One of my college teachers had a whimsical way of getting students to think about what they were doing and why. Instead of simply asking them to solve a problem or accomplish a task, he asked us “how can you make it worse?” or “how can you ensure that this project will fail?”
This post at Direct Creative Blog reminded me of him: 5 ways to kill good copy with bad design. Although the post talks about printed pieces, what it has to say applies equally well — perhaps better — to online marketing.
How not-to number four is: “Make your phone number or Web site address small…A big phone number screams “call me.” A prominent Web address says “visit this site now.” Setting these elements in tiny type and burying them in your copy where no one can see them instantly is foolish.”
One way to make your phone number really telegraph “call me” is with a bright red click-to-call telephone icon.