3 steps to make a contact form that leaves a solid first imp

The biggest mistake your website can do is having a terrible contact form.

After doing so much efforts finally you were able to get someone to message you from your website’s contact form but, it’s terrible. No clarity, no feedback, just a dull form with a generic “submit” button.

And then you wonder why you are getting unqualified leads and why people ghost you when they were the ones who messaged you.

Here’s how you can build a reliable contact form that leaves a solid first impression, establishes you as a professional and makes your client trust you and your business before they even interact with you.

1. Ensure necessary fields only

If you only need the email, message and first name, just ask for that.
No need to ask for their last name, phone number or address just because you think it might be a good idea. Stick to the bare minimum.

27% people abandon the form if it asks too much information.

Don’t think “Well the client is already filling the form, so I might as well ask about this other detail as well”. The moment you ask that detail is the moment your client abandons your form.

The worst part, you won’t even know you lost a deal.

2. Give specific error messages

Say someone tries to submit message without their mail, let them why you need the email.

It’s way better than generic “Required” message. Build the trust and your rapport by showing you care. Here are the other meaningful messages you can copy and paste for all possible errors -

Missing name

“Please share your name. We would love to know whom we’re helping.”

Missing message

“Please share a message so we can better assist you!”

Network Issue

“Please check your network”

Unexpected glitch

“Server error - Please try again later”

Pro tip

To prevent spammers from flooding your inbox, add a check for invalid and temporary emails.

There are plenty of tools out there like Abstract API to help you with that.

So when someone tries to enter a false email, let them know about it in a professional manner - “Please enter a valid email. We will never spam you. Promise.”

3. Let them know what’s next

Don’t show generic “submitted” message.

Let your client know when they can expect a response from you.

It shows you are accountable and reliable. Plus, it provides a satisfying user experience.

If you are a smart business owner, you know how important clear communication is in every step of the journey. And the success message is your step 0. Don’t skip it.

Bonus:

If you are still reading then it shows you really care about providing the best experience to your clients and to scale your business.

So here’s a bonus step for you.

Don’t just stop at the success message. You already got their email. So, send them a warm up email.

Here’s a template you can copy paste right now -

“Hey [Client],

Thank you for reaching out!

We have got your message and will get back to you within 24 hours.

Best,

[Your Name]”

Just imagine how much assured your clients will feel when they see this message from you -

Implement these 3 (+1 bonus) steps to build yourself a contact form that leaves a solid impression of your brand.

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