Is your phone number tappable? How to add click-to-call (tel: links) on any website

A phone number is tappable when it is wrapped in a tel: link, so one tap on a mobile opens the dialler with the number ready to call. The HTML is one line: <a href="tel:+442079460000">020 7946 0000</a>. In our checks, 13.4% of 32,933 UK small-business websites and 14.6% of 41,368 US ones showed a phone number that visitors could not tap.

This guide covers why it matters, the exact HTML, how to format UK and US numbers, the steps in each website builder, how to track taps in Google Analytics 4, and the accessibility points to get right.

How common is an untappable number?

It was the third most common fault in both countries, after a missing meta description and slow mobile loading. Source: SiteVerdict automated checks of small-business homepages, 4 October to 3 November 2026. See the UK study and US study for the method.

Why it matters

• It removes a step at the moment of decision. Without a link, a visitor on a phone has to memorise the number or copy and paste it into the dialler. With one, it is a single tap.
• Calls are how many local businesses win work. For locksmiths, plumbers, electricians and other trades, the call is often the whole conversion.
• It makes calls measurable. A tel: link can be tracked in analytics, so you can see how many visitors tapped to call. A plain-text number cannot.
• You cannot rely on phones to do it for you. Some mobile browsers detect numbers in text automatically, but Squarespace notes this varies by device. A tel: link works consistently.

We know of no rigorous public study measuring how many calls an untappable number loses, so we do not quote a figure. The fix takes five minutes either way.

The HTML

The basic link:

<a href="tel:+442079460000">020 7946 0000</a>

A "Call now" button with the number in the visible text:

<a href="tel:+442079460000" class="button">Call 020 7946 0000</a>

A text-message link, for businesses that take texts:

<a href="sms:+447700900000">Text us on 07700 900000</a>

The rules for the href part come from RFC 3966, the standard for tel: links:

• A full number starts with + and the country code, then the national number.
• No spaces. RFC 3966 says tel: links must not use spaces as separators.
• Hyphens, dots and brackets are allowed as visual separators and are ignored when dialling. Plain digits are the safest choice.
• The visible text between <a> and </a> can be formatted however you like.

Formatting UK and US numbers

UK numbers (+44)

Drop the leading 0, add +44, and remove spaces.

The UK numbers in this guide are from ranges Ofcom reserves for drama and examples, and the US numbers are from the 555-0100 to 555-0199 fictional range, so none are real lines. The +44 format works for callers inside the UK as well as abroad.

Squarespace's help centre specifically warns not to include a leading 0 in its phone link field, as it may stop the link working.

US numbers (+1)

Add +1, then the 10-digit number. Remove spaces, brackets and dots if you want the simplest form.

Showing the number on the page

• Show it in the format your customers recognise: 020 7946 0000 in the UK, (512) 555-0100 in the US.
• If you serve customers abroad, consider showing the international format too: +44 20 7946 0000.
• Put the number in the header so it is visible on every page, and again on the contact page and in the footer.
• Use the same number everywhere, including on your Google Business Profile, so customers and search engines see one consistent number.

Where to put your phone number

• Header, on every page. On mobile, this is where visitors look first. A compact "Call" button with the number works well on small screens.
• Contact page. Large and tappable, next to your opening hours, so callers know when you will answer.
• Footer. Visitors who scroll to the bottom are often looking for contact details.
• Service pages. Next to the call to action, for example under "Get a free quote".

Each of these should be a tel: link. Every visible number should be tappable, wherever it appears.

Common mistakes

• The number is an image. A phone number inside a logo or banner image cannot be tapped, copied or read by screen readers. Use real text.
• Spaces in the link. tel:+44 20 7946 0000 breaks the standard. Remove the spaces from the href; keep them in the visible text if you like.
• Leading 0 with +44. tel:+4402079460000 is wrong. Drop the 0 after +44.
• Link and text do not match. An old number left in the link after the visible text was updated sends callers to the wrong line. Check both whenever you change numbers.
• Only a "Call us" button. Hides the number from desktop visitors and people who want to save it.
• Testing only in the editor. Editor previews do not always behave like the live site. Test on a real phone.

