The banner menu of https://montanawebmaster.com has a Contact link and form, but viewers have to take the action of clicking the About link. Is that enough? What are the benefits and drawbacks of having a phone number in the banner … where it is easy to find and use?
IN FAVOR OF DISPLAYING PHONE NUMBER
- I have always suggested to my clients and students, that they have a phone number on every page of their website, and preferably at the top, because I know how frustrating it is to try to find a phone number that’s hidden on a website.
- Displaying a phone number in a prominent place is a signal to viewers that you welcome their call.
- It’s convenient for viewers using their smart phones to be able to tap your phone number at the top of the screen. (The phone number can be made tapable with a link: <a href=”tel:402-253-4045″>)
AGAINST DISPLAYING PHONE NUMBER
- Making the phone number easier to use, means more people will call. Some of those calls will be sales and spam. Some of those calls will be frivolous.
- Calls are a problem for companies with limited staff and with a full client list.
- Frivolous calls: When people do a Google search, if I have done a great job of adding content to my site, my site will potentially come up in the search. This has resulted in phone calls from people expecting free tech advice. This is why my Contact page clearly states what is free and what isn’t.
Solution for my Case Use (Scenario)
I think I will just add my phone number in the footer as a compromise!
How I Added my Phone Number to my Footer
Many themes have a Footer Sidebar already coded in. The WordPress Kahuna theme comes with 6 “registered” sidebars. Footer is one of them.
So, the task is to get the phone number into that Sidebar.
Using Content Blocks
For most the WordPress sites I build or work on, I add a plugin called Content Blocks. There are many other terms for this type of function in other technologies. A Content Block is created and used just like a Post or Page, but you can add it to the sidebars that are available with your theme. (If your theme doesn’t have a sidebar where you want it, your developer should be able to add one for you!)