How to create an effective contact form? Practical tips

When web users visit a company's website, they are often looking for a way to get in touch quickly. Providing a form gives them that opportunity without having to call or search for you on social media. Forms also help site owners - they can receive correspondence from potential customers without exposing their email address to spammers. In this article, I'll show you some proven practices to create effective forms for your website. It will also show you how to add a contact form using plugins for sites based on the WordPress.

Why is a contact form important on a website?

But let's start with the most important question: why have a form on the site at all? First of all This is one of the most popular ways for potential customers to contact a company. Considered a more informal, casual, non-binding route of contact if the recipient wants to ask a question about an offer, for example. Think about yourself. What are you more willing to give out when you don't want to commit: a phone number or an email address? Well, exactly! Besides, a phone call about an offer is not always possible. Not to mention the fact that many people do not like to discuss offers at all during a conversation. 

Although you can get so-called cold leads, i.e. the data of people who are not yet determined to use what you have to offer, through your contact form, you can 'warm them up' accordingly. How? For example, by sending reminder mailings about your products/services, in which you will present their benefits or messages with special offers. In this way, you have the chance to convert these 'cold leads' into converting ones.

Another reason why you need a contact form on your website is ensuring user convenience. You may think that there is no need for a form because, after all, there is already an e-mail address in the contact section to which you can send any queries. Yes, but you have to take into account that web users are usually just... lazy. They want quick solutions. Few will want to copy the address from the website, log on to their email and write a message. They will give up on contact. However, if they could fill in a simple form to get the information they want - they would do it. 

What to keep in mind when designing a contact form? 5 important points

You already know why a form is such an important element on a website. But how do you design it to encourage users to contact you more often, e.g. to request a quote? Here are the 5 most important tips.

The right place on the page

Where the form is placed plays a key role in increasing its effectiveness. It should certainly not be missing from the Contact Us tab alongside the phone number, physical business address and email address - and it should not be missing from the Contact Us page. the potential customer should be able to choose the form of contact that suits him best. Of course, the forms should also be found in several other places on the website, e.g. in the footer or the Offer tab. It is important that they are properly exposed. At the same time, it is important not to overdo it and make the visitor "attacked" from all sides with forms, without being able to find any other necessary content.

Tailored call to action

The call to action should be short, specific and fulfil its primary function of encouraging people to send a message. Of course, you can opt for a simple 'send', but it's worth experimenting a little with other options that fit with your offer, other content on the website and the company's overall communication style.

Optimum number of fields to be filled in

What tends to make web users abandon the use of forms is the large number of fields required to complete - they don't have the time or inclination to do so. Therefore, when designing your form, remember to limit the number of fields as much as possible. Only ask for the data that is necessary. Also consider that filling out a complex sheet can be tiring, especially on mobile devices. Therefore, check that your contact forms are suitable for both desktop and mobile versions before publishing on your website. Also remember to leave a field where users can ask their own question.

Clear message

There is no room for guesswork in the form! All the questions you ask should be clear. The user needs to be sure of what action you expect from them, what answer and why you need the data. When doubts arise, most people give up trying to contact you.

Data security

Web users' awareness of data security is growing, and more and more people are paying attention to whether the site on which they fill out a form has a certified SSLwhich ensures the confidentiality of data transmitted over the Internet. If you don't already have one, be sure to change it to increase trust in your site. It is also essential to link to a privacy policy on your site, a document that informs users about what personal data is collected about them and how it will be used. This is an obligation introduced by the RODO law, which came into force on 25 May 2018.

How do I add a contact form to a WordPress site?

Although forms are not a core feature of WordPress-based sites, adding them is not a problem. All you need is the right plugin. 

Contact Form 7

It's a free plugin (apart from a few add-ons). It is currently used by more than 5 million websites! With it, you can manage multiple contact forms and customise them flexibly. Form handling with it is intuitive and simple. 

weForms

This plug-in allows you to simply post a contact form via a short code. It has a built-in Google reCaptcha in order to prevent spam. This plugin has been designed with the user without advanced skills in mind, so it is very easy to use and has an intuitive interface. The free version of weForms includes all the basic elements needed to create a contact form

WPForms

According to some, this is the most beginner-friendly plugin. In the free version, you get over 150 ready-made templates that you can build on to create your form. No coding knowledge is required, with it you will prepare a fully responsive form by drag and drop. Once it's ready, all you have to do is select the WPForms block in the editor of the relevant page or entry and the corresponding form you want to use there.

How do I add a new plugin to my site on WordPress?

• Log in to your website's admin panel on WordPress
• Go to Plugins -> Add New, then search for the plugin of your choice (for example, one of those listed above for creating forms)
• Once the plug-in is installed, click "Enable"
• The plug-in is now added and enabled - you can use it! 

Effectively collect information and enquiries from customers through contact forms on the website

As you can see, just creating and placing a form on a WP-based site is not complicated at all, and can bring a lot of benefits. You also already know which issues in particular to pay attention to during the design process. Remember that it's important to track the effectiveness of your forms and test different solutions. A myriad of factors influence how they will work, including less obvious ones such as the colour of the CTA button. There is no one-size-fits-all recipe for the perfect form, so test this element on your site and optimise it based on observations of user behaviour.