As a webmaster with over 15 years of experience, I know that having an optimized contact page is crucial for converting website visitors into leads and customers. The design and setup of your contact form can have a big impact on its effectiveness.
Here are 12 best practices I recommend for creating high converting contact form pages:
Contents
- 1. Clearly State the Purpose of Your Contact Form
- 2. Use a Short Contact Form
- 3. Personalize with Images and Tone
- 4. Offer Multiple Contact Methods
- 5. Include Company Address and Map
- 6. Add Easy-Scan Visuals
- 7. Optimize Form Confirmation
- 8. Pre-Answer Common Questions
- 9. Suggest Social Follows
- 10. Match Brand Tone and Style
- 11. Place Contact Form Prominently
- 12. Check Form Performance
1. Clearly State the Purpose of Your Contact Form
Explain to visitors why they should contact you and what types of inquiries or requests you can help with. This sets proper expectations and encourages relevant submissions.
For example, you could say:
"Questions about our products or services? Want to request a quote or demo? We‘re here to help! Fill out the form below and our sales team will get back to you within 1 business day."
Setting clear expectations upfront leads to more qualified leads. According to a survey by MarketingSherpa, nearly 75% of respondents said clearly stating the goal of a form would make them more likely to fill it out.
2. Use a Short Contact Form
The shorter your contact form is, the more likely people will complete it. Stick to only the essential fields like name, email, and message.
Optional fields can be added if needed but avoid overcomplicating it. The ideal contact form length is around 4-5 fields according to conversion rate optimization studies.
Each additional form field decreases conversion rates by around 2%, on average. So a 10-field form will convert about 20% less than a 5-field form.
3. Personalize with Images and Tone
Add photos of real team members or your office environment to make the page more engaging and approachable. Write copy in a warm, conversational tone to humanize the experience.
Visitors engage more when they feel connected with real people behind the business. Including images of smiling employees can increase conversions by over 30% based on eye-tracking studies.
4. Offer Multiple Contact Methods
Provide phone, email, live chat and social media options in addition to a contact form. This caters to different visitor preferences for getting in touch.
Having 3-5 contact options boosts lead generation by up to 60%, research by VWO shows. Offering choices also reduces form abandonment.
5. Include Company Address and Map
Listing your business address and an embedded map adds legitimacy and trust. For service area businesses, clearly show your coverage regions.
Displaying a map on contact pages can improve credibility by over 33%. It also helps with SEO by confirming your business location.
6. Add Easy-Scan Visuals
Break up blocks of text with icons, illustrations or graphics that quickly communicate key details like business hours, contact info, menu links.
Formatting content in scannable visual chunks improves readability. Web visitors skim over 50% of text rather than reading it closely according to eye-tracking studies.
7. Optimize Form Confirmation
Upon submission, redirect to a thank you page that provides helpful resources like special offers, popular links, or downloads.
Optimized confirmation pages can deliver conversion improvements of 45% or more. Provide an immediate reward to increase satisfaction after submitting the form.
8. Pre-Answer Common Questions
Reduce repetitive contacts by proactively addressing frequent customer FAQs on the page. Link to your help documentation or support portal.
Have a knowledge base? Feature the top 5 FAQs on your contact page. This simple practice can lower inbound inquiries by over 15%.
9. Suggest Social Follows
Increase brand awareness by suggesting visitors follow you on social media for deals, updates and interaction.
Companies see 2x more leads by promoting their social profiles alongside contact forms according to Sprout Social. Prioritize the 2-3 platforms you’re most active on.
10. Match Brand Tone and Style
The design presentation, color scheme, and tone of copy should align with your overall brand identity and website style guide.
Sticking to brand guidelines fosters familiarity while navigating your site. Consistent visuals also make key contact details easier to remember.
11. Place Contact Form Prominently
Avoid overloading navigation with "Contact Us" links. Place the form itself in a highly visible spot like the header or hero section.
Placing your form front and center boosts visibility. Prominent positioning can increase form submission rates by over 20% based on user testing.
12. Check Form Performance
Monitor metrics like form views, submissions, and spam prevention rates to identify issues. Test tweaks to optimize the experience.
Reviewing contact form analytics regularly lets you catch problems early and fine-tune your approach for better results.
Optimizing your website‘s contact page and form is one of the best ways to connect with more qualified leads and customers. By following these 12 proven best practices, you can boost conversions and grow your business.
