How often have you trawled through a company website, trying to find contact details? It’s more common than you think. Unless you have a good reason for it, concealing your business phone number is a bad idea. Omitting your phone number will ensure your website’s conversion rate plummets.

I recently read that a ‘website is your digital business card for every visitor’. Website design is crucial in attracting and retaining customers and very rarely would you hand out a business card without a phone number, so why leave your website without one?

Increase website conversion

Including a clearly visible phone number on your website makes it far easier for customers and potential clients to get in contact with you. This can lead to more sales opportunities and ultimately increased revenue.

There is evidence that including a phone number can increase call conversion rates, as a study from Kissmetrics proves. In this test, a website compared the volume of calls they received when they included their business phone number on their homepage, compared to when it was left without a number. The website admitted that the phone number they included was not clearly laid out or in prime position; yet in 6 weeks it shows a 0.5% increase in website conversions. Industry average conversion rates for business to business websites are widely quoted at 2-4% so a 0.5% increase is pretty monumental.

Not everyone wants to complete a web contact form, they may also not regularly check their email. Advertising a phone number will widen the audience that you reach and makes your business a lot easier to contact. Including a phone number also adds a human touch in what can often be lost in an impersonal digital experience.

A phone number can also make your brand appear more trustworthy.  Showing that your company is easy to contact demonstrates that your business welcomes custom and personable interaction.

Placement

The next big decision to make: where should you put your phone number? Don’t leave it just stuck in the ‘Contact Us’ page. One option is to include it in the footer of your site. Here, the number will appear as part of the natural conversion path a customer is likely to follow when browsing your website. It is present and available on every page and easy to find if a customer is looking for it.

The other option (and one we prefer) is to include the number in the header of your website or at least in the top third. It is immediately visible and makes it really easy and simple for anyone to get in contact with you. The easier this process is made, the more likely you are to see an increase in conversions. A phone number at the top of your website demonstrates that your business is clear, simple and honest. Most importantly, it shows that you are willing to talk.

You can see our phone number across the top of all our web pages – as a phone answering service, we want to advertise the fact that we’re great communicators and easy to get hold of, so it is a natural place for our phone number to sit.

Features

Mobile users have now overtaken the number of desktop users browsing the web; meaning it’s essential for your website to be mobile friendly. Not only this, but Google have started to penalise if your website is not compatible for mobile. When advertising your business phone number, it’s a good idea to make that number clickable for mobile users. It makes the process of calling your business even easier, potentially increasing the number of conversions you receive.

It’s also possible to use tracking to determine which of your calls originated from the number advertised on your website. You can even set tracking to see which specific page the customer was on when they rang. With tracking, you can monitor your progress and how well certain numbers perform, leaving you completely in control.

Doubts

The downside to putting a phone number on your website is that you may receive an increase in irrelevant or nuisance calls. This can interrupt your working day and leave you on the phone when your time may be better spent elsewhere. However, there are solutions like Answering services that can screen and filter cold calls.

Considerations

It’s also really important to consider what type of phone number you’re advertising. For example, a mobile number may not give off the best image of your business. If you are promoting to a local audience, emphasise that with a geographical number or alternatively branch out nationwide with an 03 national number. If you’re looking for a big city image, you could use an 020 number without the costs that basing your business in London will incur.

The most vital part of including a phone number on your website is, of course, answering the phone! The aim is to make it as easy as possible for customers to contact you – so be there to provide assistance.

Overall, it’s a great idea for businesses to put their contact number on their website and it can even increase conversions and revenue. It also makes your brand more visible, open and contactable – which in turn will generate greater customer loyalty and satisfaction.

About the author
David Rolf is the Marketing Manager at Armchair Answercall where he leads the company’s business to business marketing efforts. David has worked with and developed the customer service, marketing and sales strategies of over 200 UK organisations in 2015.

Reference
Kissmetrics: increase call conversion rates information