How to optimise website forms

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how to optimise website forms

Do you have forms on your website? Are your forms receiving very little attention? Then, you might need to complete some more optimisation on your website. In this blog, we’re looking into how to optimise website forms.

What are website forms?

It’s your choice whether or not you include a form on your website. These forms collect data from visitors who may be potential clients. Here are some of the most common details that these forms collect.

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Product/Service interested in
  • Any additional comments

Many website users like to use forms rather than emailing or phoning companies.

What are website forms used for?

Website forms are used to capture valuable information. This means you are gaining access to information about potential clients and customers.

Lead forms are extremely useful for business owners as they mean that you can get back in contact with the user at a time that suits you. As a business owner, life is busy, so the more actions that you can take to automate processes and make things easier for yourself, the better. Any business can decide to create forms to gain access to more qualified leads.

Website forms are commonly used at these points:

  • Checkout process
  • Inquiry forms
  • Forms to download content

As these forms may not be totally visible on the website, they can often be overlooked. It’s important to continually monitor and adjust your website forms in order to get the best results.

what are website forms used for

How can I optimise my website forms?

There are many ways that you can optimise your website forms. We’re going to let you know some of the best tips for website form optimisation.

Device optimisation

It’s absolutely crucial that you have a responsive website. A responsive website refers to one that changes its layout and other aspects based on the size of the screen that it is displayed on. Without this optimisation, you will likely have users leaving your website quite often, which will increase your bounce rate and, therefore, damage your search engine rankings. Our team can support you with all aspects of your SEO strategy.

Mobile users will naturally be viewing web forms on a smaller screen. Ensuring that the site is optimised will also increase conversion rates.

Keyboard optimisation

The keyboard you offer might not be something that you will consider, but it is actually very important. You can choose from a range of keyboard styles, but they need to meet the needs of the device being used. This means that with device optimisation (as we mentioned above), you also need to ensure that the keyboard works efficiently.

Make sure that the keyboard can be used to enter the requested information. For example, when typing an email address, users need to be able to add an ‘@’ symbol. The same goes for a phone number, users need to be able to type numbers rather than just letters.

Dropdowns

Dropdowns are a common element on website forms, but there are ways that you can have visitors input this information a little easier. Rather than using a dropdown to enter information, such as dates, you can use a number input field. This gives users more control and makes the process much faster for them, as it mitigates the need for excess scrolling.

Be forthcoming with users

Contact forms are generally very basic, which means they don’t tend to include much emotion or even many words. It’s important to have messages in place for when something isn’t quite filled out right on the form. Without error messages, users will become frustrated as they don’t know what they are doing wrong.

When creating an error message, make sure that it’s clear and nice, too! Remember that these users could end up being your clients, so you need to be helpful. Try not to use words such as ‘invalid’, ‘failed’, ‘wrong’, and ‘problem’. You may be better off choosing phrases like ‘Let’s take another look at this section’.

How can I optimise my website forms

Address search functionality

Some website forms may require website visitors to add their addresses. It’s much easier for users to enter their address if you use an accurate search functionality. This means that users can search for a house/apartment number and a postcode in form fields. The search functionality would then allow the user to select their full address from a list.

This saves users a lot of time, making their lives easier and meaning they have a better overall user experience on your website, providing an excellent first impression.

Form length

Make sure your forms are only asking for specific, important information. No one wants to spend hours completing form submissions, so you need to make them easy to fill out. Shorter forms will assist you with enhancing user engagement.

Clear submit button

Thereโ€™s nothing worse than completing the form-filling process and struggling to find the submit button. You have to ensure that all buttons are clear and stand out. This makes for a much more seamless user experience.

There are many ways that you can use forms on your website, and they can come in very handy for businesses. We hope this blog has been helpful regarding website form optimisation. Our expert team is on hand to help you optimise your website and get the best results possible. Contact us today for all website and digital marketing support.