1. Don't hide your phone number at the bottom of your site.

2. Don't make your visitors dig for it by only putting it on a "Contact" page.

3. Don't place it in the middle of your home page in the same font as everything else where it nicely blends in among all of your other text.

Here are good places to display your business phone number in a big, bold font:

• In the header at the top of your site on every page
• Just below the header on every page
• In the top right corner of every page

Are you noticing a pattern?

Think of how you browse the web. If you're like me, you land on a page and decide if it's worth your time within 5 seconds. Studies support this. That means you have 5 seconds to capture your visitors' attention.

By putting your phone number in a big font at the top of your site and telling them to call for an appointment/appraisal/demo/etc. you are telling visitors: "We are a business who can solve your problem today. Call us."

Don't let your small business site be confused for an informational page or some junior high student's class project.

For bonus points, put a call-to-action (no pun intended) next to your number or right below that says "Call today for a free consultation!" or "Call for an appointment today!"

Make sure your number is impossible to miss for anyone who's looking and then tell your customers to pick up the phone. You may be pleasantly surprised at how many listen.

Photo credit: mia_takahara