With digital and social platforms dominating the world of business, many companies are entirely overlooking phone calls as part of their broader marketing mix.
In reality, phone calls are generally more valuable conversions than KPI’s such as a social media share or like which can be completed so flippantly. A phone call takes more thought, more effort, and therefore the caller is generally more enthusiastic and serious than the serial social liker.
This theory doesn’t denounce digital in any way; it just pays to know how to merge the two to achieve maximum results. So, here are some of the most effective ways you can optimise your website to increase your phone call conversions.
Visible Phone Number Throughout your Website
Let’s start with the most obvious. Well, we say most apparent, but it is often not done most effectively. Your phone number should be a noticeable feature on your home page, as well as at the top and bottom of your landing pages.
If your web user cannot find your number, they won’t be able to call you; this could be the difference between their custom, or them heading to your competitor.
A study found that 68% of people will search for a company’s phone number for LESS than two minutes before moving on. So, your phone number should be an emphasised feature on all of your web pages. While your phone number should be prominent at the top of your pages, it can be more subtle at the bottom of the pages and placed in your website’s footer.
Optimise your Website for Mobile
Optimising your website for mobile should be at the top of your priority list if you haven’t already got round to it. With mobile browsing slowly but surely overtaking desktop browsing, you run the risk of losing a lot of customers if your website can’t perform for mobile users.
But how can mobile optimisation specifically aid the number of calls you receive? Well, you can add clickable elements such as click-to-call. Rather than finding your phone number, typing it out and calling, the mobile user can easily click your phone number, and their handset automatically starts the call. This ease of use highly encourages users to make the phone call.
Use A/B Testing to Optimise for Calls
Another aspect of website optimisation that is often overlooked is the simple act of testing what does and what doesn’t work. You could have a colourful and creative strategy in place, but if it doesn’t perform well, it is a waste of time and potentially, money.
Using A/B testing is beneficial for monitoring all aspects of your website, not just phone calls. You can use the A/B testing on your home page and your landing pages and reorganise and prioritise different elements to find out what works best for your website. Remember, what works best for one site won’t necessarily be what works for somebody else.
It is worth using A/B testing to experiment with different phone number placements, button layouts, click-to-call designs, images, colours etc. until you find the most successful combination.
Use Content to Influence Calls
Your website copy is another method of influencing and encouraging phone calls from your website. Using specific trigger words or pusher words can play a big part in your user wanting to pick up the phone and give you a call. You can also inform them of what they will gain from a phone call as opposed to web browsing only. Gains and benefits of a phone call could be specialist information, guided assistance, discounts or on the spot quotes.