Form Optimisation Insights to Achieve Better Conversions
Ruby Garner
Forms are a crucial component of any website that aims to convert visitors into customers. Whether you’re looking to boost sign-ups, generate leads, or increase sales, optimising your forms can significantly impact your conversion rates. We delve into the world of form optimisation and provide you with actionable tips and best practices to help you create forms that convert. From form design to user experience, we’ll cover all the essential elements to consider when optimising your forms. So, if you’re ready to take your website’s conversion rates to the next level, read on!
Form optimisation is improving the design and functionality of web forms to increase user engagement and conversion rates. At the core of generating web conversions are web forms. These forms convert website visitors into leads, subscribers, and customers. However, achieving conversions can be a significant challenge for organisations. That’s where developing concise and optimised web forms comes in. The success or failure of your website depends on whether users enter their details into your form or checkout.
By identifying why users abandon your web forms and when and where it happens, you can make informed decisions on modifying your forms to improve your conversion rate.
Different Types of Forms You Find on the Web
Web forms are a critical component for lead generation and customer engagement. They come in different shapes and sizes, each with a unique purpose and benefits. Whether you’re a business owner looking to generate leads, an event planner collecting RSVPs, or a marketer gathering feedback, a web form can be perfected to suit your needs. These are some of the most common types of web forms:
Lead Generation Forms — These forms capture information from potential customers interested in a product or service. They typically include fields for contact information such as name, email address, and phone number. Lead generation forms can build a customer database, empowering email marketing or other outreach efforts.
Contact Us Forms — These forms allow visitors to contact a business or organisation. They often include fields for name, email address, and message. Contact forms can serve purposes such as customer support, feedback, or general inquiries.
Sign-Up Forms —These forms collect information from visitors interested in joining a mailing list, newsletter, or other subscription services. Sign-up forms often require visitors to provide their email addresses but may include other fields such as name or location.
Checkout Forms —These forms collect payment and shipping information from converting customers. Checkout forms typically include fields for name, shipping address, billing address, and credit card information.
Event Registration Forms —These forms allow visitors to sign up for an upcoming event, such as a conference or workshop. They often include fields for name, email address, and payment information.
Lead Magnet Download Forms —These forms offer a free resource, such as an eBook or whitepaper, in exchange for contact information. Lead magnet download forms can generate leads or build a customer database.
Donation Forms —These forms collect donations from visitors who want to support a cause or organisation. Donation forms typically include name, email address, and payment information fields. They may also include options for selecting a specific or recurring donation amount.
Infographic: 7 types of web forms
You can customise each of these form types to fit the specific needs of your website and business. By selecting the right form type and optimising its design and functionality, you can maximise the chances of converting visitors into customers or supporters.
The Importance of Form Analytics
To improve your business’s success, you should identify when, where, and why users abandon your web form. With this information, you can make informed decisions on altering your site and improving your conversion rate. To do this effectively, find a form analytics tool (such as HubSpot or Zuko) that includes the following features:
Topline form performance and conversion tracking over time to evaluate the effectiveness of any changes made.
A breakdown of each field within the form to identify which fields drive abandonment, how long users spend on each field, and which fields users return to.
User flow metrics or visualisations showing how users move through the form, where they get stuck, and what may cause them to abandon.
Segmentation analysis to determine whether your conclusions apply to all users or specific groups. Check if your provider can segment data by browser, device, traffic source, product, geography, and A/B test variants as a minimum.
7 Things to Consider for Form Optimisation
Form optimisation is a critical aspect of website design that can make or break the user experience. A well-optimised form can significantly increase conversions, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce user frustration. Optimising forms is not always straightforward. Consider these tips for form optimisation and create user-friendly forms that drive results.
Use Minimal Fields
The principle of ‘less is more’ applies to using minimal fields in forms. The fewer fields a form has, the higher the chances that website visitors will complete them. Why ask users for the information you do not intend to use? Don’t request a phone number if you don’t intend to call users or an address when your company does not intend to post anything. Excessive fields can also discourage visitors from filling in any details at all. Using forms with fewer fields, unless necessary, is the best approach. However, the number of fields in web forms is subjective and depends on the form’s purpose. While a contact form with several fields may not receive many submissions, it might be necessary for an event registration form.
Use an intuitive layout
The layout of a web form is a critical element that influences how users perceive a landing page and affects conversion rates. It is essential to identify user preferences for convenience to increase conversions. Altering the layout, such as reducing the vertical spacing between fields or aligning titles to the side, can make forms more engaging and less intimidating for visitors. Another approach is to create multi-layer forms that require minimal information in each step. For instance, some websites use forms that only require an email address in the first step, followed by a password and age in the second step. This approach simplifies the form and makes it look less complicated.
Optimise for Mobile
Considering mobile users in your user journey is crucial since mobile traffic accounts for over half of all web traffic. When designing forms, prioritise legibility and responsiveness to ensure they work seamlessly on mobile devices. This approach will make it easier for mobile users to fill out forms and improve their overall experience.
Phrase your questions carefully
The purpose of the questions on your form must be unambiguous, with language that is easy enough for a ten-year-old to comprehend. It is crucial to be explicit about what information you are requesting without requiring users to think too much. This approach simplifies the form-filling process and ensures that users can provide the necessary information accurately.
Use a CTA for your submit button
According to a study by HubSpot, buttons labelled “Submit” tend to have lower conversion rates. This data suggests that the default text of your submission button may cause missed opportunities. Your submit button represents a final opportunity to persuade visitors to complete the form. Customise the text based on your offer to optimise conversions from this button. Consider using text such as “Download This eBook,” “Sign Me Up,” “Claim Your Coupon,” or “Save Your Seat” to make your offer more compelling.
Make things as easy as possible with autofill
It is essential to enable autofill, avoid requesting the same information repeatedly, and utilise auto-complete where suitable. These practices are particularly crucial on mobile devices because phone typing can still be clunky. Therefore, by enabling autofill and auto-complete features and avoiding repetitive form fields, you can simplify the form-filling process and enhance the user experience on mobile devices.
Make clear which fields are required
It is essential to clearly distinguish between required and optional fields on a form, whether by using an asterisk (*) or the label “(optional).” This approach ensures that users know which information mandatory and which fields is are not. Failure to differentiate between the two could lead to submission failures and user frustration. Additionally, if a field is not required, consider whether it is necessary to include it on the form at all. By prioritising clarity and simplicity in your form design, you can optimise the user experience and prevent unnecessary frustration.
Optimise your Web Forms and Start Converting Leads!
Form optimisation is an essential aspect of website design that can significantly impact conversion rates. Whether you’re looking to generate leads, increase sales, or collect feedback, optimising your forms can help you achieve your goals. You can create user-friendly forms that drive results by identifying why users abandon your forms and optimising the layout, number of fields, and mobile responsiveness.
Different form types serve different purposes and can be customised to fit your website’s needs. With the actionable tips and best practices we’ve provided, you can take your website’s conversion rates to the next level. If you need help with form optimisation or other aspects of conversion rate optimisation, the team at Pure SEO have you covered. Get in touch today to learn more.
Ruby joined the content team in August 2021. An avid reader and writer since she was young, Ruby always knew she wanted to work with words. After leaving high school, she studied a Bachelor of Communications majoring in journalism at Massey university. She spent a few years working as a journalist for a news app in the area she grew up in, Matakana, before joining the team at PureSEO.
Ruby also worked part time as a preschool teacher to save money for travelling. So far she has ticked Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bali off her list, and she hopes to be able to travel again soon.
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