Is your phone number on your homepage?

Recently I looked at the website of a local service business with dozens of five-star reviews on Google. People clearly like the work. So I opened the homepage on my phone to call them, and there was no phone number on it.

There was a button that said Contact us, with a little phone icon on it. Tapping it did not dial anything. It opened another page, and the number was there.

Why one extra tap matters

Someone who finds you on Google and taps through to your site has already decided to contact somebody. They are often on a phone, in a hurry, comparing two or three businesses. If your number takes a hunt, the next business on the list is one tap away.

Check yours in one minute

Open your own homepage on your phone, not your computer.

1. Can you call or WhatsApp from the first screen? Without scrolling or hunting.

2. Does tapping the phone number start a call? If it only shows the number, people have to copy it by hand.

3. Does the WhatsApp button open a chat with you? If you use WhatsApp for work, it should land in your chat with one tap.

4. Does the number match your Google listing? Two different numbers make people wonder which one is real.

While you are there

The same site had two smaller problems I see often. A footer icon still linked to an old Google page that no longer exists, and a large heading had a spelling mistake. Neither loses you a customer on its own, but a visitor who notices both starts to wonder what else is out of date.

Tap every icon and button on your homepage once. Read the big headings out loud. It takes five minutes.