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Having been online for many years now, I’m still surprised by the number of websites who seem to bury their contact details away! I hope those of you who are reading this aren’t culprits!
It’s vitally important for sales and leads that your contact details are very prominent on your website so people don’t have to look for them – and not just assigned to a ‘Contact Us’ page.
I found one example of a bike shop in Chichester who haven’t done a particularly good job of displaying their contact details at all. The ‘contact us’ page only has a contact form and their address & telephone number is on the about page! Since they’re a physical shop, they should be encouraging people to visit their premises and ensure their contact details are easy to find – you can check out their site here and see what I mean.
Each page of your website should have your telephone number and email address displayed in a prominent position. Not only does it make it easy for people to contact you, it instills confidence that there is someone out there that you can easily get hold of them if the need arises.
The Savvy Marketers email address is displayed at the top left of the website and we have a separate contact us page as well. Louise has her telephone number and email address displayed at the top of each page of her Simply Business Coaching website, and I have the same on the left hand side of the Forty First website.
So what should you include on your ‘contact’ page?
- Company name and full postal address
- Telephone number
- Email address for enquiries or specific staff members where appropriate
- Registered office address and company registration number where applicable – this has been a legal requirement since January 2007. A PO Box address alone will not suffice. You can read more about the legislation here.
- Contact form – this can be useful if you want to pre-qualify enquiries or direct them to the right department, but don’t make them too lengthy!
- A map – this is particularly useful if you have a business premises and want customers to visit you. You can easily add a Google Maps map to a web page.
- Any other useful information such as opening hours, mobile phone number, Skype number etc if people can contact you in different ways.
What contact details do you have on your site? It’s worth reviewing to make sure they’re easy to find, and you’re legal!
About Sam
Sam McArthur is an internet marketing consultant with 12 years in the industry. She helps professional service businesses with their internet marketing strategy, helping them to see significant results from their online marketing activities, particularly within the search engines. She also consults on the latest internet tools, technology and best practice techniques.
