It’s not uncommon for businesses to struggle with low conversion rates on their contact forms; in fact, a staggering 22% of businesses are happy with their conversion rates experience this, indicating a significant opportunity for improvement. Many factors, often overlooked, can hinder website traffic from converting into valuable leads.

The issue might not lie with your products or services, but rather with the form itself. Elements like page layout and form complexity can significantly influence conversion rates. Here are six straightforward strategies to enhance your form’s performance and attract high-quality leads:

1. Replace Text Fields with Image Choices

Have you ever abandoned a lead capture form feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of fields to fill out? While gathering information like job titles (especially for B2B companies) and locations can be useful, it’s not always crucial and might deter users from engaging with your form.

Consider this: when someone wants to download a free ebook, all you truly need is their name and email address. Bombarding them with a 15-field form asking for their location, LinkedIn profile, and company size creates unnecessary friction and discourages completion. Take a look at this example:

Source The example above, from Salesforce, can feel quite intimidating. While larger organizations may have resources to rigorously test such forms, many of us don’t have that luxury.

A smart solution is to use image select questions. These condense forms to require minimal clicks, significantly reducing the time and effort needed from your audience.

We implemented this on our online broker comparison website, BrokerNotes, and saw a remarkable 54% conversion rate increase:

Source The images not only enhance the form’s visual appeal but also simplify the process, requiring only three clicks to find a suitable broker – a much more user-friendly experience.

Ask yourself: How can I make my forms more engaging and encourage completion? Could incorporating images capture attention and simplify complex ideas, just like BrokerNotes and Leadformly?

2. Utilize Existing Data to Pre-fill Fields

“Smart forms” or “intelligent forms” leverage data you’ve already collected about a prospect, such as their name, location, or customer status, to automatically populate relevant form fields. This streamlined experience reduces friction and encourages submissions.

Here’s how it works:

Source Intelligent forms save users time and effort, leading to increased clicks and submissions. SaaS company IronMountain tested this approach and witnessed a 140% surge in leads.

Social logins follow a similar principle, as seen on Canva’s sign-up page:

Source Allowing users to bypass registration forms by clicking “Sign in with Twitter” minimizes clicks and time investment, ultimately improving form conversion rates by up to 189%—a welcome change for any business.

3. Embrace the Simplicity of Single-Column Forms

Complex, overwhelming forms often lead to user abandonment, and multiple columns can worsen this problem. Single-column layouts appear more manageable and easier to complete, encouraging users to engage with the form.

While seemingly simple, this tweak yields significant results. Research shows that single-column forms are completed 15.4 seconds faster than multi-column forms, demonstrating that users are more likely to complete forms that don’t demand excessive time.

This video from Baynard Institute illustrates how multi-column layouts can confuse users:

Exitbee provides a great example of an effective single-column form:

Source Despite requesting five fields, the single-column structure makes it appear manageable and visually appealing.

4. Craft Compelling Calls to Action

While the importance of a strong call to action is widely known, many still fall into the trap of using generic terms like “buy,” “download,” or “submit.” These lackluster words often fail to motivate users to complete forms.

Instead, opt for targeted, relevant phrases that resonate with your audience. Consider this example from Netflix:

Source Rather than simply stating “sign up,” Netflix incentivizes users by highlighting the free trial.

FreshBooks employs a similar approach on their homepage:

Source Leveraging social logins as primary calls to action, as seen on Autopilot’s homepage, can further alleviate anxiety and foster trust:

By offering a Google sign-in option, Autopilot leverages the trust associated with the Google brand, potentially boosting conversions.

When crafting your call to action, consider factors like:

• Color scheme
• Font choices
• Button placement
• Wording and phrasing

Even minor adjustments can significantly impact conversion rates. For instance, first-person phrasing like “start my free 30-day trial” often performs generated 90% more click-throughs than “start your free 30-day trial.” Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution; A/B testing is crucial to determine what resonates best with your audience.

5. Clearly Display Your Privacy Policy

A staggering 92% of people worry about their privacy online, highlighting the importance of transparency and trust. Address this concern by prominently displaying a link to your privacy policy below your form, as demonstrated by ClassPass:

Source Providing easy access to your terms of use and privacy policy before users submit their information builds trust and ensures compliance, especially important for collecting data from EU residents and avoiding potential fines under under new GDPR laws.

In addition to your privacy policy, consider incorporating reassuring messages about:

• How you utilize user data – e.g., “We use this information to find the best match.”
• Your commitment to data security – e.g., “We’re dedicated to keeping your information safe.”
• The value proposition for users – e.g., “No upfront cost. Cancel anytime.”

6. Implement Conditional Logic

While “conditional logic” might sound technical, it’s a powerful tool for boosting conversion rates and lead quality by asking targeted questions based on previous responses.

For instance, when applying for a loan from BankBazaar, the first question determines the loan purpose:

Since each loan type has unique requirements, asking tailored follow-up questions is crucial. Selecting “Car Loan” leads to:

While choosing “Home Loan” leads to a different set of questions:

This principle applies across industries. B2B companies can inquire about a lead’s role or function before asking persona-driven questions, effectively segmenting leads for both sales and marketing.

Final Thoughts

Optimizing your forms for higher conversions doesn’t require monumental effort. Small, strategic tweaks can significantly impact your submission rates. Tools like nexus-security’s Conversion Toolkit can simplify the testing and optimization process.

Remember to thoroughly test your forms across different devices before launching them on your website. A simple coding error can render your efforts useless, so diligence is key. Now go forth and optimize those forms!