How to A/B Test Phone Numbers On Web Landing Pages

The goal of any paid search landing page is to inspire a quick action from potential customers. A/B testing can help marketers determine which landing pages offer the best returns. And while sites like Which Test Won and Marketing Sherpa offer a wealth of resources about optimizing landing pages for online conversions, in many industries, phone conversions are far more valuable. American businesses are spending tens of billions of dollars each year to drive calls to their call centers and are expanding inside sales teams. Sales Hacker states it perfectly:

Your phone number must be prominently featured within all of your marketing efforts, including digital methods such as social media, online profiles, ad campaigns, and email campaigns, as the ability to reach you this way becomes an immediate selling point to consumers who still desire person-to-person communications. Do not rely on email or contact forms alone; consumers are craving interaction.  

To help, we have three tests marketers can use to optimize landing pages and generate quality phone leads.

Test Phone Number Placement

A well-placed phone number will not only bolster offline conversions, but it can also boost online conversions. According to Unbounce’s 101 Landing Page Optimization Tips, “By having a phone number present, it tells people you are legitimate and that there are real people at the end of the line.”

So where’s the best place to include a phone number? Usually, the best placement is in the top right-hand corner or directly above a web form. This is especially true if your objective is to drive more calls to your inside sales team. Run your initial A/B test with the phone number in those two positions. Then, in subsequent tests, you can experiment with font size and color.

If the goal is simply to bolster online conversions, place the phone number in the top right-hand corner for your control group, and test how moving or removing your phone number affects  conversions.

Test Using Local Numbers with Local Ads

Businesses use a toll-free phone number on landing pages to advertise their company size and establish a reputation. In fact, brands like 1-800-Flowers, 1-800-Contacts, and 1-800-PetMeds have built empires out of easy-to-remember toll free numbers.

However, many customers often search for local solutions. Imagine that you operate a real-estate firm with offices all over the state of California. If a lead reaches your landing page from searching for the term “Beverly Hills real estate,” displaying a local 310 number could help reinforce your firm’s local Beverly Hills presence and create more calls.

You can test this using Dynamic Number Insertion. Call tracking systems for search marketers allow businesses to dynamically serve up a local number depending on geo-targeting variables in Google AdWords. You could therefore  provision a unique ad that is only shown on queries originating in the Beverly Hills and surrounding area. Every time a customer clicks through to the ad, the call tracking system will dynamically serve a 310 number, while all other customers see your toll-free number. You could likewise provision local numbers for any other city, like as San Francisco, Sacramento, or San Diego. Then, test your landing pages by comparing your 800 number or typical sales line with a local number.

Get Nuanced in Your Call Conversion Tracking

Most B2B conversion tracking ends with lead forms. But when a lead simply fills out a form, it doesn’t show as much conversion potential as an actual phone call. Call tracking delivers more visibility than web forms, because it enables you to see the entire path a lead takes, from organic search or ad, to a landing page, then to calls, opportunities, and through to revenue. Tracking calls in Salesforce with your traditional online conversions gives you a more complete view of which paid search keywords are worth your investment.