Most experienced web developers try to minimize the number of plugins they run on WordPress websites. And for nearly all WordPress-based small business websites, there is at least one plugin being used to offer a contact form for visitors to get in touch with you. Your website’s contact form is important. The majority of small business service companies gather their leads from phone calls and contact form submissions, above all other methods. In many cases, the contact form is the only way a potential customer can make contact 24/7 and reasonably expect to hear back the next day.
WordPress Owns the Internet
Recent stats indicate that more than 20% of websites are running on WordPress! It’s far and away the most popular CMS, and in general, the single most popular website platform too. That means your small business is probably using WordPress. And you’re probably running a plugin (or two) for your contact form(s). So what’s wrong with that?
WordPress Contact Forms Plugins Require Regular Updates and Support
Every time a security update is rolled out, you need to update your contact form plugin. That same is true whenever a new feature is added, a bug is fixed, or an update is made to support the latest WordPress core (typically updated several times per year). With each update, you need to re-test your contact form to ensure it still works correctly and that emails are getting to you. When there’s an issue, you have to reach out to the plugin maker for support. If it’s a paid plugin, you may get great support. But for most of the free plugins, you’ll never get a response from the maker. After all, how can they afford to support a million plugin users when none of them are paying to use the plugin?
With 43Leads there are no plugins. No code updates on your website, and no possibility for conflict. Everything is hosted on our dedicated server. So when we add features, improve security, or roll out a new version, there are literally zero changes made on your website. It’s all done on our servers. And the entire process is seamless, with no interruption or downtime on your site. Oh, and if there’s ever an issue, we handle it for you. No need to call anyone, no need to even log in to your website or investigate. We do it all for you.
Contact Form Plugins Often Conflict with other Plugins on Your Site
Web security experts often recommend that you keep the number of WordPress plugins used to under 10. For many small business WordPress websites, that’s really hard to do. Security experts know that each plugin increases your website’s attack surface—more plugins mean more chances for hackers to discover and exploit a vulnerability in your website.
But savvy web developers also like to minimize plugins. Why? For many, it’s to avoid the frustration that comes when plugins conflict with one another, creating unpredictable behavior, or crashing your site completely.
Conflicts most often occur when a plugin, or WordPress itself, is updated. And it usually takes a while to notice that something is broken. If it’s a photo slider or your Instagram feed, it’s not the end of the world. But when your contact form stops working, it’s a big deal. Missing customer leads can be devastating to a small business.
43Leads’ contact forms won’t create a conflict with other parts of your website. Here’s why. Your 43Leads contact form is hosted on our server. All the code that’s related to it is outside the scope of your website. So the code running on your website isn’t even aware of your contact form. It’s completely compartmentalized and safeguarded.
43Leads can’t solve all of the problems associated with running a small business, but we can help with one important one by making sure that you never again miss a lead that comes through your website’s contact form. Take a look at some of the other features offered by 43Leads and contact us today to get started or learn more.