Lee Heidel

Using 'Click to Call' Links to Empower Mobile Users

The noble hyperlink is the bedrock upon which the World Wide Web was built. 

With one simple click, a website visitor can be presented with a wealth of additional information about a topic. Those linked resources could exist on the same website or on one of billions of other websites around the world. In a nutshell, that's how the Internet revolutionized everything and made our world a little smaller. From a desk in Savannah, GA we can peruse vacation homes in Costa Rica or check out a web designer across town. And with the spread of high speed mobile internet, we can literally be anywhere and make those global connections.

But sometimes, it's still nice to talk to a human being. Whether it's for booking a salon appointment, seeking help from a customer service representative or describing a project's goals, there are some instances when it just makes sense to call. And thanks to that original hyperlink standard, we can also create website links that initiate phone calls.

Traditional hyperlinks are formatted using anchor text. The base code looks like this:

<a href="http://heideldesign.com">Heideldesign</a>

and is rendered in a browser like this:

Heideldesign

This code snippet consists of two main variables - a website URL and the visible, clickable text. In our example, the link is our main website URL, and the text is our business name. If you click it, it will redirect your web browser to our home page.

In order to trigger a phone call, the code is changed to this:

<a href="tel:5555550100">(555) 555-0100</a>

Which would read in a browser like this:

(555) 555-0100

If you click that link, you'll get an automated message saying your call can't be completed because it's a number reserved for fictional usage. So click on!

Click to Call Link Tips

  • Put the link at the top of your page for mobile devices to make it easy for customers to see without scrolling. 
  • Instead of just listing the phone number in the anchor text, use descriptive calls to action like: "Talk to a Representative" or "Call Now" 
  • This is universal HTML code, so it works in Wordpress or any other website content management system.
  • Style the text to look like a button, to give the link a tactile quality: Call Us Today


To find out more tips and tricks to help your website convert visitors to customers, fill out a contact form, or (why not?) give us a call