Our experience, coupled with click-through statistics and best practice, shows that businesses experience better results with contact forms when fewer form fields are used, at least in terms of getting visitors to complete the form. Many small business contact forms include just these basic form fields:
- Name
- Phone
- Message
These four fields can often get the job done. And hard data shows that overly-complicated lead capture pages significantly decrease form completion rates.
However, some small businesses have a real need for additional fields to be included in their lead capture forms. But are they shooting themselves in the foot by adding more fields to their forms? Not necessarily. If the form fields are kept to a minimum and are simple to complete, a few more than just the basic fields will not impact submission rates too heavily.
Another option, and one that we use often at 43Leads, is to utilize drop-down fields to collect user information. This takes a bit more planning and development up front, but makes for a more convenient experience for the potential customer, by saving them the time it takes to type an answer into an additional text field. They’re able to select their response from a drop-down list and keep moving.
Some companies need more advanced options, like file uploads. Again, you’ll receive fewer leads if these fields are required, but in some instances that’s acceptable, especially if those additional contact form fields weed out less serious inquiries. It just depends on the needs of your business.
When it comes to contact forms for your small business, keeping it simple is often the best plan, but we can certainly handle company-specific scenarios, as needed.