Does adding a phone number really increase conversions?

Yes. Studies show 47% of visitors will leave a website if there's no phone number visible. Click-to-call buttons convert at 200-300% higher rates than contact forms. The phone number itself is a trust signal, even if most people never call.

Do I need to answer the phone 24/7?

No. Even a phone number with business hours listed builds trust. Voicemail is fine for after-hours. The presence of a reachable number matters more than instant availability.

What if I don't want to give out my personal number?

Use a separate business line. VoIP services let you get a dedicated number that forwards to your phone or rings in a browser. Keep personal and business separate.

Is a phone number necessary for ecommerce?

For high-ticket items, absolutely. When someone's about to spend $500+, they want to know a real human exists. For lower-priced items, it still helps but the impact is smaller.

Where should I put the phone number?

Header (top right), footer, and contact page at minimum. For ecommerce, add it near the 'Add to Cart' button on product pages. Visibility matters — don't bury it.

Do younger customers even call?

Less often, but they still check for the number. It's a legitimacy signal. A site with no phone number feels like a potential scam, regardless of whether they'd actually call.

Will I get spammed if I list my number?

Some spam is inevitable. A dedicated business line helps — you can screen calls, and it's not your personal number getting sold to telemarketers.

What about international customers?

Display a number they can reach. US customers trust US numbers. UK customers trust UK numbers. With VoIP, you can get numbers in multiple countries affordably.

Does a Phone Number on Your Website Increase Sales? (Data + Case Studies)

Here's a number that should stop you cold: 47% of website visitors will leave if they can't find a phone number. Not because they want to call. Because they don't trust you without one.

I've consulted for over 40 ecommerce stores since 2019. The single fastest conversion lift I've seen — faster than redesigns, faster than new copy, faster than checkout optimization — is adding a visible phone number. One client saw a 23% increase in completed purchases within 14 days. They didn't answer a single call. The number itself did the work.

That's the counterintuitive part. The phone number increases sales not because people call, but because it signals legitimacy.

The Psychology Behind It

Think about the last time you bought something from a website you'd never heard of. You probably did a quick legitimacy check: Does this site look professional? Are there reviews? Is there a way to contact them?

A phone number answers a subconscious question: "Is there a real person behind this?" Email addresses are anonymous. Contact forms disappear into the void. But a phone number means accountability. Someone has to pick up.

It's the same reason restaurants display their address even though you're ordering delivery. You want to know the place exists.

Case Study: A Shopify Store Selling $800 Bags

A leather goods store came to me in 2023. Beautiful product photos, strong reviews, clear pricing. Conversion rate: 0.9%. Industry average is around 2.5%.

They had a contact form. That was it. No phone number. For an $800 bag from a brand you've never heard of, that's a problem. People don't submit forms when they're about to spend serious money. They want to talk to someone.

We added a phone number to the header and product pages. Not a call center — just a dedicated business line that rang to the founder's cell during business hours. Conversion rate after 6 weeks: 2.3%. That's a 156% improvement.

How many calls did they get? About 8 per week. Most were pre-purchase questions that closed the sale. A few were support issues that would've been angry emails otherwise. The phone number paid for itself in the first 48 hours.

The "I Don't Want Calls" Objection

I hear this constantly. "I'm a one-person operation. I can't answer phones all day."

You don't have to. Here's what the data actually shows:

Most people won't call. They just want to see the option exists. 90%+ of your visitors will never dial the number.
The ones who call are high-intent buyers. Someone calling about a $400 product is ready to buy. These calls convert at 30-50%.
Voicemail is acceptable. Set business hours. Have a professional voicemail. Return calls within 24 hours. That's enough.
Use a separate line. Don't give out your personal cell. Get a VoIP number that forwards to your phone or rings in a browser.

Where to Put the Phone Number

Visibility matters more than aesthetics. If you're hiding the number to keep your header "clean," you're losing money.

Header — Top right corner. Visible on every page without scrolling.
Footer — Standard location people check for contact info.
Contact page — Obviously. Include hours of operation.
Product pages — Near the "Add to Cart" button for high-ticket items.
Checkout page — Reduces cart abandonment. "Questions? Call us."

The Contrarian Take

Most "conversion optimization" advice focuses on buttons, colors, and copy. That's fine for marginal gains. But the biggest wins come from trust signals — and a phone number is the most underrated trust signal online.

Here's the thing: your competitors probably don't have one either. 62% of small business websites have no phone number visible. By adding one, you're immediately more trustworthy than the majority of your market.

How to Get a Business Phone Number

You don't need a second phone or a landline. VoIP services give you a dedicated number that works anywhere:

Get a dedicated number (local or toll-free, your choice).
Set it to forward to your cell, ring in a browser, or go to voicemail.
Define business hours — calls outside hours go straight to voicemail.
Display the number prominently on your site.
Track calls to measure impact on conversions.

Cost: typically $5-15/month for a number, plus per-minute rates if you're making outbound calls. For most businesses, it's under $25/month total.

What to Do Now

Check your website. Is there a phone number visible in the header?
If not, set up a dedicated business line this week.
Add the number to your header, footer, and product pages.
Set up a professional voicemail with your business hours.
Track conversions before and after. Expect 15-30% lift within 30 days.

This is one of the rare changes that costs almost nothing, takes an hour to implement, and reliably increases revenue. Don't overthink it.

Does a Phone Number on Your Website Increase Sales?