Every Website Needs a Contact Form

Feb 18, 2017

Professional websites need to have a contact form for visitors to use to communicate directly with the business. Not only does this enable questions and comments, but it also provides the webmaster with relevant contact information of visitors.

Illustration of a paper airplane on a webpage

Why They’re Important

Presenting a snapshot of the owner of a website and a connected business is a crucial aspect of the contact form. Many sites offer this form with an introduction of the person or company behind the website, which helps build trust and rapport with visitors.

Visitors often have questions or reasons to reach out to a webmaster or business owner, and the contact form is the typical vehicle for this communication. Depending on the fields, people can provide their name, phone number, email address, city, and a short question or message.

How to Get the Most Results

Simplicity is crucial for motivating people to finish filling in and submitting a contact form. A strong call to action will also help clarify why the customer should complete the form and what will happen with their information once it is submitted.

– Make the questions clear and specific, organizing them into categories when necessary.

– Add an open text question for an effective way to gather ideas and insights.

– Try a grading system to rate the customer experience.

– Make the fields easy to complete. Don’t require dashes or parenthesis for phone numbers, and don’t require completion of irrelevant fields. Ghost text appearing in fields can help users complete a form.

– Explain to users what will be done with their information and why it’s required. People want to know that their email address won’t be sold, shared, or added to a marketing list.

Use the Information

Once this data trickles in, webmasters must utilize it. Analyze reviews or information received to determine where to make improvements or where to focus attention. Solve problems whenever possible. Reach out to customers by email or phone to engage with them and answer their questions.

The communication received via contact forms may need to be directed to various departments in a company, but most of the data mined from this source can have both short and long-term benefits for a business. By creating a streamlined and transparent contact form, companies can gain invaluable insights into their customer base.