In case you’re wondering, forms conversion optimization is the practice of maximizing the amount of data a business can collect from a website visitor by converting their input into a purchase or sign-up action. Whether you call it conversion optimization or monetization optimization, it all comes down to the same thing: increasing revenue.
The following tips will help you to optimize your form conversions (or any type of engagement, for that matter) for better results.
1. Test different form layouts
One of the first things you should do is to test different form layouts for your conversion-optimized website. There are many different form styles, each of which has its advantages and disadvantages. By experimenting with a few different designs, you can easily find the one that generates the best results (in terms of conversions).
Depending on your budget, you may choose a paid or open-source form.
2. Use unique and long-tail keywords
When someone visits a website, they usually have a few keywords in mind when they get there (also known as ‘search engine keywords’ or ‘organic search keywords). Your job is to find these keywords and incorporate them into your content.
If you want to find the right keywords without paying a lot, you should buy a keyword analyzer tool or a free one with your content management system (CMS). Using keywords in the right position can drastically improve your search engine rankings and conversions.
3. Include the essentials
If you’re trying to convert someone from visiting your website to making a purchase or signing up for a free trial, you should include all the essentials needed for that conversion. This means you should have all the information a visitor needs to make the conversion you want them to make. Ensure you include all the fields needed for the form (name, email, phone number, etc.), and do not leave any stone unturned.
Sometimes, designers will leave a ‘blinding’ spot or a field out of place, which can result in a higher chance of submission errors (and thus a lower conversion rate). The fewer errors there are, the better. You should also set the visitor’s expectations by explaining what they’ll see once they get there.
4. Hide the ‘Submit’ button
You do not want your visitors to miss out on the action, so ensure that the ‘submit’ button is not in the way. Either place it at the very end of the form (right before the closing of the
tag), or at least move it to a discreet corner or an invisible spot on the page.
5. Limit the number of rows
Your form’s design should be as simple as possible. While you want to keep track of as much information as possible, you do not want to clutter up your form with too many rows and columns. The fewer fields there are, the better, as long as everything is laid out logically. More often than not, form bugs and inaccuracies result from too many rows and columns. It is better to have fewer but well-designed rows than lots of empty space and a messy form.
6. Set Up Automated Emails
One of the first things you should do after setting up your form (and before you start any SEO optimization or content creation) is to set up automated emails. Several marketing automation platforms can help you get these automated emails sent to your leads. Your brand’s email marketing software will be able to help you automate an email sequence that will gently introduce your form, highlight the benefits that your product or service offers, and finally ask the reader to take action (i.e., click a button, fill out a form, etc.).
The beauty of this approach is that you aren’t spamming your contacts. Instead, you’re encouraging them to engage with your content and gently reminding them that your brand exists.
7. Measure Success With Form Conversion Analytics
You can’t truly know if your efforts in form conversion optimization were successful unless you measure them. Luckily, various tools can help you track the success of your efforts, from simply tallying the number of registered users to seeing exactly what messages are motivating your leads to take action.
The first step in measuring your form’s success is to set up a Google Analytics account (free). Once you’ve set that up, you can use the Analytics dashboard to examine your form’s traffic. Here you’ll see a variety of statistics about your form, including the number of visitors (registered and unregistered), how long they spend on your form, how often they visit your form, and more.
Next, you can set up a separate analytics account for the specific conversion event you’re interested in (i.e., filling out a form, verifying an email address, etc.). You’ll want to look at the analytics for this account to determine how many visitors performed a certain action (i.e., submitted a form, verified their email, etc.) and what characteristics those visitors had (e.g., age, gender, location, device, etc.).
You don’t need to worry about over-analyzing the data. Simply set up the analytics for this form, then examine the data periodically to figure out what’s working and what needs to be changed to generate more leads.
8. Create Compelling Content
While measuring and analyzing your form’s success is crucial, creating compelling content is also key. After all, what’s the point of having all that data if you aren’t using it to your advantage?
To attract and retain quality leads, you’ll want to create compelling content aligned with your goals and the objectives you’ve set for the form’s engagement.
To attract and retain sales leads, the use of keywords is crucial. If you’ve already got an SEO team working on your site, they’ll be able to help you come up with a keyword list and find the right content for your lead generation form.
To retain existing customers, create compelling content that will keep them coming back for more. Look at your form’s content through the lens of the customer experience (including how you present the content, whether the content is helpful or interesting, and whether you can entice them to take action) and work on making it better.
Crafting compelling content isn’t as easy as it seems. You’ll need to do some research into what type of information your target audience is seeking (i.e., what is the hot topic right now among their friends, family, coworkers, etc.) and what type of content they love (e.g., inspirational quotes, funny stories, etc.).
9. Customize Your Forms With Material Design
With the right choice of colors, fonts, and images, you can make your forms look just like you want them to. While the ability to customize form elements has been around for a while, Google’s Material Design guidelines make creating a unique look for your form simpler and more appealing.
Google’s Material Design philosophy aims to bring materiality (i.e., the physical characteristics of things) to digital interfaces. Material Design encourages users to interact with an app or website by customizing it with stickers, banners, colors, and fonts. You can apply these same principles to your own forms.
For example, you might want to make the buttons on your form bigger and more prominent or use a different typeface for the text.
By applying Material Design elements such as colors, fonts, and banners to your form, you can make engaging more exciting. Doing this also provides a more personal touch, as the user can associate these elements with something they’d find familiar or interesting (e.g., a pet’s name, a hobby, etc.).
10. Test Subject Line And Form Content
Finally, you’ll want to test the effectiveness of your form’s subject line and content. Use A/B testing to compare the performance of two different messages or styles of content and determine which one wins out.
A/B testing entails randomly assigning visitors to different versions (i.e., A or B) of a product or service and measuring the results. When testing your form’s subject line and content, you’ll want to assign varying values to determine which performed best. For example, you might try A/B testing a short version of your subject line against a longer version or test different images against each other.
General More Leads Today
To generate more leads from existing customers, create compelling content that will keep them coming back for more. Look at your form’s content through the lens of the customer experience (including how you present the content, whether the content is helpful or interesting, and whether you can entice them to take action) and work on making it better.
To retain existing customers, create compelling content that will keep them coming back for more. Look at your form’s content through the lens of the customer experience (including how you present the content, whether the content is helpful or interesting, and whether you can entice them to take action) and work on making it better.
Crafting compelling content isn’t easy, but it’s crucial to the future of your lead generation efforts. From measuring and analyzing the success of your content to creating compelling content that will encourage visitors to take action, you can succeed as a form converter.
