The average conversion rate of a small business website is 13 percent.
As discouraging as these numbers might seem, there is something you can do to increase your online conversion rate. This includes having an optimized contact form that allows you to qualify leads isn't as hard as you might think.
It's all worth the effort since optimizing your contact forms allows you to identify and nurture leads quickly. These are people who have a high chance of buying your products or hiring your services.
Now, how do you build highly effective contact forms? Here are the nine actionable ways that will help you create lead generation forms that will land you more prospects:
1. Less is more
When designing contact forms, less is more.
In fact, a study from Hubspot found out that companies that decreased their form fields from four down to three have 50% higher conversion rates.
So, it's best to keep your form short and sweet and only as necessary information. Providing too much information can easily overwhelm your prospects, which causes them to abandon your form.
There are cases that you might only need to ask for their name and email to send information about your offerings. You might also work with reputable web designers like Michelle Dipp that specialize in UX/UI design.
2. Consider the form layout
Your form's layout and design are also vital in increasing conversions.
Ensure that these forms are easy enough to fill out, appealing, and professional. Doing so gives your audience the best experience possible.
A positive experience also gives users an excellent impression of your brand. And you're more likely to convert site visitors into paying customers.
Ideally, you should design your forms in one column and one question only per row. That's because forms with a single column are a lot quicker to fill out, translating into a better user experience.
Similarly, texts should be aligned on the left side of the form for quick and easy reading.
3. Include a strong call to action
If you have a compelling CTA, the higher your conversion rates will be.
Because it acts as the cornerstone of your lead generation efforts, your CTA should tell people how to proceed.
To get the best results, your CTA should be specific and urgent. Overall, a great CTA makes a significant difference between a website with high conversion rates over high bounce rates.
Here are words that might create some unwanted friction with users:
- Buy
- Order
- Download
- Submit
Meanwhile, these are active words that communicate value to users:
- Access
- Gain
- Get
- Receive
Conveying the maximum benefits the user will get will play a crucial role in conversion optimization.
4. Make the phone number field optional
Try to avoid asking for a site visitor's phone number in your contact forms.
That's because many people don't want to provide sensitive contact information. This includes their bank details, address, and contact numbers. Chances are, many of them will abandon your form if you insist on asking for their phone number.
Asking for a visitor's phone number also adds an extra field in the form- something that you want to minimize doing.
The best solution here is to ask for their email address rather than their phone numbers.
If you need to ask for their number, try to make this field optional.
5. Incorporate your privacy policy
If your prospects don't trust you, they won't convert.
When you include a privacy statement or a link to your privacy policy, this is a great way to show that you're trustworthy.
Users will feel a lot safer sharing their contact and other sensitive information with you.
It would help if you also adopted a tone that's authentic and transparent. It would be best to avoid words like 'spam' or 'fraud' as it significantly reduces your conversions up to 18%.
6. Place the form above the fold
Make sure that your audience instantly sees your contact form by strategically placing it on your website.
If you want these forms to convert, then place them above the fold. If these forms are below the fold, then it's highly likely that your audience will miss them.
When you keep your contact forms above the fold, they will stand out when your audience sees them.
7. Ensure mobile-first design
According to studies, mobile searches and visits are on the rise. However, it's also worth noting that contact forms can be notoriously difficult to fill up on mobile devices.
Therefore, it makes sense that you design your contact forms for mobile.
That way, you can ensure that every additional field users will fill in won't let them leave the site before completing the form.
8. Optimize for autofill feature
Most people are lazy filling in forms, and the last thing they want is to type in information a couple of times.
To make users happy, autofill fields that users have filled in before. Or, if they haven't yet, you can predict their answer as well.
Just keep in mind that the auto-fill should be user-friendly.
Ideally, it shouldn't take a lot of effort to decline any auto-fill information and fill it independently. Otherwise, you might lose users who are irked with this feature.
9. Conduct split tests
Finally, you should run different versions of your contact forms. By running A/B tests, you can find a suitable format for these contact forms.
This format will then let you drive more conversions and generate more profits in the long run.
Optimizing your contact forms minimizes any friction and maximizes value for your audience. It will also deliver a stream of high-quality leads over time. As a result, you can improve your online store's conversion rate.