Stop Hiding Your Phone Number (And Other Conversion Mistakes)
I'm going to describe a website, and you tell me if it sounds familiar.
The phone number is in the footer. There's a "Contact Us" page with a form. On mobile, you have to tap a hamburger menu to find any contact information. The phone number isn't clickable.
Sound like your site? If so, you're making customers work to give you money.
Let me walk through the most common conversion mistakes I see on service business websites, and how to fix them.
Mistake #1: The Hidden Phone Number
This is the big one. The phone number should be the most prominent element on your site.
Where phone numbers hide: - Footer only - Behind a "Contact" menu item - On a separate Contact page - As an image (not tappable) - In tiny font
Where it should be: - Header of every page - Large and readable (at least 18px on mobile) - Formatted as a real link: `<a href="tel:+16025551234">` - Repeated in the body of landing pages - Next to calls-to-action
The test: Pull up your website on your phone. How many seconds does it take to start a call? If it's more than 2-3 seconds, you're losing business.
A plumbing company I worked with moved their phone number from the footer to a sticky header bar on mobile. Calls from mobile visitors increased 34% in the first month. Same traffic. Just made the number visible.
Mistake #2: No Tap-to-Call
On mobile, your phone number needs to be tappable.
Wrong: ```html <p>Call us at 602-555-1234</p> ```
Right: ```html <a href="tel:+16025551234">602-555-1234</a> ```
Even better, add visual cues: ```html <a href="tel:+16025551234"> 📞 Tap to Call: 602-555-1234 </a> ```
If your phone number is an image, Google can't index it and customers can't tap it. Fix this immediately.
Mistake #3: Forms That Ask Too Much
Every form field is friction. Every required field is a reason to abandon.
A form I actually saw: - First name (required) - Last name (required) - Email (required) - Phone (required) - Address (required) - City (required) - Service type (dropdown) - Service details (text area, required) - Preferred date (required) - Preferred time (required) - How did you hear about us? (required) - CAPTCHA
12 fields before submission. The abandonment rate was probably 80%+.
What you actually need for a service inquiry: - Name - Phone - Service needed (optional dropdown)
That's it. You can get everything else on the phone.
The principle: Ask for the minimum needed to call them back.
Mistake #4: No Trust Signals Above the Fold
Someone lands on your site from a Google search. They've never heard of you. Why should they call?
Trust signals answer that question instantly.
Trust signals that work: - Star rating + review count ("4.9 stars from 247 reviews") - License number displayed - "Licensed, Insured, Bonded" - Years in business - Google Guaranteed badge (if you have LSA) - Better Business Bureau (if you're actually accredited) - Local service area (proves you're actually local)
What doesn't work: - Generic "5-star service" without proof - Logos of obscure associations - "Award winning" without specifics - Stock photos of smiling people
The credibility hierarchy: 1. Reviews (social proof from real customers) 2. Credentials (license, insurance) 3. Longevity (years serving this area) 4. Locality (physically located nearby)
Show at least two of these above the fold.
Mistake #5: Competing Calls-to-Action
When everything is a priority, nothing is.
A real homepage I audited had: - "Get a Quote" button - "Schedule Service" button - "Learn More" button - "View Services" button - Social media icons - Newsletter signup - Chat widget popup - Phone number (small, in corner)
What should the visitor do? Nobody knows. So they leave.
The fix: Pick ONE primary action. Everything else is secondary.
For most service businesses: - Primary: Call this number - Secondary: Fill out this form if you prefer - Tertiary: Everything else
Design your page to funnel attention toward that primary action.
Mistake #6: No Clear Service Area
"Serving the Valley" doesn't tell me if you come to my neighborhood.
Be specific about where you work.
Vague: "Serving the Phoenix metro area"
Specific: "Serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, and surrounding areas"
Even better: "Enter your zip code to check if we service your area" [form]
This matters for two reasons: 1. Customers want to know you'll actually come to them 2. Google uses location signals for local search ranking
List your specific service area on your homepage and every service page.
Mistake #7: Slow Pages (Especially on Mobile)
Covered this in depth elsewhere, but it's worth repeating: if your site takes more than 3 seconds to load on mobile, you're losing a significant percentage of visitors before they even see your phone number.
Quick check: Google PageSpeed Insights
If mobile score is under 50, this is urgent.
Mistake #8: No Differentiation
I just searched "plumber phoenix" and visited five websites. They all said: - 24/7 Service - Licensed & Insured - Free Estimates - Family Owned
Nobody said anything different. There was no reason to choose one over another.
Differentiation that actually works: - Specific guarantees: "On-site in 60 minutes or your diagnostic is free" - Specific proof: "4,847 Phoenix homes served since 2008" - Specific capability: "The only Phoenix plumber with hydro-jetting equipment" - Specific service: "Slab leak specialists"
What can you say that competitors can't (or don't)?
The 5-Minute Fix List
If you do nothing else, do these things today:
- . Move phone number to header: Visible without scrolling on mobile
- . Add tel: link: Make it tappable
- . Add review count: "4.9 stars from 200+ reviews"
- . Simplify your form: Name, phone, that's it
- . List service area: Specific cities/neighborhoods
These five changes take minimal technical skill and can significantly increase calls.
The Testing Protocol
After making changes:
- . Open your site on your phone (not on WiFi, use cellular)
- . Pretend you're a customer with a burst pipe
- . How fast can you initiate a call?
- . What would make you trust this company?
- . Is there any confusion about what to do next?
Better yet, have a friend do this and watch over their shoulder. Where do they hesitate?
Want a full conversion audit of your site? [Let's identify exactly what's costing you calls](/contact).