according to SEO Smarty, which in turn will get more people to your site. Putting your phone number on your optimized landing page also frees the reader up from the task of searching your website for a way to contact you and may increase conversions, as noted in this KISSmetrics blog post.

2. Position it Prominently

According to the Nielsen Norman Group, people spend under 60 seconds on most websites. Some spend even less time. Imagine you only have 10 seconds to capture someone’s interest and trigger a phone call. You’d want to place the phone call as prominently as possible, right? Do your customers a favor and put your phone number at the top of the page. Make it big, eye-catching and easy to click. Don’t make them hunt around the page or your site for a tiny, poorly positioned phone number. If they took the time to navigate to your site, there’s a good chance they are interested in your services and would appreciate the ability to get in touch with you.

3. Pay Attention to the Design

If your readers leave your website because of poor design, you might not get a chance to see whether adding your phone number worked or not. Adobe released a report last year that included some eye-opening statistics about the power of web design. For example, more than a third of website users will leave a site if “the content is unattractive in its layout or imagery.” In addition to attractiveness, create a landing page that loads quickly and allows users to find the information they need easily with zero frustration.

4. Make it Easy to Call

Countless people have smartphones and use them day and night. According to Google, much of that time is spent on activities related to making purchasing decisions. About 80 percent of users do purchase-related research on their phone, and nearly three-quarters of those people end up making a purchase. The statistics in the study from Google are even more interesting for local searchers. Ninety-five percent of people with smartphones use them to find information about things in their area. Many of those people go on to contact the business. Once smartphone users have found you online, make it simple for them to contact you. Don’t make them go to the trouble of typing in your phone number themselves. Make it easy for them to simply click on a number and call you, whether they are using their mobile phone or a computer.

5. Craft a Compelling Call to Action

Were you aware that 70% of small business websites don’t have a call to action? (We’ll wait while you process that.) That study was a joint effort between Small Business Trends (who sponsored it) and Online Marketing Coach, whose website, by the way, has a prominent, clickable phone number. That means 70% of small businesses don’t tell their audiences what they want them to do or give them a push towards an intended action. Your customers are busy people, and any way you can eliminate unnecessary choices will benefit them in their decision-making process and benefit you with greater conversions. Alongside your phone number, try writing a call to action and see how it affects your results.

While asynchronous methods of connecting with businesses may be popular these days, many customers still want a way to immediately get in contact with and get answers from a business. According to a report from Zendesk, customers are the most satisfied (91%) with phone support, out of a number of different choices, including chat and email. Don’t worry that putting a phone number on your site will just invite unwanted calls. Include phone numbers on your optimized landing page and see whether your conversions increase or not.