8 Tips for Optimizing Contact Forms
If you do business online, chances are you have a contact form on your website. For many business owners, the goal of a website is to funnel visitors towards a contact form to take the relationship to the next level. From requesting a quote to placing an order, a contact form can be used for many purposes.
In order to increase conversions and prevent people from abandoning your contact form, make sure that the form is as user-friendly as possible. Below are some tips for optimizing the contact form on your website.
1. Clearly highlight required fields
It’s very annoying for users to submit a form, only to discover that the submission failed because they didn’t fill out the required fields. Make sure it’s obvious which fields users are required to fill out by highlighting them with an asterisk.
2. Include a statement about privacy
Include a statement about privacy below the contact form to build trust and increase conversions. Something like, “We respect your privacy,” will do the trick.
3. Avoid asking too many questions
Sure, you want to know a lot about your prospects and why they’re contacting you, but as with any relationship, take it slowly. Avoid asking too many questions, so you don’t overwhelm your website visitors or put them on edge. Only try to get the answers you absolutely need. You can get the rest of the data you need later on in the process of converting prospects to customers. The simpler and more concise the form, the better it will convert.
4. Make a versatile contact form
A good contact form will enable your customers to perform a number of tasks, from asking questions about your services, to talking to you about press opportunities, to requesting a quote.
5. Make your contact form easy to find
Make sure your contact form is as accessible as possible by making it easy to find. Your contact form should be in your main navigation and be accessible from all of your main product or service pages.
6. Avoid using CAPTCHA
CAPTCHA is about as user un-friendly as it gets. Many people decide not to fill out a contact form simply because it has CAPTCHA. Others give up after several unsuccessful submission attempts. There are other ways to prevent contact form spam besides CAPTCHA. For example, you can require users to answer a question like, “1 + 1 =” to verify that they’re human.
7. Use a call to action on the submit button
Submit buttons with explicit calls to action like “Get a quote now” or “Learn more about working with us” convert better than buttons that say “Submit” or “Click here.”
8. Include a contact form above the fold
Contact forms located above the fold in the upper right hand corner of a web page tend to perform the best. In addition to including a contact form above the fold, put one at the bottom of the page, as well, to emphasize the call to action and maximize conversions.