How to add click-to-call in your website builder

Steps from official help pages, checked on 3 November 2026. Menus change, so follow the linked page if a label has moved.

WordPress (block editor)

1. Select the phone number text in a paragraph, heading or button.
2. Click the link icon.
3. Type tel: followed by the number with no spaces, for example tel:+442079460000, and press Enter.
4. Update the page.

For a "Call now" button, add a Buttons block and set its link the same way. See WordPress.com's guide. If the number sits in your theme header or a page builder widget, look for a link field in that widget or the theme's settings. Our WordPress plugin flags numbers that are not linked.

Wix

Wix says a phone number typed into a text box becomes clickable automatically. To link a button or other element, select it, click the Link icon and choose the phone number option. Include the country and area code. Wix notes that on a computer, a calling app such as FaceTime may open instead.

Squarespace

1. Open the link editor on the text, button or navigation item.
2. Select Phone from the dropdown.
3. Enter the number with country code and area code, without a leading 0.
4. Choose Call (or Text for a text-message link) and save.

See Add links to your site.

Shopify

Shopify's rich text editor documentation says to select the text, insert a link and enter tel: followed by the number. For a number in your theme header or footer, use a text block in the theme editor and link the number there, or check your theme's documentation. Our Shopify app checks your storefront for unlinked numbers.

Webflow

Select the text link, button or link block, open its link settings and choose the phone option, then enter the number. For CMS content, you can pull the number from a phone field. See Link settings.

GoDaddy Websites + Marketing (Airo)

GoDaddy's action button help describes setting a button to link to a phone number. On a mobile, tapping it opens the visitor's calling app. Menu names change as GoDaddy updates its editor.

Custom or hand-built sites

Find the number in your HTML templates (usually header, footer and contact page) and wrap each one in the <a href="tel:..."> link shown above. If your site uses structured data for a local business, include the same number in its telephone property.

Tracking phone taps in Google Analytics 4

GA4's enhanced measurement records outbound clicks as clicks on links to another website. Google's documentation does not say it covers tel: links, so set up your own event. A common method uses Google Tag Manager:

1. Turn on the Click URL variable. In Tag Manager, go to Variables, click Configure under Built-In Variables and tick Click URL.
2. Create a trigger. Add a new click trigger of type "Click – Just Links". Set it to fire on "Some Link Clicks" where Click URL starts with tel:.
3. Create a GA4 event tag. Add a Google Analytics: GA4 Event tag with your measurement ID and an event name such as phone_click. Optionally add a parameter such as link_url set to the Click URL variable. Attach the trigger from step 2.
4. Test. Use Tag Manager's Preview mode, tap or click the phone link and check the tag fires. Then publish the container.
5. Mark it as a key event. Once GA4 has received the event, go to Admin > Data display > Events and mark it as a key event. It can take up to 24 hours to appear in reports.

Accessibility

• Make the link text meaningful. WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) requires that the purpose of a link can be worked out from its text and context. "Call 020 7946 0000" is clear. A bare phone icon is not, unless it has an accessible name such as aria-label="Call 020 7946 0000".
• Keep the number visible. A button that says only "Call us" hides the number from desktop users and anyone who wants to write it down. Show the digits.
• Make it big enough to tap. WCAG 2.2 criterion 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), level AA, asks for targets of at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, with an exception for links inside a sentence. A header button should comfortably exceed this.
• Do not rely on colour alone. Links should look like links, for example underlined or styled as a button.
• Offer another way to get in touch. Some people cannot use the phone. An enquiry form or email address helps them. In our research, 8.1% of UK sites and 7.8% of US sites had no enquiry or booking form at all.

For the legal side of accessibility, see our guide to website accessibility law for small businesses.

Check it works

1. Open your site on your own phone, not in the editor preview.
2. Tap the number in the header, the footer and on the contact page.
3. The dialler should open with the full number, including the right area code.
4. On a computer, view the page source and search for tel:. Every visible phone number should have one, and each should match the number displayed.

SiteVerdict checks for untappable numbers automatically alongside the other common faults in our research. Try it on any site with the Chrome extension, or see how your builder compares in our website builder fault-rate guide.