How to Create Engaging Forms for Your Website

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Forms have become a mandatory part of every website. Business owners use forms as a way to allow customers to comment on posts, leave reviews, add subscribers to their email list, and much more.

One question that comes up quite often is, “How do I create engaging forms for my website?” If this is a question you have, you’re in the right place. We are going to offer you four tips to help you create forms that catch the attention of readers and get results through sales, website traffic, and subscribers.

Let’s dive in!

Establish Your Goals

Before you start creating eye-catching forms for your website, you have to decide on your goals. Do you want consumers to sign up for your email marketing list? Do you want to survey customers and track the analytic data to determine if you need to make changes to your marketing strategy? Are you merely looking to get more buzz around your website?

Your goals will determine the type of forms you’ll need for your website. For example, eCommerce store owners must always add review fields to their products if they want to build social proof and give customers a voice.

Blog owners should add comment forms to their posts so consumers can leave feedback and engage with other members of your audience. Once you’ve established your goals, you’re ready to move on to the next step.

Use the Right Tools

Now that you know what kind of forms you want to create for your website, it’s time to pick your tools. You’re going to want to use a form builder that suits your needs. For example, if you need to add a box on your contact page, you’ll want to get a lite (aka free) plugin.

On the other hand, if you want to create contact forms, feedback pages, subscriber boxes, and more, you’ll need a sophisticated form builder, such as the ever-popular Gravity Forms. Luckily, there are various Gravity Form alternatives that come with the same functionality at half the price.

You should use Google Analytics to track your form responses, traffic, and sales. If you want to make life easier, there are Google Analytics WordPress plugins that allow you to check your data directly from your website.

The data you’ll obtain from your analytics account will help you make smart decisions when you create future forms, content, and products for your website.

Ask Questions

Questions can make your forms more engaging for your consumers. People are far more likely to respond to a form if you ask for their opinion on either your website or a popular topic.

Consumers are far more likely to engage with a piece of content if they feel like their thoughts have a meaningful impact on your business. Earlier, we mentioned using Google Analytics data to track form responses. This is an excellent opportunity to use these tactics in practice.

For example, if you create a survey form on your website where you ask consumers to tell you how to improve your website, you’ll obtain a wealth of data that you can use for future growth. If you notice patterns in the responses, it’s your job to turn this answer into an actionable plan.

When you implement the changes and engage with your customers after they offer you feedback, they are much more likely to feel connected to your brand and products.

Add a Clear CTA

Finally, you should always include a clear call-to-action (CTA) when you create a form with the intent of generating sales or subscribers. If you were designing a popup that asked users to add themselves to your mailing list, you would want to add a contrasting CTA at the bottom of the forms that say “Sign Me Up!”

You can use this as an opportunity to add personality to your business, which promotes engagement. Instead of “Sign Me Up,” you could change the text depending on your niche or offer. If you were promoting a webinar about marketing, you could change the CTA to “I’m ready to Make Money!” Don’t forget to split test your campaigns and CTA for the best results.

Conclusion

Odds are, forms can and will increase engagement on your website. Your job is to look at your business model and determine where user forms can benefit your business. As you add more products, features, and subscribers, you’ll likely find plenty of uses for engaging forms for your website.

Syed Balkhi
Syed Balkhi is the founder of WPBeginner, the largest free WordPress resource site. With over 10 years of experience, he’s the leading WordPress expert in the industry. You can learn more about Syed and his portfolio of companies by following him on his social media networks.

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