5 Reasons Why it’s Important to have a Phone Number on your Website.

Are you setting up a web based business or developing a website for your existing business? Have you considered the relevance of including a phone number clearly displayed on your website? Some people might argue that phones are used more these days for playing music, gaming and messaging than making voice calls, but for business owners, this is different. Almost all businesses need a phone number to be contactable by current and ongoing customers. People are automatically suspicious when they can’t find a contact phone number. Many potential customers prefer to dial a number rather than fill out a form or send an email.

Here are 5 benefits to having a phone number on your website:

1. Increases Your Web Visitors’ Trust

According to a recent Google survey 47% of mobile search users are likely to buy from a company with a phone number.

One of the advantages of purchasing products online is that you don’t have to engage with a salesperson like at a physical retail outlet; however it is still nice to have the option to talk with a representative of the business should the need arise. This is especially true if you run a service based business. A phone number gives a face to your site and makes this possible! A website with a phone number helps give your brand credibility and makes website visitors feel more comfortable to engage with your business. The ability to talk with real persons over the phone can make a cyber purchase less daunting.

2. Improves Your Visitors’ Conversion Rate

The hypothesis is that increased trust from display of a phone number leads to more customer sign-ups. An interesting A/B test run by Flowr indicates websites with a phone number and call to action messages lead to more customers conversions. The test showed that 53.96% of sign-ups originated from the home page that had a phone number, while only 46.04% came from the page without a number.

3. Makes It Easier to Solve Customer Problems

People want to talk directly to customer service staff whenever they want their problem solved. A website with a phone number makes it easy for visitors/customers to get in touch if they have any questions or are in need of technical support. Most often people call because they have a problem. Rather than engage in emails back and forth, a 5 minute phone call walking your customer through a set of instructions, or to be able to get a clear understanding what the issue at hand is saves your business time. And, leaves you with a satisfied and happy customer.

Another point to consider is in the event of website malfunction (it happens), a contactable number ensures that the link between customers and business will stay unaffected.

4. Gives You One Up Over The Competition

Having a customer support service answering customer queries is important in improving your website traffic because your competitors might not offer such a service. A phone number clearly displayed on your site can give your business a competitive edge because it creates an instant serviceable channel for your customers.

Speaking with customers over the phone gives you the opportunity to get first hand information on the performance of your product/service and how you can improve it.

5. Effective Communication Channel

Having a phone number on your website can be a game changer as everyone wants a fast response. According to Google 84% of people use smartphones and mobile devices while surfing. Then 48% of local mobile searches ended with a call. Today’s consumer is impatient and wants his question answered or problem solved now! A phone number will literally keep the communication lines open 🙂