Creating a Click-to-Call Button in the Visual Builder

Creating a Click-to-Call Button in the Visual Builder

Introduction

This tutorial provide an example of a ‘Click-to-Call’ button using the Visual Builder editor.

What is a Click-to-Call action button?

A click-to-call button is a clickable element on a website or app that lets users instantly initiate a phone call with just one tap, typically by opening their device's dialer with a pre-filled number. It enhances user experience by removing the need to manually enter a phone number, especially on mobile devices.

 

Why use Click-to-Call instead of the Contact Us page?
A ‘Click-to-Call’ button is a inobtrusive method if initiating phone call communication.

Why Choose Click-to-Call?

Click-to-Call offers distinct advantages over a traditional "Contact Us" page. Here's why:

Feature

Click-to-Call

Contact Us Page

Feature

Click-to-Call

Contact Us Page

Immediacy

Instant connection with a representative.

Requires filling out forms and waiting for a response.

User Effort

Single click to initiate a call.

Multiple steps: navigate, fill fields, submit.

Problem Resolution

Direct conversation allows for quicker and more nuanced problem-solving.

Often involves back-and-forth communication, delaying resolution.

Customer Experience

More personal and often leads to higher satisfaction.

Can feel impersonal and less efficient.

How is the Click-to-Call button created

Creating a Click-to-Call action button in it’s most basic form is to create a hyperlink button that initiates a phone call, which we will implement using an anchor (<a>) element with the href attribute set to tel: followed by the phone number.

For example, the following HTML code creates a button that, when clicked, opens the device's phone dialer:

<a href="tel:+1234567890">Call Us</a>

Using Anchor Links In Your Storefront

Implementing anchor links in your storefront using the Visual Builder editor is accomplished using the Link element, assigning the element ID to the URL.

Steps

In this tutorial, we are adding a link to the into the header of our storefront, so that it remains immediate available to the customer during their entire shopping session.

 

  • Accessing the Visual Editor:
    From the UltraCart backend, navigate:
    Main Menu → StoreFronts → (Select StoreFront Host) → Browse Your Store.
    Click the "Edit" button in the top toolbar to launch the Visual Editor. This opens a refreshed view with the main menu on the right side.
    Source: Accessing the Visual Editor.

  • Interacting with Elements: Hover over any element on the page to highlight it in blue, displaying its title and a toolbar in the upper right. The toolbar includes options like:

    1. Delete (DEL key): Remove the element.

    2. Duplicate: Copy the element.

    3. Settings: Access configuration for the element.

    4. Hierarchy (h key): View the element in the page structure.

    5. Add (+ key): Insert a new element below it.

    6. Scoped CSS (c key): Customize styles for this element.

    7. Comment (m key): Add notes visible only in editor mode.

    8. Movement arrows: Shift the element left/right/up/down (l, r, u, d keys) Source: Working with Elements on the Page.

  • Previewing Changes: To see how your edits appear on different devices, click the Preview icon in the right-side menu. This opens a popup window with options for Mobile, Tablet, Desktop, or All views. Ensure popups aren't blocked in your browser for this to work smoothly Source: Previewing and Saving Changes.

  • View Controls: Use the top menu icons to switch between full page, mobile, tablet, or desktop views. In mobile view, enable "Full Height" to see vertical content limits Source: Understanding the Visual Editor Menu.

 

 

  1. From the Storefronts menu in the UltraCart Backend, Click ‘Browse your Store’.

    image-20251014-151742.png
  2. In the Storefront Developers menu, click ‘Edit’

    image-20251014-151947.png
  3. Click ‘Hierarchy’ in the Visual Builder menu that appears along the right side of the web browser window.

    image-20251014-152203.png
  4. In the ‘Container-Header’ Container, The first element is the ‘SUBHEADER’ section, click the ‘+' button, then choose 'Add Child’:

    image-20251014-152719.png
  5. In the search field that appears, enter ‘Row’ then select the row element that appears.

    image-20251014-152931.png

     

  6. Then select the column width of 12:

    image-20251014-153204.png
  7. Next, click the ‘+' for the column element, then choose ‘Add Child’ and search for and then select ‘Image’. In the settings panel of the image, click the folder icon in the ‘Image URL’ field then browse for your image and then select it.

    image-20251014-153921.png



    In this case we created an image using a stock photo of an old telephone handset icon combined with our phone number:

    Call 209-383-9870.png
  8. Click the ‘X' button to close the image settings panel, then in the hierarchy, mouse over the three dots menu for the image element, then choose ‘Wrap’, then choose ‘Link’. In the link settings, configure the ‘Link URL’ with the phone number, optionally set the ‘Link URL Target’, to ‘NewTab/Window, then enter 'Call +1-209-383-9870' into the 'Alt Text’.

  9. Click the ‘Save’ button which will be highlighted in the Visual Builder Editor.

  10. Click the exit button to exit the Visual Builder Editor.

image-20251014-154719.png