There’s an art to creating website forms that convert well, so to make sure your business is on the right track to growth and success, keep these important things in mind! There are a ton of things to consider, from content to design, so read on:
1 – Keep your form short and simple.
Nobody wants to spend ages answering a form. Do you really your visitors to answer a dozen input fields? Are your questions clear and easy to understand? These people are doing you a courtesy by spending some time filling out your form, so make the process as painless and pleasant as possible.
2 – Be helpful and avoid surprises.
Add helpful cues such as field descriptions and custom messages at every step of the way so they know exactly what’s going on. Indicate clearly which fields are required.
3 – Pay attention to design.
Is the form located in an easily-noticeable location on the page? Is the text of your form barely readable? Are the inputs and buttons too tiny to type or tap on? Are the fields spaced properly? Since 1954, psychologist Paul Fitts has figured out that the time it takes to reach a target is related to its distance and size. Also known as Fitts’ Law, this means that you should make targets—which in this case are input fields and buttons—easier to reach and interactive, otherwise it’ll take more effort for your user to do so.
Use a single column layout and put your labels / questions on top of each field. A top-to-bottom flow makes it easier for your prospective customers to go through the form instead having to bounce all over the page wondering where to answer next.
4 – Let your brand & personality shine through.
Incorporate striking photos or illustrations that reinforce your call to action. Make sure your colors, fonts, match your brand. Your form shouldn’t look out of place on your own site.
5 – Write well.
From the headline, to the form description, to the field labels, to the error messages, to the button copy—every word is an opportunity to connect with your customer and close the deal.
6 – Establish social proof.
Adding real-world examples of your satisfied customer messages, positive reviews, and successful statistics paints an encouraging, reputable picture of your company. Don’t forget to include photos, logos, links if space allows; of course, always ask permission from the sources first.
7 – Make it keyboard-friendly.
Moving from one field to the next should be as frictionless as possible. You can easily it tab (or the mobile equivalent) in web forms by default, so don’t take that ability away. The sooner they finish the form, the sooner you have a new lead.
8 – Make it mobile-friendly.
Computers come in a million different dimensions these days and it’s not difficult at all to ensure your website is responsive, especially on mobile devices. See how your form fields fare in narrower screens, and adjust accordingly.
9 – Offer incentives and guarantees.
Highlight and emphasize why visitors should answer your form. Explain how it can help them, and how it helps you. Quell them of any possible misgivings they have—a classic example here would be how you’d handle their personal information such as e-mail addresses and phone numbers. Establish a trusting relationship with your audience!
10 – Keep testing and iterating.
Be sure to check back on how your form is doing to see how it can be improved. Test with as many devices as possible. Ask your friends and family for feedback, get an outsider perspective of what may be keeping people from answering or submitting.
You can take a step further and do A/B Testing—which is a special mechanism that lets you display two variations on your form, and see which is more successful. Always modify one element at a time for more accurate results.
No matter how simple or complex you do this testing & iterating, the important thing to remember is to make continuous improvements.
Admin
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