Designing for conversion has always been one of the most important tactics for successful digital marketing. However, even with great conversion optimization principles in place, your web forms could be the one last thing making the most impact on your conversion rates.
Here are 7 things you should examine on your website’s forms:
1. Required Fields
Did you know that requiring certain pieces of information from potential customers can turn them away?
This is especially the case when your form requires phone numbers, which is the field that leads to high abandonment rates. A blog post on the topic from WP Forms even mentioned a case study that showed when the phone number was made non-required, abandonment rate dropped from 39% to 4%!
This can also be applied to dropdowns or checkboxes – so be sure that you include an “other” or a fill in the blank in case one of your required options doesn’t apply to potential users.
2. Messaging
When users land on your pages, not only do they read the headline at the top of the screen, but according to Unbounce, 90% of users read your call-to-action copy as well.
Try enticing users with more sales-like copy that could encourage them to contact your business or make a purchase:
3. Field Labels
Much like the copy on your pages of your site is important, it also is on your forms so there is clear instruction for possible customers. Use direct messaging so you can ensure that you are getting the proper information you want from the user.
Pro-tip: Be sure to check your spelling!
4. Form Length
In most cases with anything related to usability and page experience, you will want to put yourself in the users shoes to get a real feel on how it is viewed by customers. This can especially be applied to how many fields you present on your form.
The more fields you have on your form, the more likely someone isn’t going to attempt contact, or they may abandon the form before completing it.
According to Quicksprout, the highest conversions rate was for forms that had just 3 fields:
5. Security
Now a days, captchas are pretty common on most forms. However, it is known that they are getting harder. Be sure to test out the form for yourself if you have a captcha option enabled to ensure it is easily solvable on desktop and mobile!
And if the captcha is preventing legitimate users to fill it out, you may want to test your form without it to see if anything changes.
Pro-tip: Also be sure that your form is embedded securely by having your site be secure via an SSL certificate to make it HTTPS!
6. Mobile Formatting
Have you ever gone to a website on your phone and realized it is not designed for mobile by any means? And due to that, submitting a form on their website is nearly impossible?
Make sure this doesn’t happen to you by checking how your forms look and perform on your own personal devices. And if you notice they need some work, you may need to seek additional help from your web developer.
7. Button Design
The call-to-action (CTA) button used on your form for users to submit their information can play a bigger factor in your conversion rate than you may think!
Try changing up the text on the submit button, the color (orange and green are reported to perform best), or even the shape. This great article from HubSpot gives a variety of statistics and examples you may be able to draw inspiration from.
Keep In Mind…
While there are many cases of where longer, custom forms are needed for product ordering, specific quotes, and more, it still might be a good idea to re-evaluate your forms on all levels to see if any improvements can be made.
Related Articles
- What Design for Conversion Is and Why It Matters
- How to Update Your Website to Convert in 2021
- Is Your Google Analytics Clogged with False Conversions?
- How to Find Out Your Conversion Rate on Mobile
